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Last week was a big day for Leah - graduation day! Which meant it was Leah’s last day of preschool. This is very bittersweet as we love our preschool. I can’t believe she’s gotten so big.

For reference, here she was on her first day of preschool this year.

And her first day last year.

And for good measure, from the year before, her very first day of preschool.

Jen made Leah a new dress for her preschool graduation. She was a bit crunched to find sewing time with G’Mom and Grampa in town, but the dress was finished on time!

Here’s Leah sitting up front in her cap, gown, and stole, ready to graduate.

Hey, that’s me!

Here’s a taste of what the graduation ceremony was like for those who could not be present.

Of note, her teacher predicts that she will be a “Broadway musical star”. If you look back 3 years to Molly’s graduation video, you’ll find that she was predicted to be a “Broadway superstar”. I guess it runs in the family.

And here she is receiving her diploma.

Smile! I had to take this quickly before she hurried off the steps.

Here’s Leah with Miss Kelly and Miss Kathy.

Molly really wanted to be there for Leah’s graduation, so we relented and let her skip school for the morning to attend.

Grams, Jen, and I were there too.

Leah’s a popular girl in her class. She may be drawn on the top of one of these boys’ hats.

Friends, graduates. In cute dresses.

We managed to avoid being too sad about the end of preschool because Leah was signed up for a 1 week day camp at her preschool the following week. So, graduation wasn’t the end. Sadly, today is the last day of that camp. So, now it really is the end. And now my eyes seem to be wet for some reason. Congratulations, Leah!

I got to chaperone Molly’s class field trip to the Robinson Nature Center. Thankfully, we had a beautiful day. Nature’s much more fun when it’s not cold and rainy, as it was the day before we went.

Our group first walked through the exhibits, including a large forest exhibit. Part of it was even a nocturnal forest. Then we went into a classroom to learn a bit. During our classroom session, we learned about the different types of vertebrates, including amphibians like these American Toad tadpoles.

After the class time, we ate lunch outside. Then we went on a nature walk through the woods, learning along the way.

Our final activity was a fun show in the NatureSphere planetarium about the Earth, Moon, and Sun.

The trip was lots of fun for everyone. The Robinson Nature Center is a great place, and now I know they put on a great field trip.

Unlike last year, the weather for this year’s elementary school Field Day was fantastic - bright and sunny, but not too hot. I was assigned to staff the sack race station, a favorite of many. Unfortunately, that kept me so busy that I didn’t get any pictures of the events. So, you’ll just have to take my word that the kids had lots of fun.

I did manage to get one picture after the events were over. This was taken during the picnic lunch outside. Molly’s sporting her face paint, though it’s a little smudged from all the activity.

Molly’s school held a night where kids could come and build Legos with their dads. Molly and I of course attended. They had 3 rounds with prizes handed out and lots of fun. Each kid got a bag of random Legos and then had to create something with them. Here’s Molly’s spaceship from the flying things round. Note that it includes a pizza oven in the back as well as jet propulsion.

The last round was without a theme, so the kids could build whatever they like. Molly decided to build a giant robot that the operator could ride on. Oh, and it also included a pizza oven.

Leah was so excited to honor her mom at Jen’s last Mother’s Day Celebration at East Columbia Preschool. The kids performed “Over in the Meadow”, sang a number of songs, and showered their mom with gifts. Everyone was then treated to a royal treat of dirt (aka chocolate ice cream with crushed Oreos).

In Leah’s preschool, they honor each kid as the Top Dog for a week. They get to wear a special vest for the week and receive special treatment. At the end of their week, they have a special presentation, which Jen and I got to attend (as we did with Molly 3 years ago).

Leah created a top dog book with details about herself, what she likes to do, what she likes to eat, and what she wants to be when she grows up. What might that be? The President of the United States, of course. I’ve told her that she has to be at least 35 years old to be President, so she’s reluctantly agreed to be on the county council or governor until she is old enough to be President.

After she presented her book, she was presented with Bones. These are notes from her classmates telling her what they like about her. They included such gems as “I like the color of your skin” and “I think you’re cute”.

Here is a video of her presentation in its entirety.

Like last year, Leah’s preschool had an art show for us to come and see. Here’s Leah next to her first piece - Self portrait: then and now.

Earthscape/moonscape

This next one is a Native American Tale. The description as written:

Leah and Molly were by the water. A bear chased after us. We ran on the path to our camp. We climbed rocks and built another camp. It was day.

For their bodies in motion section, each kid was photographed showing some sort of motion. Leah decided to do a bridge for gymnastics.

After the show, they had a meeting for the parents. Most of the kids decided the playground was more fun, even if some of the things there were a bit too small for Molly to fit.

Great job, Leah!

Like her sister before her, Leah got to experience the fun of a planetarium in the middle of her preschool classroom. And, as with her sister before her, I got to be there for the fun. It’s a giant inflatable dome (that is slightly too big for the room as it smooshes into the ceiling) that serves as a planetarium.

Leah watched in wonder and loved the show. She’s so into space now, she says she wants a space-themed birthday party. It was so dark that it was hard to get a picture, so I waited until our spaceship had landed back on Earth where it was a bit brighter to take this one.

Molly’s school held a Bingo night last week, and we took the whole family. Leah really wanted to win a round (spoiler - she did not, nor did anyone else in our family).

Our table included our family plus G’Mom and Grampa in town, as well as our neighbors/friends.

Molly abandoned us to sit with Jordan at the other end of the table.

Leah’s preschool held a Family Fun Night in one of the elementary schools, and we all attended. This was a pajama party, so we all donned our jammies and joined in the fun. The girls quickly found the cookie decorating table, which combined crafts and eating treats - two of their favorite activities.

Molly and Leah wore their Stompeez Slippers, and were excited to find that Nora and her little sister Emmie wore the exact same pairs (well, Emmie’s might be somewhat smaller than Molly’s). I like that all four girls posed differently. Nora was shocked that I wanted her picture. Leah struck a model pose. Molly went for the simple head tilt and slight smile. And Emmie showed off her classic poker face.

There were even some fun performers who sang songs accompanied by their guitar and fiddle, told stories with puppets, and got the kids dancing and shaking shakers. It was hard to get a picture of Molly and Leah through the crowd since they were in the thick of it.

Thanks to all who made this night possible!