Kindy Graduation

So.

I know this is old news, but it took me a long time to get some decent pictures of Josh in his graduation suit to go with the THREE absolutely awful fairly decent pics I got from the actual night of graduation.

Seriously, the lighting in that little auditorium is horrid. It sucks the light from your flash and it gets lost in the black hole of the curtain behind everyone or something. NO ONE can get good pics in there. Well, unless you're the woman sitting in front of me on your iphone getting ridiculously lovely pictures like it's the easiest thing in the world.

So the evening started at around 3:30 pm. Well, for us anyway. First I had to get all the kids cleaned up from playing out in the dirt all day, so in the wash they went. The girls splashed around for a bit before I scrubbed Elayna, washed her hair, and pulled her out of the tub. Always an easy thing to do while kneeling in front of a deep tub with a big belly in front of you.

Then it was Emmy's turn. Except there are times with Emmy that try the soul make me want to scream make life... interesting. Now and then she becomes so absolutely paranoid that some water may get into her eyes that she refuses to have her hair washed (um, not that I give her a choice - but washing anyway DURING a meltdown is time consuming and exhausting. SOmething had to change). We've come up with a fairly equitable solution to this - she gets to have a shower. Now, mind you, she is SO paranoid that a drop of water will get into her eyes that a shower with a million tiny droplets all attacking her at once from above does NOT thrill her little soul. But IF I give her a washcloth to cover her face in time to prevent this I can sometimes prevent a meltdown. And then I wash her hair. Quickly, before the water soaks through the washcloth.

The first few times I did it I got so wet standing outside the tub with the curtain wide open I might as well have just undressed and jumped in with her. It wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have this big round thing on the front of me insisting on being in range of the shower no matter how hard I tried to find a creative way to stand so it wouldn't. I tried standing sideways like I do when I'm washing dishes at the kitchen sink, but really, the last thing anyone wants when a four year old is having a meltdown is a very pregnant lady standing next to a tub completely off balance: "Mommy, why did you fall on me in the shower and squish me until my arm broke?" Yeah. Not a good idea.

Now I have at least figured out how to draw up the shower curtain, tuck it into my clothes like a bib at a crawfish extravaganza and voila! bathe the kid without bathing myself. Sometimes. Unless it comes loose mid-wash.

Anyway, this was before I figured out how to do it without getting drenched, so by the time I was done with the girls I was pretty damp myself. A little on the front, and a lot under the arms. I needed a shower, too, but I'd already had one earlier that day, and time was getting short. Time to put on some more deodorant and make dinner.

Josh hopped in the shower while I desperately tried to think of something for dinner.

Dinner.

Dinner.

What to make for ... dinner.

You know how sometimes when you're pregnant you get... TOO hungry? And then NOTHING sounds good at all?

I was there.

I called Colby in a wild attempt to get him to understand the seriousness of the situation. I cried. I pleaded. I growled. I needed food. I needed it now, and I definitely needed to NOT cook it myself.

He brought home a pizza.

5 minutes before we needed to leave.

My darling little children, all dressed, hair done, shoes on, ready to go (did I mention DRESSED?) then had to be stripped down before the pizza noshing began.

Which task was left to me so DH could get cleaned up and dressed himself.

Ten seconds before walking out the door I realized.... I was STILL wearing my old ratty t-shirt and maternity jeans!!

Um... had I brushed my hair AT ALL that day?!

Oh. Dear. I changed quickly into something halfway decent, grabbed the brush and make up bag and ran out the door. Er. Waddled out the door. Rather slowly.

About 2 minutes before our arrival (slightly late, I might add) the realization my boy was graduating from kindergarten combined with heat, hormones, and stress and the water works began.

**SIGH**

We quickly found the rest of the family and sat down while Josh skipped on over to the rest of his classmates and got ready to start the ceremony. He marched up on stage and took his seat, along with 4 other graduating kinders and 1 graduating 8th grader.



I had no idea the rest of the school was going to be there.

Or that there would be an entire recital of all the songs the kids had learned, a piano recital, readings, individual singing, a game show.... etc., etc., etc.

It was an hour and a half before the actual, you know, GRADUATION part.

Okay, to be honest, the extra time to compose myself was a GOOD thing. Not being prepared to entertain a 3 year old and a 4 year old through that - not so good. Also not so good: not being QUITE at the end of a row and having a not really : barely potty trained kid, a little girl, and a pregnant woman using the bathroom every 10 minutes. Plus I kept getting up to TRY and get some pics of what was going on up there. I apologized profusely to the poor lady on the end after everything was done. She pretended not to hear me. I can't say that I blame her.

Anyway, the best part of the ceremony was when the Kindergarteners were featured in the singing of the Alphabet Song. They were already standing in front of the microphone at center stage after reciting their poem. The rest of the students filed in behind them and took their place. The music began. It was supposed to go like this: Whole school sings through once, only kindergarteners sing through second time, followed by whole school singing through together a third time.

How it went: Joshua finds himself standing DIRECTLY in front of mic. Joshua sings loudly. Joshua pretty much has Alphabet Song solo, drowning out singing nicely through all three times with his mouth 2 inches from the mic. By the second time through snickers went through the audience. By the third the not so furtive glances at his parents accompanied some hearty guffaws. Ah, well. He was doing his best, and for once - being HEARD. I couldn't help but giggle a bit myself as he belted it out.



Afterward we had cake, cookies, and punch at the reception. Then we were taken out to McDonald's for smoothies by the grandparents and great-grandparents of the graduate. After the smoothies, Josh was given an ice cream cone by the staff at McD's. Yeah. Yeah, it was a bit difficult to get them to sleep that night, even after an hour at the play place.

On the drive home I looked down at the suit jacket on my lap. There, pinned to his lapel, was my son's very first boutonniere. It was a perfect little white daisy, with a tiny bit of a fern behind it.

Oh. Oh dear. NO!!! NOT the HORMONES - AGAIN!!!

I couldn't help it. I burst into sobs and grasped around through the tears for the leftover McDonald's napkins. It was no use. There was no stopping the tide.

Next time my little boy wears a boutonniere, he'll be taking some girl he's sweet on to some sweetheart banquet, or worse yet, to his own wedding!

When the car stopped my little boy climbed up into my dwindling lap and hugged me tight. An interesting conversation ensued, and soon he reassured me he would NEVER want to leave home. Even when he's 30. I laughed between my tears, but he did not see the humor in it at all. Pretty soon he was crying too, wondering why I'd ever WANT him to leave home when he's 30.

Way to go, Momma, way to go.

My boy:


...is all boy:


and what a handsome one, too!


LOVE the black and whites!


Aww!!! He looks so... little. So sweet.


Every day I am thankful for a big brother like this for my soon to be three girls!