A preschool graduate!

Look out world, Jaylinne Louise has now graduated from preschool and is well on her way to becoming the smartest woman alive!

It was "circus day" at school, in case you're wondering what in the hell Mrs. B is wearing ;)

As some of you know, I had been having a rough time with this for the last few days. I just couldn't seem to quit crying! It's not that I'm sad to see her grow and progress, it's that I'm sad she's growing up. I feel like it was just yesterday that it was her first day of preschool, and now in the blink of an eye, it's her last! As a mom, I wish I had the option to tap the proverbial brakes, so to speak.

But unfortunately...I don't. So I figured I may as well embrace the change and roll with the punches! As I was thinking of what post I was going to write for my earliest childhood memory, I immediately thought about my first day of kindergarten. Then it hit me: Jaylinne is at an age where she can remember stuff! If I could remember my first day of kindergarten, there's a good chance she will remembers hers as well. Along with her last day of preschool. I don't want her to look back and remember these days and see her mom as a soggy, crying mess. So I decided that we would give Jaylinne and her classmates a proper send off, Sanders style! :)

Jaylinne gets so excited every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday when she gets to go to school. She not only loves learning, but she loves the social aspect of it as well. When she isn't at school, she doesn't have a whole lot of friends around that are her age, that she gets to play with on a regular basis. So I wanted to think of a way that her friends at school could keep in touch with her if they wanted to. Enter treat bags!

Yup, I'm that mom. The one who looks for excuses to make treat bags whenever she can. It's president's Day?! Have a treat bag! Oh it's Friday? Here's a treat bag! They're fun for the kids, and I won't lie, I get a kick out of it too, ok? :)

We started out with these little gift bags. I thought they were fun because they looked like they were screaming, "SUMMER!"

Since it was the beginning of their summer vacation, I thought we had better include the essentials of summer. If their children were anything like my little one, I knew they would be needing some entertainment to replace school three times a week. Water balloons are a must! So each child got a bag of 100 water balloons, and a spout for easy fill-up.

After filling up 100 water balloons, they will have worked up quite a thirst. What better to quench thirst on a summer day than berry lemonade?!Yum.

When the water balloons run out, you don't want to be the one left without any ammunition! So a squirt gun is a necessity. There are pink and purple ones for the girls, and yellow and green ones for the boys ;)

Bubbles. Who doesn't love bubbles in the summertime?! It provides entertainment, and it doesn't stain clothes if it is spilled. Sign me up!

The kids spent so much time this year learning to read and write! Over summer vacation, I didn't want any of them to forget what they had learned, as they've all come so far. So I thought bookmarks might be a fun way for them to be excited about reading during summer break! I also included a pencil for each bag. If they are anything like Jaylinne, they will need to begin practicing their autograph for future endeavors ;)

And, again, because I don't want to be the "Raisins and Toothpaste House on Halloween," I decided we better throw in a few pieces of candy! Just enough to calm the horde of  sugar-starved, kindergarten-bound children ;)

We included this message in all the gift bags as well: It's been such a fun school year with all my friends! I'm sure going to miss seeing everyone 3 times a week. If you want to get together and play over the summer, here are my parents' cell phone numbers. Have a great summer!" She was so excited that she got to write her name all by herself on each one! :)

For Mrs. B, we brought a gift basket from Kara Chocolates.  We even had Jaylinne write a thank you card for her :)

As it turns out, I think I might have had ulterior motives when I decided to do the treat bags. Yes, it was a fun idea for the kids, but it also served as a little bit of closure for this momma bear as well :) So look out, summer! We are coming, and there are no signs of us slowing down any time soon!

Congratulations on graduating preschool Jaylinne! You are such a big, smart girl! We are all so proud of the little lady you are becoming. The possibilities are endless for you! We love you!