Three of the most important women in our lives...

Wow! I have so much to catch up on, but before I do I have to post a small tribute to three of the most important women in our family's lives over the past ten months...our teachers...As I drove away from the school on Owen's last day and saw the teachers and staff who came out to wave to the kids as they drove away I was grateful for my sun glasses because I had tears pouring out of my eyes. We were rocking out to the Phineas and Ferb theme song ("There's 104 days of summer vacation...", thank you for the CD Auntie Amy!), so I don't think the boys noticed. I was simply overwhelmed by the many good people who spend their time educating my children...

Mrs. Smith--LOVE her! Honestly, the best possible fit for Owen this year. She provided the perfect balance of encouragement, positive feedback and humbling experiences for our little "sponge". Owen loved her enthusiasm, stories about her family and clever songs (he sings them around our house...constantly). I appreciated the hours that she spent searching for ways to keep him engaged and her organizational skills never ceased to amaze me. It was no small miracle that he never complained about going to school...thank you Mrs. Smith!Teacher Cindy--If you were to look up "perfect preschool teacher" in the dictionary, there would be a picture of Teacher Cindy. Honestly, she has a way of letting the kids know that they are loved, but that she expects their best behavior, within the first 10 minutes of class. I love how animated and excited she gets with the kids and how she encourages them to be curious, kind and to think outside of the box.

Teacher Mandy--Pure love...that's how I think of Mandy. I think that Davis knew after the first day of school that Mandy was a "safe place" for him. He was so nervous (she spent a half hour in the bathroom with him on that first day...poor kid...poor Mandy!) and she made him feel calm and safe. I think that one of the reasons that Davis loved writing in his journal so much this year was he knew that Mandy would be there to listen to his ideas.

So to these three women, teachers, mothers and friends I say..."Thank you!" Oh, and don't worry...you have more of our kids to look forward to in the near future!

Below I have posted pics of the boys on the first day of school and then again at the end of the year...they have definitely grown and changed...