Out with the old (classroom), in with the new (friends)

OMG!!! Is Natalie REALLY "graduating" from the Rainbow Room at the end of the week? I can hardly believe it's been almost a year since we dropped her off at school for the first time. I remember getting a call that day telling me that she was crying unconsolably and would I mind coming to get her a little early? She has certainly come a long way since those days. Now when we drop her off, she's usually eager to run off and play with her teachers and friends. We are so very happy that we chose the JCC. I consider her teachers friends now and am constantly amazed by all that she has learned from them. They have given us great advice this past year and we can clearly see that they love and care for Natalie. I am a little worried about how she will make the transition from "Rainbow" to "Green" but I am more worried about myself! I will miss all of her teachers sooooo much! At least I know they will be right down the hall. I expect to establish another great relationship with her new teachers. The two-year-old room will bring lots of new adventures (potty training, eek!) and I know it will be another great year! I ran into a friend at the grocery store today. Her son graduated from high school last week and she said if feels like only yesterday that he was a little boy. I imagine we will feel like that someday too. You can see the pictures below from her end-of-the-year ice cream party. Natalie loves her some ice cream and was one of the first served, meaning she had to fend off her friends who wanted to help themselves to her treat. You can see her shoving one girl's hand out of the way. Don't mess with Natalie's ice cream!!!

The "new" part of this post is that Natalie met Kristin and Rick's daughter Ava this past Memorial Day. Kristin and I have been friends since I was seven years old and I consider her family my own. They live in New York and we don't get to see her and her husband too often and we had been looking forward to meeting Ava. We got our chance when they came to Clearwater last week. Natalie enjoyed her time with Ava, telling her all that she needed to know in her special Natalie language. It was cute to see the two of them together! She also enjoyed spending more time with Caren's dog, Charley, today. She has seen Charley before, but today she seemed extra enamored with her. It's easy to be charmed by Charley - she is like a giant walking teddy bear, so soft and cuddly. She's a big dog and it's hard to believe she is still a puppy!

Enjoy the photos!