When I Grow Up...

Preschool is officially over and summer is here! Kaeley was enrolled in preschool at our church, West End Church of Christ. She was in the 3 year old class that met on Tuesdays/Thursdays. Last week, Kaeley had her “End of the Year” program. There were 3 three year old classes and they combined together to sing as a group and also each walked across the stage to receive their certificates for completing a year of preschool. They marched into the auditorium to the music of It’s a Small World, they said the Pledge of Allegiance, and then sang 4 songs: Jesus Loves Me, Bumblebee Song, Twinkle-Twinkle, and God Wants You to Help at Home. As each of them walked across the stage to receive their certificate, the teacher announced what they wanted to be when they grew up. Kaeley’s response – a blankie. I wish her teacher had tried a little harder to get a better answer, but nonetheless here is where that answer came from. Kaeley used to sleep with a blanket and stuffed pony when she was a baby until a few months after Ella Beth was born. She just quit, cold turkey, and didn’t want to sleep with either one of them. Each night I would put her blanket in the bed and she would throw it in the floor. She said Ella could have her pony. So how did the blanket resurface? You’ll recall her buddy, from a previous blog, Hadlee. Well, she has a blankie that goes everywhere with her, so Kaeley wants to be like Hadlee, and thus the blankie! Lovely! Hadlee also sucks her thumb, so I guess I should consider myself lucky that it’s just the blankie. And we have a new rule at our house concerning the blankie – it stays in your room. Needless to say, since that rule, it hasn’t been an issue.

So, I had to let Kaeley know that it didn’t make any sense to be a blankie when she grew up. So she briefly thought she’d be a bride! OK, “when you grow up”… that works! However, if you were to ask her today what she wants to be – she’s decided to be me! That works too! I’m sure when she’s 16 she’ll tell me “I never want to be like you!” So let’s take it one day at a time.

For those of you who really know Kaeley, you know she eats like a bird! I had fed the girls before the program because I didn’t want them to be hungry. After the program, I didn’t expect her to eat anything, but once Red Lobster was mentioned, she was ready to eat again, and she did! Papaw and Mamaw attended the program and treated us to Red Lobster. Daddy was on a trip with work in Rhode Island.

Next year, she will be going to Farragut Church of Christ Preschool. It’s within a couple of miles of our house and she will go Tuesdays/Wednesdays/Thursdays.

In the group picture, Kaeley is on the right, back row, all the way at the end.