A Year in the Life of Melanie

This entry is dedicated to my mom.  The hardest thing about my mom not being here to talk to is that on days when difficult or super exciting things happen with Melanie I don't have her to share them with. She would totally understand my tears of pain and/or joy and my poor husband wouldn't have to just hand me tissues wondering when I am going to stop blubbering like an idiot. :)  By the way, thank you honey for never making me feel like I'm crazy during those moments, you're the best!  See, my mom was the same way, she would cry when we cried and also cry just out of pure pride.  I have had many of these mixed emotional moments over the past year with Melanie as we have survived 3 year old Teacher Marie Bootcamp at the Magic Treehouse.

Survived is really the wrong word to use because it makes it sound like it was difficult.  It was not.  For those of you that don't know about the Magic Treehouse, it is the most amazing preschool I have ever been to.  It is an old victorianish looking house that has been transformed into a preschool.  It has a great yard with an actual treehouse on the playground that the kids love to play in.  It is green and lush and the kind of place you could easily spend a summer afternoon relaxing in.  But that is not the magical part, the magical part is the ladies who run it.  They have now been doing this for 25 years and have created a kid centered learning environment that all children thrive in based on love and discipline and lots of learning.  Your stay at the treehouse begins with Teacher Marie.  She has easily become a member of our family loving our little girl for exactly who she is and yet still helping her to grown into what she can become.  It was easy to "survive" the year with her and we'd do it again every year if we could.  The word bootcamp sounds harsh too but it is just that, the year is spent preparing them for how to be students in much the same way a military bootcamp prepares soldiers for battle.  The daily routines and lessons are put in place so that these little minds and bodies will be ready to take on all the knowledge they will need for success.  Unlike the military though, these children are treated as precious individuals each given what they need to be the best they can be.  They are loved beyond measure.  Of course I did not know it would be this fabulous before we started.  I did my research and observed and hoped and prayed that it would be great but you can never really tell what will happen.  However, know or not know, I still would have bawled my eyes out the day I left her there for the first time because it's hard.  It's hard to watch your little girl grow up. It's hard to leave her with people you don't know.  It's hard to leave her knowing she's nervous about doing something new.  It's just hard.  But I did leave her and as she waved to me from the waving window with tears in her eyes and I waved back with tears in mine I knew she would be fine and I knew it would be a year of blossoming....

Melanie's First day of Preschool at the Magic Treehouse





Water Day at the Treehouse with her good friend Ethan

 

Super Hero at the Treehouse (thanks uncle Larry for the cape)

Hawaiian Luau Day at the Treehouse

St. Jude Trike-a-Thon (learning to give to others)

Pumpkin Decorating for the Treehouse

Ariel at Halloween

Melanie and her friend Lola Jean at the Thanksgiving Feast
They had Mac-n-Cheese at the 1st Thanksgiving right???

School Picture

Before School Doughnuts....YUM!

Melanie's Dance Recital

Our gift to Teacher Marie to thank her for all the "gifts" she gave to us.



It has been a year we will never forget and will always be grateful for. Melanie is now a Rainbow at the Magic Treehouse and we are excited about her upcoming year with Teacher Denise.  Did she cry her first day of being a Rainbow? Did I?  Of course we did.  It's just hard.  But a text telling me she was doing great, a prayer that God will be with her, and a silent moment remembering that Mom watches over her always (probably with tears of pride in her eyes) and I had a good day.  The smile when I picked her up that first day told me she did too.