Preschool Graduation

(I'm going to try to start writing the captions to pictures below them instead of above them.  Above seems natural to me, but I think below is natural to the rest of the world)

 Lily Kate's teacher gave all the parents pictures of their kiddo in a graduation hat, made it very oficial.  

Her preschool had a little ceremony on Monday.  We watched a slideshow of pictures from the school year.  The kids were all cheering and calling out the names of their classmates in the pictures.  And all the parents were discreetly wiping their eyes.  No one can believe that their babies are going to kindergarten.  I sure can't.

 After the ceremony the 4/5yr old class got to have a water day.  The clouds cleared and the kids had a blast. I was itching to go on this blowup water slide myself.  (I exercised restraint and did not, in case you are curious).  

This is Lily Kate with her great friend, Ellie.  Ellie is so sweet, her brother and Charlotte's are two peas in a pod, her mother is SO great, and she's going to Holly Tree Elementary next year (where we will be also).  So, I'm pretty much thrilled about her :)

Lily Kate has grown so much this school year.  I have always thought that I can consider my kids "little" until they are 5.  I can't believe we have a big kid on our hands.  She has made strides this year in self control and being considerate of others.  She is still wildly enthusiastic and imaginative.  She has a fantastic memory and a mind for details (often remembering much more than I do about situations).  She is wonderful with Hadley and other babies.  There is no denying her leadership abilities.  We are working with her to teach her to lead as a servant to those around her.  Her understanding of Christ has grown a lot too.  She seems to really "get" her sin and her need for a savior.  We are covering her in prayer every day.  I am excited to see what the Lord does with her life in the next year!
And, as a side note, her teacher filled out a stat sheet on her the first and last day of school and she grew  2 1/2 inches and gained 4 lbs this year.  I thought that was crazy!  The sheet has a fill in the blank and says "I gained 4.4lbs this year!".  Oh the innocent days when that is good news :)