Finishing Kindergarten

   

The last months of Lucy's Kindergarten year were saturated in emotion as we watched Wes's health decline.  But it was another of Heavenly Father's tender mercies that our daddy made it through those bitter sweet spring months, so that Lucy could have the normalcy of finishing her school year. 

I cry a little thinking back about Wasatch Elementary, snug and cozy there at the foot of Y mountain. It was the backdrop for lots of changes in our lives and lots of growth for my little girl.  It was a great, great school and I still sometimes cry that Lucy's not there learning Chinese and creating fantastic art!

Mostly, I just feel glad that she was in a safe, warm environment for the duration of that tender school year.

Decorating her sack for an end-of-year picnic...

Borrowing one of Gma and Gpa's pillows for the Kindergarten read-a-thon...

The day she brought home her journal and memory book... 

...we wheeled our daddy to the living room and spent a sweet hour or so eating ice cream cones and turning the pages together.  Listening to Lucy's happy chatter about her teachers and friends was a true comfort to Wes and I both during those difficult weeks.

The last day of school featured the HIGHLY anticipated dance festival....

Lucy could. not. wait. to perform the traditional Kindergarten JELLO dance.

Spencer and I dropped her off in her classroom and went around front to wait for the show.

But when the kindergartners ran onto the field, Lucy couldn't find us in the crowd. 

And so she cried.  And didn't dance.
I hadn't expected her to feel nervous.  She'd performed eagerly in the similarly crowded Kindergarten program a few weeks prior (somewhere I have a picture of that night from my friend Karen! A great one of cute Lucy in her golden dress and golden curls singing at the microphone with her darling friend Jack.  Why can't I find that?!  Maybe someday.).

Her teacher was kind and held her until i made it over to snatch her up.

She and Spencer and I snuggled there on the school lawn and watched the other grades perform.

Lucy's tears dried pretty quickly but mine flowed most of the morning.
Heavy emotion was a pretty constant companion those days.



When the summer-break bell officially tolled, we drove to Jamba Juice to share a smoothie, and feed the birds, and review all the Kindergarten records in Lucy's bag. 

 

We hiked the Y together the next morning, me and my girl.

We needed the fresh air.

And the big picture view.

So glad I had Lucy by my side then.

So glad to still have her now.