The End of An Era

After eight seemingly short years…today was our last day of dropping off and picking up at our amazing daycare. I can hardly believe this day has finally come; for eight years this place has been a second home for all three of my kids.

I was talking to a friend yesterday, who stated that these teachers probably know my kids better than I do…and it’s probably true! This has been eight years of patient teachers pouring into the lives of my three kids. They have spent countless hours talking to them, wiping their tears (and hineys), helping them walk, talk and make friends – their first friends were made here…and then of course there’s the teaching part.

My favorite time each morning was taking their photo…And this one from 2015 of Reynolds and Eliza Jane has always been one of my most cherished.

Just a couple of years later, Emory joined the mix, and anyone with multiple children can tell you it’s nearly impossible to get them all looking at the camera, and smiling, at the same time. We had all three kids at St. Paul’s for about a year and a half…and I know it was such a sweet time for them to be able to see each other during the day.

As time went on…we had “last day”s…This photo below is from Reynolds’ last day back in 2018.

And then a year later…Eliza Jane’s last day…

It’s crazy to think I won’t have to make the trek downtown twice a day any more, but alas, we are here. I took the last drop-off photo this morning…

As I have thought about this day for the last couple of weeks, I concluded that there really isn’t anything I can say to or do for these phenomenal teachers and staff who have loved our kids for the last eight years.
Nevertheless, I had to come up with something.

Two teachers, whom we have absolutely adored all this time, frequently request and love Andrew’s ‘burnt’ hot dogs. Today, I dropped off a bag with you guess it, 12 burnt hot dogs that we grilled last night. Also in the bag were two dessert treats I picked up at Kudzu bakery yesterday.
Last but certainly not least, we left gift bags for each and every teacher with a card to be shared among them. I haven’t the words, or emotional capacity to write ten individual cards to express my love and gratitude for these beloved teachers. I hope that they know that the treats are but a token of our appreciation for them.

As I sit here and think over the last eight years and peruse all the photos taken, and y’all, I have hundreds of photos to sift through…we have the most wonderful and happy memories of our daycare. Sure there were days where someone was “off” emotionally, but it truly has been one of the greatest blessings to know that as we entrusted our kids to these amazing people – day in and day out, that they were loving them abundantly, beyond all I could have asked or hoped for. {Eph 3:20}

#Imnotcrying