On Leo's last day of the Alef class ...

Today was Leo's last day of school in his beloved Alef class and we were so very proud of him. He had a special day with a dance party, picnic for all the families in the play yard and his teachers did a beautiful protective blessing as the kids walked through a magic door into the next room over where he'll be in the fall.

Leo has learned so much this year. It was his first real year of preschool - he has real friendships now and has learned how to communicate with his friends - look them in the eye and tell them what he wants - he plays real games - chase and "Circus" digging for dinosaur bones in the sandbox and finding fairies in the "forest," trees across the school's parking lot. He learned the word "torso," the hilarity of poop jokes, how to boy - playing tag and going down the slide in a big pack like a group of puppies.


He still adores his best friend Ryder who hit and bit sometimes in the beginning of the year, but who Leo loved anyway from the start - for his humor and creative side and especially his naughty side, and who now I've learned to love for his gentle side - he's leo's friend who is the nicest to Rosie and always includes her in their games - he's the one who named her "baby darth vader" last time he was at our house. Once leo & ryder got caught throwing rocks at the temple door by the rabbi after school.

Leo loved his Alef class teacher Brook especially and Brook loved Leo right back. She taught him yoga, and silly dances, and cheered him on as he learned the monkey bars, and drew gigantic gingerbread men for him on the playyard out of chalk, and made Leo & Ryder and friends silly chefs hats when they ran a pretend bakery. Brook appreciated Leo's drama queen side - she's the one who said at back to school night way back in the fall - that many of the kids have stage fright "except Leo."

He has bounded into that classroom every single morning - with unbridled enthusiasm for every single project: "shabbat box!" "butterfly shaped easel paper!" "finger painting!" "Fairy houses!" He's become an expert baker giving me tips on how to crack eggs and knead dough - thanks to his weekly baking with his teachers. His favorite part of shabbat every week is chugging down the grape juice.

His body has grown long and lean and he's one of the biggest kids on the playground now - reaching the top of the monkey bars and swinging from rung to rung. He comes home with treasures in his pockets and wood chips in his hair from his daily adventures outside. oh how he's loved that classroom. the freedom. the structure. The new things every day. His independence there. From us and from Rosie. Today I kept having memories of bringing him to this school when he had just moved to California and I was very pregnant - he was such a baby - could barely talk to the teachers or interact with the other kids. Now he's one of the ring leaders - proudly getting into mischief - front and center in the class dance party today making goofy faces and stomping his feet.

He wanted to sit on the couch immediately when we came home today - pouring over the shabbat box and all of the art work and notes from the year his teachers had lovingly collected for him. what a great achievement.