The Last Day of School

As unbelievable as it seems, Nora's preschool career is officially over. This was the last week of school, and while each day at school was themed in celebration of the onset of summer, I feel like something was missing. Or worse, perhaps the onset of summer isn't worth celebrating.

But really, I need to shake this glum feeling and focus on the incredible year Nora had both socially and academically. I couldn't be more proud of my star student! Nine short months ago, she started her second year of preschool knowing how to write her name and count up to 20 or 30. Now she can read, write sentences with a little help, and count to 3200. Of course I'm biased and prone to brag, but even the teachers were astounded at the rate in which she progressed. For the summer, Ryan purchased her a 1st grade math book, and already she has sat down to do math problems just for fun. I continue to read her Magic Treehouse chapter books before bed to increase both her vocabulary and her (art) historical knowledge base.

I suppose I feel like something is missing, or perhaps a little blue, because the daily routine of getting ready for school and singing all the way to the next town is over. Or maybe the fact that Nora is growing up means I am missing my baby. Most parents feel bad taking their kids to school in September; I feel bad for taking her away! She loves school so much, not just the academics but also her teachers and friends. She almost started crying on the way home when she realized she wasn't going back on Monday. I hope that attitude changes. Because while she has thrived at school, and while we both will miss the comfort of the routine, I think there is also much to be said for lazy summers and sleeping in, for digging in the dirt and the sand, and for eating berries off the bush. And don't get me started on Ollie's custard!

Maybe its silly to miss school after all, because if I'm not mistaken, there's a lot of sleeping-in in the near future. Hmmm....