Then again...

No picture today. Our camera is very broken, but a new one is on the way! In the mean time, we are reliant on Brad's phone, which I clearly didn't have with me when I picked up Issa yesterday. I do want to capture that moment, though.

As you may recall, I said yesterday that we were all over the mixed emotions of Issa's last day. I was wrong. Issa was; I was not.

As I pulled into the parking lot for the last pick-up, I was still fine--excited about the new chapter. Then I walked in...and it became a little too real. Her toddler teacher stopped me for a hug, and she was teary. I felt the lump begin.

Then I walked into Issa's room. She was curled up in her teacher's lap, reading one more story. Issa was all smiles, and I saw the tears in her teacher's eyes. The lump was growing. Issa ran to tell her two and three year old teachers goodbye, and I saw their tears. Her teacher handed me the last of Issa's art work, the sheet and blanket she's used for years, the last scribbles. Issa showed me the ring that had been on top of her cupcake at snack--the cupcakes her teacher brought to celebrate her last day and new adventures. Then her teacher gave her a gift, a Hello Kitty with a shirt she can color. Issa's face lit up even more and last hugs were given.

Then, as I fought the tears I didn't want to cry, her teacher hugged me, and whispered the words every mother loves to hear: how special Issa is, how bright and empathetic she is, how much she will be missed. We both cried.

We promised to come visit often, which won't be difficult since Evan will still be there. Issa beamed the whole way home, basking in the love and the excitement.

I couldn't have imagined a more perfect day. It's exactly what I would have wished for. A day in which Issa felt truly loved and special, where the past four years were celebrated and she was launched into the next chapter. Here's to many new adventures following wondrous memories...