this makes me smile.

way back from w week and saying “yes” to requests to control the fan.

p.s. clearly a better video camera would be good.  oh well.

well, we’ve been to the fire station before, but never on a tour like this!

we saw nearly every nook and cranny.  the red bedspreads and the fire pole being behind a screen door were a couple of my personal highlights.  our first fire fighter guide was called out to an actual emergency mid-tour.  one of our preschool daddies is a fire fighter too, so it was nice to have him take over for a little bit.

come along on a photo tour!

i think there were as many favorite parts of the day as they were children.  the fire fighter surprising us by coming down on the pole was a highlight.

going in and out of the ambulances and fire trucks was an unexpected highlight.

trying on fire fighter uniforms was a highlight…and surprisingly heavy!  and hot!

looking at tools just like we saw in our book was a highlight!

thank you, families, for coming along.

and thank you, newton fire department!

with no explanation and no guidance, this zipper chair was often visited.

we had the opportunity to go downtown to ethan’s mama’s photography studio.  we peeked in prairie harvest, healthy baby and pages, rode the old elevator, heard the old wooden floor creak beneath our feet, looked down on main street from the second floor, looked up at the high ceilings…

she planned a cardboard camera craft and we ate a snack in the studio (and the waiting room and the hallway and even in the bathroom).  her patience for a bunch of preschoolers running amuck was impressive!  we each had our photo taken and there were group photos taken.  the group photos are ones i can’t wait to see.

the room was dark until the big lights went on!

(it may go without saying, but all photos from this point on are from the professional photographer herself!)

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with our cardboard cameras we had fun taking ms. kathy’s picture too!

before we went home we did a little main street window shopping…a lost art, in my opinion.  we played i spy in the display windows of the thrift shop, an office supply store older than everyone’s grandparents, ten thousand villages (where “we can’t go in because my mom says i’ll break something”), the jewelry shop, the bead store (that is now closed much to the sadness of many)…

thank you, ethan’s mama, for a new experience!  and thank you, ethan, for sharing your mama!

through the eyes of some preschool families i offer you a glimpse into our final celebration as a preschool!

via ethan’s mama:

via abram‘s mama and daddy (and click over there to see more photos):

children were offered the gift of sunglasses again so they could “hide because we might be nervous or feel weird with all those people looking at us.”

it is hard to put into words what a difference it makes to have a good co-worker.  we laughed, we got messy, we worked hard, we kept each other accountable, we had inside jokes, we remained determined to be friendly and loving.

our families will get together soon to celebrate the year.

my heart feels full and empty at the same time today.

my mom is here and she helped me shut things down for summer.  i think the church basement looks sad and empty.  but in a few short months we’ll be crowded and happy again. blessed be…all of it.