Where has April gone?

Wow! We are nearing the end of April and I can't believe how fast time flies. M has only one month of preschool left (forever!). And, although I'm doing a happy dance about no longer paying tuition, I'm a little sad that my little boy is SO grown up already.

This morning, my dapper little guy asked me if he looked like a kindergartener - he was wearing a white polo shirt and nice khaki shorts. The dress code at his elementary school will be similar and he has apparently picked up on it. He had some angst when I told him that next year he would have to tuck in his shirt. "What if I can't? Will I have to go to the principal's office?" he asked. I'm not sure where he learned about the principal's office - maybe in a book. But, yes he did look like a kindergartener - a real grown up child and not a baby or a preschooler anymore.

While this makes me a little sad, I have to say that each and every age has been wonderful with him and I love this age a lot. We have thoughtful conversations and he is starting to show a capacity for compassionate thought - considering what other people's feelings are and how he might influence that.

Yesterday, my sister was having a rough day and M overheard my conversation with her and asked me about it. He asked if we could call her - and we did. He left her 2 messages. The first was very sweet, but the second almost made me cry (and it DID make her cry) - he said "I'm sorry that you are feeling sad. I love you very much." He just breaks my heart with his kindness sometimes. I wish that I could freeze that in him and protect it from what he will inevitably encounter in "real life" that will try to squeeze such compassion out of him.

I love yooouuuu

As I sit here typing this, I'm listening to M sing himself to sleep with a self-styled version of the Nighty Noodles song that we sometimes listen to. The song goes, in the refrain: So, nighty noodles, noodles to you. I loved you oodles, oodlesies too - you know I do.

He is up there singing, "I love you. I love everyone. I love you. I love everyone. I love yyyoooouuu. And, hey mom, when are you coming to bed?"

B is out of town so I'm letting him sleep with me in our bed tonight, hence the need to know when I'm coming to bed.

We had a GREAT day today. First at Home Depot we stumbled across the kids' do-it-yourself workshop and build a birdhouse together. It was a lot of fun and really well organized. We'll definitely be going back to that again! Then, continuing our lucky streak, we found that Rhodes College was having a free carnival today - and the weather could not have been nicer. There were moon bounces, inflatable obstacle courses, games to play, free books and the kids even got t-shirts and balloons. WOW! It was well done and we had a great time. Tomorrow afternoon we are off to the Trinity/Evergreen Easter Egg Hunt. Before that M sings in church for Palm Sunday. It has been a full weekend!