Silly me had been concerned about the final day of preschool! I was worried about Kate’s emotions, and whether or not I’d be able to keep a stiff upper lip when she came to me, with tears in her eyes, that she was leaving her friends and teachers for the summer.
Turns out her teachers have a good formula figured out: End the final day with a party and family picnic, and everybody goes home happy.
Her teachers are smart women, I tell you.
Emotional crisis averted.
———————————————————–
Before we ate, the kids played with a sand table, a water table, and some sidewalk chalk.
Notice who wants to get in on the Big Kid play.
Each family brought a blanket and lunch, and we all ate together. We all said our goodbyes and headed to our cars, without as much as a whimper nor whine.
It turns out what I hadn’t expected that day - namely, Madelyn raising holy hell in church – was the real issue.
The kids had a short performance planned for the parents before the family picnic. The performance was held in the church. I know Maddie won’t sit still to save her life, but I thought that between breaking the rules by bringing in snacks, a few toys and sitting near other little kids, she’d be alright.
Oh, how wrong I was.
Maddie did NOT want to stay in the pew. She did NOT want to hang out nearby in the aisle.
Hands on hips, puckered lips, furrowed brow, while yelling “Nnnnnnnnnno!” was the mantra of the morning.
Her antics caught the attention of many nearby parents. Lots of pointing and giggling. A few asked how old she was.
“Two in July, ” I responded, and received many knowing nods.
At one point, she insisted on walking as far away from me as possible…with her eyes closed in protest.
End result of this *smart* move: She walked into a pew, and gave herself in a welt above her left eye.
I calmed her down enough just as the preschool director entered the church to begin the program. I hoped this new development on the altar would catch & keep her attention.
Catch & keep her attention it most certainly did.
So much so that she made a beeline for the preschool director.
She was 10 feet from the center of the altar before I got to her.
Scooping her up and heading back up the aisle, I had about a 5 second grace period of silence before the hysterical howling started. I grabbed my diaper bag and camera as I passed by my pew, never missing a beat as I trucked up the aisle and out into the foyer before putting Maddie down. I hoped I could at least watch through the little windows of the chapel doors, but Maddie wasn’t having that either.
I managed to get a little video footage of her in between tantrums. You can see her snap her fists to her hips and turn away in defiance. Her body tightens up right at the end of the clip, as she waged another battle of wills. That’s right when I had to cut the recording, because I didn’t want to further disturb the program.
I grabbed our stroller, and headed outside.
Photo Sharing – Video Sharing – Photo Printing
LOL, she was walking away on a mission!!
I’m glad Kate had a good last day!
.-= Melissa´s last blog ..My Love Letter to Lost =-.
I think I’m in love with your kids. Even being defiant I think she’s adorable.
.-= KLZ´s last blog ..Bear Crawl =-.
You’re gonna have yuor hands full with that one…. reminds me of mine though. I’ve been told that a strong willed child could mean good things later, but I’m still waiting. Good luck.
.-= alicia´s last blog ..Friday Flip Offs! =-.
Teach you right for thinking you know what to expect!! Tsk, tsk…a mother of two! You should know better!
.-= Lori @ In Pursuit of Martha Points´s last blog ..Projects, Points, Pedicures…Oh My! =-.
I missed my great-grandfather’s funeral a few years ago because of a baby who wouldn’t stop crying. That kind of stuff is hard! Glad you got to see at least part of it!
Have a fabulous summer!
.-= Bethany´s last blog ..S. E. #11 – Happy Comes From… =-.
We’ve all been there! Loved the video. She knew what she wanted!
.-= Bossy Betty´s last blog ..Monday Morning Flowers! =-.
I’m glad the teachers are so smart and figured out how to get everyone home happy. I feel your pain with the almost two year old though. I swear they are at their worst at that age. Mine just turned two and managed to make it through an hour of church yesterday, but that was it. Then she let loose the tantrums and I RAN for home (ok, I drove). I love the video. She is a cutie!
.-= Sonora´s last blog ..Twins and sleep…a fairytale? =-.
First off, it’s hilarious that you said “holy hell” and church in the same sentence! Awesome!
Tater used to close his eyes in protest and even in the middle of a breakdown, I always think it’s cute
.-= Natalie´s last blog ..Waterpik Review & Giveaway =-.
Glad Kate had a good last day. Sorry you missed the program. Maddie’s gonna be more than a handful.
.-= Courtney´s last blog ..miscellany monday =-.
Liz…she is totally adorable even with the nooooo… protest.
.-= Jenny´s last blog ..Momma Likeeee . . . =-.
Ha! She’s a strong willed one, isn’t she? I’m sorry you missed Kate’s program, but I’m glad the picnic went well and no end-of-school tears were shed!
.-= Salt´s last blog ..Bad Movie Friday =-.
Popped in from Lady Bloggers to say hi!
.-= Blond Duck´s last blog ..The Return of Miss Pickles 32 =-.
Hold on to that video clip and show it at her highschool graduation party
She’s just so adorable in spite of her feistiness!!!
The girl knows what she wants….and that’s fo sho’!!
Ah, the adventures of parenthood!
.-= Julie´s last blog ..Mom n’ Me Monday:{Grand Canyon Edition} =-.
Oh my gosh, she sure is a cutie. Ah, the perils of the terrible two’s
Thanks so much for vising me on my LBS feature day!!
.-= Rene W.´s last blog ..Body Clutter =-.
Maddy just wasn’t going to have anything to do with that program, was she? The hands on the hips, stomping away: Priceless!
.-= Katie´s last blog ..Nine Days & A Wake Up =-.
Oh my goodness this is so cute, my little ballerina is going to preschool this year! We are soooooooo excited!
hugs,
Olivia
I can’t watch the video but I’m pretty sure I have a good idea what it’s all about. Fun times these baby girls!!
.-= Kristin Glasbergen´s last blog ..Pease Porridge =-.
tee hee…that there is my little ballerina. Strong-willed, head-strong, whatever they call it. It is exhausting. I feel your pain!
.-= Kim´s last blog ..The Eel Deal =-.
Oh, it is so hard to be two!! She’s got it down perfectly and with some added sassafras of her own. The hands on the hips are just splendid! And I love the part about closing her eyes. The fun of two.
Oh, and you lady have the great Chicago accent. I love that. Every time I hear it, it feels like home.
.-= joann mannix´s last blog ..And In The End, It’s All About The Teeth =-.
OMG She is so cute!!
What a great idea for the teachers to do that! Great pics and video
.-= BigMamaCass´s last blog ..Monday Minute – *snort* Edition =-.
What a fun way to end the school year!
And Maddie is really cute even when she’s saying “Nnnooooooo!”
.-= Kristin @ Ellie-Town´s last blog ..And the winner of the Picky Sticky Giveaway is…… =-.
I think we can all attest to the temper tantrum in the middle of a public event. I took my son to a dance recital that my neices were in. I think he was two or three. He said, just as there was a break in the program, “Is this over yet? I don’t like that music!” Needless to say, people around us found it funny, but my face turned about 5 shades of red. They are always cute when you can hand them back to someone else! haha just kidding. I love my kid and he is worth the trouble.
Maddie is so cute, even when she’s grumpy!
Congrats to Kate on her last day! Is she going to pre-K next year or kindergarten?
.-= Megan´s last blog ..Filler Post and Filler Children =-.
haha–sounds like this isn’t the teacher’s first rodeo!
And I feel you on the Maddie not wanting to sit still! Logan did that right before a small wedding of about 45 people started–I got him out of there ASAP! I hear the wedding was nice, I was in the foyer! lol
.-= Kate´s last blog ..Five Challenge! =-.
Oh, that sounds like my kids! I can’t believe she closed her eyes and walked into a pew! Sorry, but I am literally laughing out loud. Little girls just come right out of the womb with sass, don’t they? Mine sure did!
My kids’ last day of preschool was today, and they did a similar picnic thing. We bailed and went to Chick-Fil-A, which was great until the twins got into the play area and would not come down. Great show for all the peeps watching through the glass.
Do you have yours signed up for camps or something through the summer? I’m terrified of the end of preschool!
Ok, my first comment didn’t post for some reason. Sorry if this ends up a double post!
Can’t believe that she closed her eyes and walked into a pew. The whole thing sounds so stressful! Based on personal experience, I swear, I think girls exit the womb with sass.
Do you have yours signed up for some sort of summer activities? Preschool ended for us today, and I’m not looking forward to a whole summer without it!
You have a cute voice. I like it. I am very familiar with the fit throwing. I hate to sound all old and stuff but enjoy it it doesn’t last….. haha! (and my youngest is only three hehe)
I love the walking away with the eyes closed in protest. I’m going to do that next time I’m mad as my husband. I’ll let you know how it works out.
Love this…so true of life. What we expect and plan for doesn’t always happen…something else does.
lol! She’s adorable!
We were at my grandfather’s service, and whenever the priest would ask everyone to sing, my 2 year old son would sing the ABC’s or Twinkle Twinkle Little Star…. It made everybody laugh on a sad day….
.-= ASBLACKASOBAMA´s last blog ..Can You Guess This TV Theme? #47 – Answer =-.