My first year of Kindergarten was a dream come true. We explored, we hugged, we sang, we laughed, we cried (a lot), we learned, we played, we asked questions, we created, we read, we dressed up, we went to Whangdoodleland, we danced, we wrote, we made messes (and sometimes we cleaned them up...), we did math, we drove each other nuts, we loved each other, we even fought a little (well, them...not me!), we grew up together, we were a family, we were Keffergarten. Of course, it wasn't all rainbows and unicorns, but even the rough days were still filled with love and laughter.
We did Kindergarten together for 124 days before my world was turned upside down. And, just like Mary Poppins taught us, my sweet babies turned right along with it. Whether they knew it or not, they hugged harder, they loved harder, and they were just what I needed.
We were on day 175 when life decided I wouldn't be finishing the school year quite like I'd planned. We'd made it 175 days together, we only had 5 days left, and I had to leave them behind. 5 days that I cherish...but, to be honest, didn't even have planned in writing yet. I knew I had some seriously incredible people on my Keffergarten team, but I had no idea how insanely blessed I was until I handed my class, my classroom, and my most coveted last 5 days of school over to them. In the blink of an eye, these Keffergarten angels made magic happen. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to thank them enough for giving my babies the best last week of Keffergarten they could.
Days 175 to 180 (and well, the days are still goin') were some of the most difficult and longest days of my life. Even with my world turned upside down and inside out, how could I not say goodbye to my babies? How could we not finish reading The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles? How could I not feel their little kindergarten hugs one last time? We were together on day 1, we had to be together on day 180 too.
Day 180 was just what I needed. From walking in the door and seeing them for the first time in what felt like FOREVER, to sending them off for the last time, they filled my heart with so much love and pride I could've just sat there and sobbed all the tears. But I held back the tears because, let's face it, once they started, they weren't ever going to stop. Day 180 was magic. Our classroom was literally overflowing with family members, excitement, pride, love, and pure happiness. We spent the year sharing our classroom lives with our families and we couldn't imagine ending the year any differently. It'll be years before my babies realize the weight of this year or what our year together really means to me, if ever, but oh my goodness how thankful I am for each and every one of them.
And then today. In the midst of the first classroom move I've ever had to do without my daddy, I received this most wonderful gift (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5oWuzGb9dg&feature=youtu.be) from a Keffergarten parent; it was perfectly timed and is definitely something I will treasure forever. ❤️
P.S. This is NOT the linked video above...this one is just for all the happy feels.
