Kindergarten Graduation 2011

I'm sorry.... but where did my baby go??!! Did I really just fit her in a cap and gown and let her graduate from kindergarten?  I know she will probably have no idea how much I wanted to run up on that stage and yell 'pause! please stop this madness!' but hopefully one day she'll watch her own baby do the same and will get an idea.  It was a sweet, small ceremony and we are so thankful that God picked this class out for Allie to have been a part of for her first year of school.

Allie and William Henson all lined up and ready to go!

My big girl! Love you Allie!

Thanks YaYa for coming, we love you!!

Allie, William and Knox Waterer.  Is it ok for a girl to have two arranged marriages? I mean one is bound to fall through and there is no way I could pick.  These two are so sweet and kind to her that it melts me to watch them together.  Knox told his mom the night before they started KG that he was going to take care of Allie since he knew how it felt to be starting a new school.... He politely walked to the door that first day when we walked in put his arm around her and took her to her table.  Miss Dennis and I were crying before they sat down.  Seriously... how precious he is.

And William.... oh that boy gets me! In his rolled up sleeves, khakis, and wallaby's.... melts me every time.  He won the fruit of the spirit award, which is big.  I cried.  And he could teach my sunday school class for that matter.  Every sunday he knows the lesson already and still sits and listens.  He is so kind.

So.... arranging a marriage with both just to be safe wouldn't be all that bad would it?

Miss Dennis.... oh how fabulous you are!! You have really set the bar way to high for other teachers.  Allie has never been so attached to anyone that has taught her anything before.  This fabulous lady loved on Allie from the first day... through the entire fall when I was laid up with morning sickness and I'm sure the school wondered if Allie even had a mother though the craziness that I always seem to bring on my family and pass on to my children and still loved on her to the end of the year!  We love you and could not have picked a better teacher!

Allie won the character award for carefulness.  This alone tells me that Miss Dennis knows her really REALLY well!  She is all too careful, very intuitive of anything that she is about to embark on that might be new and definitely follows the rules.  

For example, Allie wanted to ride without a car seat the other day and Frank quickly nipped it and told her it was against the law.  Fast forward two days later... I am huge pregnant, two kids in tow, two melting milkshakes and leaving toys r us with a cart load of baby things because I'm convinced I'm going into labor soon.  When we get to the car I find fire ants all over Mary Elliott's car seat.  So here I am sweating to death in the middle of the parking lot, two kids with chocolate milk shakes all over them and ants crawling all over me.  I hit the wall that most moms hit every now and then... ripped the car seat apart, threw it in the back of the car, told Mary Elliott to get in Allie's booster seat and Allie to just buckle up.  Now wouldn't most kids be afraid of a crazy pregnant woman having a complete meltdown in a toy store parking lot? Nope... not Allie, she quickly reminded me it was against the law.  She wasn't going anywhere without a seat because daddy said the police would get her.

Thanks Frank... there were alot of words going through my head at this point, none of which were nice!

I told her the police might get mommy for acting crazy if she doesn't just buckle up.

We made it home... 

All that to say.... she is very CAREFUL and this award suited her perfectly!!

The ceremony was only for the two kindergarten classes which made it small and sweet and those kiddos up there were just precious.  The guest speaker (that's not him... didn't get a pic...) was Chad Thompson, the youth pastor at Calvary Baptist Church.  And I must take a moment to say how fabulous his talk was.  He talked and prayed about our roles as Christian parents, how even if we send them to church every time the doors open and even to a Christian school are we really doing enough?  What type of impact will our child have in the kingdom of heaven if we simply rely on the basics?  Our role is to raise these kids not simply to be "oh she's such a good girl, or oh he's such a great guy" that will get them no where in their life with Christ.  I am number one guilty of saying that phrase all the time... especially in the South we love to be loving a 'good ole boy.'  I don't know about you but I need that reminder every day.  These little folks will be out of our influence all too soon so to bind Christ's word on their foreheads every day is a job that we as parents need to not take lightly.

So thank you TCPS for reminding us of what our true calling as a christian parent is, thank you for hiring Christ loving teachers who love on our kids every day.  And thanks for a wonderful first year of school.