PreSchool....

I can't hardly believe that the time has arrived to enroll my little girls in preschool.  I've said it before, but it really does honestly seem like just yesterday that they barely fit in the palm of my hand.....their tiny heads were barely the size of a pool ball...their bodies weren't much longer than a standard sheet of paper....and their lives in general were oh so fragile.  There were so many times that we weren't sure that we would leave the hospital as a family of four.....and now, we are enrolling in preschool.  It seems so surreal and we are truly and genuinely blessed.

I was casually talking to a friend a few weeks before Christmas.  She asked me where the girls were enrolled at.  At that point, the thought of preschool hadn't even entered my mind.  We've always planned to have the girls start school in the Fall of 2012.  I figured that I had a ton of time to do my research and pick the appropriate school.  NOPE!  Never did it occur to me that I should of been looking for a school several years ago.  WOW!  What an eye opener.  A lot of the schools here have 12-36 month wait lists.  I seriously couldn't believe it! 

So, last Thursday, Terry and I did a few preschool tours and picked one that we really like.  I went armed with a list of questions for each director, but in the end our decision was purely based on our gut instincts.  Not to say that they don't have an excellent curriculum, but we honestly just want the girls to have fun.  In our eyes, the purpose of preschool is not only to learn, but to interact with other kids and to learn social skills.  In a few of the schools we toured, the kids were like robots.  They were all sitting perfectly still in their chairs, hands folded on their laps, and acting like if they moved a muscle they would be punished.  Yes, I want my kiddos to have discipline, but I also want them to have fun.  We were looking for a casual learning environment with a pre-kindergarten curriculum. 

I also was extremely shocked at the level of security a preschool environment has.  I do appreciate that no random stranger will be able to grab my girls, but it also makes me sad that our world has to incorporate such strict policies because of a few idiots.  One place has fingerprint identity.  During enrollment, each child and their parents are fingerprinted.  When picking up your kid(s), each child places their thumb on this little computer screen.  The parents finger print must match the corresponding child for them to be released to you.  Kind of cool, but still makes me sad. 

Until now, I never fully understood when everyone told me to enjoy them being little because they grow up so fast.  I still can't believe we are less than three months away from them turning three.  I guess time really does fly when you are having fun!!