Preschool Graduation

We knew months in advance that Joshua's preschool graduation night was also the night of Shawn's birthday. Shawn & I discussed whether or not to go - after all, Joshua just misses the cutoff for kindergarten so he'll be going back next year (but some folks in his class are moving on, so they just have a 'graduation to new classes' ceremony so no one feels left out). That said, Joshua had memorized his little verses and songs and seemed to want to go. Then we talked about how long Caleb might sit still in this type of environment. Finally, Daddy said he'd like to stay home with little Bluke for some play time, and I agreed to take Joshua to his event and watch him.

When I arrived, I was surprised at how many people were already packing up the sanctuary of the larger church at Calvary. I picked a row and asked if the seats were saved, and the woman said no, so I sat on the end. It ended up being the perfect spot because as Joshua's class was coming in, he happened to come down that aisle (and there were many to choose from!). I saw all the little ones looking around for their parents, but I was able to say Joshua's name and snap the above picture as he was walking, so we were able to see one another the entire evening.

I must say, though, that I never warned Joshua of what was expected of him. I'm not sure why? Maybe because this was my first event of him being on stage in front of an audience as well. ALL the classrooms sat together on stage in front and took turns performing (there are almost 300 students). So, as the other students were performing, while he was quiet, he & his good buddy Chase played rock-paper-scissors. Then they would touch each other's heads and giggle away. They weren't loud, but they didn't sit still whatsoever. When Joshua would catch my eye and I'd give him 'the look' with 'enough,' he seemed to listen, only for them to come up with another game (at one point, Joshua's 'scissors' turned into a 'butterfly.') Oh my! At first I was slightly annoyed, but then I thought it unfair that I didn't give him any expectations beforehand. I have no idea what his teacher told him. When all was said and done, she only said "they were squirmy, but when it came time to perform, they did great, so I can't complain."

And it's true - when it was their turn, they performed their verses and songs. The theme this year was on seasons, and his class, along with several others, performed the summer season. So, he had songs like "Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun, please shine down on me!" So precious! And he was right out front in his little tie, looking handsome as ever. My friend Rebecca got a fantastic picture of him & his friend 'misbehaving' (and having a grand old time!) that she showed me afterward, when I got to meet her husband for the first time. If she emails it to me, I'll post it on here later.

Joshua - who was extremely happy that night - and I went home afterward and we celebrated his night and Daddy's birthday with a piece of spice cake we had made. As I mentioned before, the boys LOVED it, especially Josh, who ate three pieces! We sang to Daddy and gave him his cards and gifts, which included a new wallet since his old one is pretty well destroyed. I was sad that we didn't get to see Daddy more on his special day, but we had more celebrations planned. Happy birthday and happy graduation!