Dear Hunter,
Today you finished Kindergarten. It was a special day. Special for so many reasons. You woke up early, as you always do, and had one of your favorite breakfasts. Then, as I was going to grab clothes for you, I realized that you were already there, picking out a nice pair of shorts and a shirt. You said you wanted to look nice today for your last day. (Makes a mama proud.) You certainly looked handsome as Daddy took you to school. I went to get a babysitter to come and look after Blake and Emily so I could join you all at your school for your "Author's Tea."
Each student in your class had written a story and illustrated it to read aloud to the parents. We all came into the library and as soon as I saw your class file in, I got teary-eyed. That would be the first of many times. This was a special ceremony that Mrs. Fenley does with her class, and one of the million things that make her so incredible. You read your story with confidence and were precious standing up there. We could not be more proud of you and all that you have learned and accomplished.
Then, you were presented with your Memory Book. Mrs. Fenley takes the time, effort and expense to create a memory book for each of her students. It is a work of art and a true treasure that I know you will grow to appreciate as time goes on. It is filled with pictures, your work and drawings, and memories of this great year.
You may not remember, but last August, I called Sha Sha while we were away for the weekend. I had been getting messages from friends that they knew who their teachers were. Sha Sha zipped over to our house to find the letter in the mail. After much anticipation, she excitedly announced, "Your child's teacher for 2011-2012 is Carol Fenley." There was LOTS of jumping up and down and joyous excitement on both ends of the phone line. All you could remember about Mrs. Fenley was that she had the snake in her room. Yes, yes she did.
From the start, you LOVED Howard, you LOVED Mrs. Fenley, you LOVED Ms. Felton and you LOVED Kindergarten. It has been a year of growth watching you learn to read, learn to write and just see what an incredibly and hard-working little guy you are. We are so proud of all that you have done and aspire to do. Even today, Mrs. Fenley said what she loves most about you is your sweet and precious spirit. You do have the most tender heart, and are always looking for people to give to. You are also amazingly creative and spent every Free Center time in arts and crafts creating something. Many times, I would be shocked that you could create something so outstanding from scraps and bits and pieces.
Hunter, as I write this, I am exhausted from an emotional day. Lots of crying... done by me. You see, I'm not really that fond of change. It's probably something I should work on. It's not that I don't want to see what is to come, but I think I see what a tremendous year this has been...to have a school that exceeds your expectations (and you just stay for Kinder and then move on), to have a teacher and an assistant teacher who LOVE your child so dearly, to have a teacher and assistant teacher that LOVE Jesus too (most awesome part of all), to have new and old friends alike to walk this journey alongside of each other....There are so many things I will miss about this year- purely the sweetness of kindergarten too. Like how you were SO excited to see me in your classroom on my volunteer days, you loved when we came to lunch with you, you wanted to see me up there every chance I had, you wanted me to be there for all of the big event days (which really you needn't beg...I'm a sucker for volunteering), and just watching how hard you pushed yourself in the reading competition....there is just nothing sweeter than walking with you through your FIRST real year of school.
We love you, Hunter. We are so proud of you. Not because of what you do, but because of who you are and who you are growing into. You are precious and you are more than we could ever imagine. God is doing great things with you and we are so blessed to be your mom and dad.
Love you,
Mom
Hunter and Mrs. Fenley
Hunter reading his story, "My Family"
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