'Twas the night before Kindergarten

Tomorrow's the big day... the first day of school. Micah will be in first grade and Coby will be in kindergarten.... we went to "meet the teacher" today although we knew them both from church already... but they reconnected with old friends and delivered school supplies... we picniced at the park in honor of the last day of summertime... The excitement was unbelievable, especially since I can still hear them giggling intheir beds!! Coby's prayers tonite went something like this:
"Dear God, Thank you for this beautiful day and thank you for the summertime and the swimming pool. Thank you for mommy, daddy, micah, coby, cason, bryson, and mrs. allen. Thank you for kindergarten and help me stay on green. Thank you for my trains and my soccer team and for my food and my bed. Help me to stay on green in kindergarten and for mrs. allen to be nice to me. Help me not to lose my glasses or get them dirty. And help our fish not to die anymore [we lost 2 over the weekend...] and help me stay on green and make good choices. Help the hungry man on the road to find a job so he can work and have money to buy some food and a house. Help Sam [his friend from preschool] not to cry tomorrow at school and help mommy not to cry too [he saw me all teary in the hallway last year when we dropped off micah]. Make me not be tired at kindergarten and make micah say hi to me at lunch time. And God, please just help me stay on green. In Jesus name, Amen"
I was tearing up and laughing all at the same time... do you think we have hammered it into him enough that we expect him to stay on green??? I thought it was so sweet to have the glimpse into his little innocent mind to hear his thoughts! Sweet boy!
I posted this last year, but it is so sweet I will post it again for Coby.... good luck to all you other moms who are bringing kids for their first day tomorrow.... and to those who start on monday as well!

'Twas the night before kindergarten, and as they prepared,
kids were excited and a little bit scared.
They tossed and they turned about in their beds,
while visions of school supplies danced in their heads.
Erasers and crayons and pencils galore
were stuffed in their backpacks and set by the door.
Outfits were hung in the closets with care,
knowing that kindergarten soon would be there.
In the morning it came--school starts today!
Would the teacher be nice? Would they still get to play?
Faces were washed, and teeth were brushed white;
kids posed for pictures with eyes sparkling bright.
Parents packed snacks, and kids hopped in cars
as if they were boarding a spaceship to Mars.
Some kids brought blankets or their favorite stuffed bear,
in hopes they could nap like they did last year.

Their parents exclaimed, "You're big kids--wow!
Let us hold your bears and blankies for now."
The parents were worried their children would cry
if they left them at school with just a good-bye.
So they told their darlings, "If you want, we can stay
and make sure that everythingwill be A-okay."
The teacher then greeted each one with a smile,
and invited the students to stay for a while.
The room was all filled with toys, books, and maps,
but where are the beds for midmorning naps?
They colored and painted and played Simon Says,
then tumbled and skipped and stood on their heads.
They sang silly songs from beginning to end.
Within just a minute, each kid had a friend.
The children were happy. They loved Miss Sunrise!
It was she who was in for a giant surprise.
When what to her wondering eyes should appear
but sad moms and dad who were holding back tears!
Their noses--so sniffly! Their eyes--red and wet!
This was the saddest good-bye Miss Sunrise had seen yet!
She gathered the grown-ups on the magical rug,
then sent them away after one final hug.
The children all waved from the door of the school,
"Don't cry, Mom and Dad; kindergarten is cool!"
-- by Natasha Wing