Cameron's Big Day!

Today was a big day for Cameron! And a big day for momma too . . .

He graduated from Pre-school . . . (he's in blue, 3rd from the left)

The beginning of the school year was rough. He cried most days that we took him, either on the car ride there or right in the classroom.

It lasted few months. He kept asking if he could go to his old school.

This was his first day of school. He was all smiles until we got into the classroom & froze up.

This is how he came back . . . crabby and never wanting to go back.

But we made him go back and back and back. We developed a few things that helped parting ways easier for him. He found a chair that he was happy in. He'd just sit there while the other kids played about the classroom waiting for their day to begin.

They tried to force him to participate the first couple weeks but it obviously made him more upset. I left a couple times crying. This was so unlike him. I talked to the teacher and asked them to just let him be. I told her he would join in when he was ready.

Eventually he sat in that chair without crying.

Daddy started a double fist bump good-bye, which Cameron had to teach me so I would do it right. And then he'd ask me to watch him through the window in the hallway. He'd sit in that chair and stare at me, I'd stand there for maybe a minute and then wave good-bye to him and he would wave back.

Then we moved into a fist bump, kiss, watch me through the window.

I talking months of this . . . basically the entire first semester.

Finally, he stopped sitting in that chair and would come over to the window and wave.

And then finally, he gave me a kiss and started playing with his friends . . . he'd ask my to look at him through the window, but he'd forget and be playing before I got there.

It was hard on me. It's hard to see your child go through that day after day. But he wouldn't have made it to this day if we hadn't pushed him along.

The video isn't all that exciting, I just want to share it with family. He is in a light blue polo and khakis. Also, the end of the video the kids all pop confetti poppers . . . most kids couldn't figure them out, but Cameron was the first to pop his off : )

This was a High School program, so he had a teacher, Mrs. Tielke, great with the kids.

Then he also had his "High School Friends" as he would say. Occasionally we would hear one of their names while he talked about his school day, but not very often. He would basically refer to them as "a Packer fan" or "a Bear fan".

But he had his favorite, Quinn, and we heard about her all the time. He would proudly say, "My high school friend Quinn, she's a Packer fan too!" He adored her. She gave many of her little admirers hugs good-bye, and I snapped a picture.

This is also Cameron's best friend from school, Paul . . . who we plan on keeping in touch with over the summer : )

The seniors high school students all had a project to put together a scrapbook for an individual student, it is a wonderful gift to remember their school year. The student even gave him a Green Bay Packer sticker, which he proudly pointed out and then said "and she was a Bears fan!"

They also received a t-shirt and sweatshirt with the name of their school on it, and he has already worn both of them this afternoon. Also we have a slide show of their year in the program and picture of all his friends.

Here are some of Cameron's shots.

It was a "growing up" year for my little man. It was a great year even through the struggles. And now summer has officially started for one of my kids :) He's been waiting for months for this day . . . because a long planned trip starts this weekend!

A week at the Lakehouse with Grandpa!!! We are going to start packing tomorrow :)