As I’ve mentioned, Aubrey graduated from preschool today. She did a great job singing all her little songs and Momma was oh so proud. Our first school assembly consisted of her standing on stage and picking her nose for approximately 5 minutes in front of the entire school…and all their families. So really anything would have been an improvement.

I had one of my favorite boys in the whole world with me, (and one of Aubrey’s best friends,) Tristan, or TJ or PJ…depending on Aubrey’s mood. TJ is in LURVE with some electronics, the kid can make my Blackberry do things I can’t replicate using the Owner’s Manual. So while I was taking pictures, Zeb was taking video, TJ was standing in the middle of the aisle with all the parents leaning in get a good shot with my phone!

I held it together while they were singing but completely LOST it when the slide show started. I can remember MY preschool graduation (Shout Out to all you Christ United Methodist Kids!) How can my child be here already? It didn’t help me at all, that I was holding Sadie, my 4 month old who looks exactly like Aubrey did as a baby.

It made my memories of Aubrey’s babyhood seem more like flesh and blood. I could close my eyes and smell Sadie’s baby smell and be flooded with memories of Aubrey. All of those sleepless nights, all the crying, the disciplining, the laughing, the tickling, the chasing-it’s gone by so incredibly fast that sometimes when I’m holding Sadie I could swear it’s still Aubrey.

I tried to control my WEEPING, so as not to embarrass my newly dubbed “kindergartner.” After the slide show, Aubrey turned around in her seat and whispered to me, “You know how that made me feel Momma?”
“How?” I asked her as I wiped my eyes.
“Just a little bit sad.”
Me too baby girl, me too.

I was prepared for a really emotional day today. Aubrey (4) graduated from preschool (more on that later) but I was in a somber mood when I sat down to check my email this morning. Everyone was dressed and ready for school so I let the girls watch Sponge Bob (who I detest) until time to leave for school. I overheard Aubrey say: I hope he doesn’t have a penis.
*BRAKES SQUEALING! Blank stare*
Me: Aubrey, come here!
Aubrey walks towards me with a little sideways grin, “What?”
Me: Um, what did you say? (We have discussed body parts before this was RANDOM and we’re about to leave for school. I do NOT want to have this conversation with her teacher later!)
Aubrey: (giggling uncontrollably) Heehee, penis.
Me: Do you know what that is?
Aubrey: (actually snorts she’s laughing so hard) Yep, it’s a boy’s coo-coo.
Me: (Sigh, Lawd have mercy on my soul…) That’s right, but it’s private (Hello World Wide Web!) and we don’t talk about it at school.
Aubrey: (STILL snickering) OK Momma.

Dear God, PUH–LEEZ let us get through the last day of school!

I’m sitting here just working away. Aubrey (4) was playing with Sadie (4mos), Aubrey yelled from the living room floor:
MOMMA, Sadie needs a bath!
Me: Huh?
Aubrey: Sadie needs a bath, her face and neck smell like cheese!
Um, gross. I’m going to go bathe my baby. Now.

I tried to trace this line of conversation back to it’s origin but was totally unsuccessful. For some reason or another Aubrey and I ended up talking about guns….like I said, no idea where this came from.
Me: Guns are very dangerous and only adults can touch them.
Aubrey: Yeah just boys.
Me: NO. No kids. If you ever see a kid touching a gun you RUN and tell a grown up. (I was an ER nurse y’all, I’ve seen bad stuff.)
Aubrey: Yeah, just grown ups. Are guns more dangerous than bears?
Me: Yes. (I mean how likely is it she’s going to run into a grizzly in Mt Pleasant???) Guns are more dangerous than fire. (The fireman came to her school and since then she’s all about stop, dropping and rolling.)
Aubrey: Yeah, guns are more dangerous than bears on fire. Right, Momma?