And he surprises us once again!

I'm experience parental pride in a new way lately. I'm proud of my kids all the time for a million different reasons, but it's been such a new experience to feel proud of Joshua for growing into an independent, kind, responsible little person. And at least to date, I haven't seen that in him the way that being a part of nursery school has put on display. To see him with his classmates, playing nicely, listening to his teacher, cooperating and helping others...it just does my heart good. And last night was certainly no exception. In fact, I think my heart grew about three sizes just watching Joshua's Preschool Program.

I had visions of Joshua high-tailing it off of the stage as soon as he saw a bunch of eyeballs staring at him up there. Honestly, as we sat waiting for the program to begin and more and more people kept shuffling in, I thought we were doomed.

The K5 kids started off the night with their little program about "Growing God's Way". They read passages, they remembered their lines, they acted out little parts, they sang a few songs. It was precious....and more like what I remembered programs being like when I was in 2nd or 3rd grade, actually. They showed off their counting skills- by 2's, 5's and 10's. They taught me a neat little saying about vowel sounds that I'm pretty sure my mom would have flipped over, being the English enthusiast that she is.

And then.........and then it was time. I moved into position in the front row to snap some photos. All of the nursery school parents sat there with bated breath just wondering how this was all going to go.

They filed in so nicely. Hands at their sides. They took their places on the bleachers and stayed put. They waved as soon as they saw faces they recognized.

They belted out "I Am A Promise" like it was their job! They did motions, sang mostly all of the words and charmed the pants off of the audience (figuratively speaking, of course). The pictures don't really do it justice like the video does. But trust me when I say I could have just eaten him right up.

When they were done singing, each of the kids had their name called and they got a certificate from Mrs. Mabus. My camera wasn't functioning wonderfully when it was time for Joshua's, so our picture is a little fuzzy, but he was thrilled. And he did a super job following instructions.

After their part was over, the teachers quickly whisked the little ones off to their classroom for some playtime. The K4 group did a bit more of an extensive repertoire of songs and got their certificates. And then it was time for the K5 (Meadowbrook's Kindergarten) to graduate.

They processed into the auditorium to Pomp and Circumstance while wearing their caps and gowns. I'm a bit concerned that I actually teared up while watching them march in, all grown up and ready for 1st grade. I can only imagine how I'll feel when it's my own child doing it. There's been no shortage of making fun of me for my emotion ever since, so feel free to join in the fun if you're so inclined. It was adorable!

Lauren hung in pretty well through the whole evening. Her schedule was off yesterday, making it touchy for her eating. She was hungry through most of the program, but I was able to hold her off until we got home. Although it made for a difficult evening with a very scroochy baby, it did push her bedtime back until after 10. That doesn't sound great, except for the fact that the first peep I heard out of her was at 5:27 this morning! That's the first all nighter she's pulled in MONTHS! Too bad Josh was up a few times....but that's beside the point. On top of that, I have to tell you that she was so close to crawling last night I couldn't even stand it. With just a little support under her tummy, her arms and legs were going perfectly. I also heard her first babble sound last night.......and it was "MMMMMMMMMMMM.........MUM!" Amazing.



Happy Weekend all! Summer vacation at our house starts today, so I'm already dreaming up ideas to keep Joshua busy. If you have any great ones, I'm all ears!