Farewell party

Today Brendan celebrated his last day at KidSpace, his day care and preschool since he was 7 months old. Many of his teachers cried as they said goodbye, as many have known him since he was that little bald-headed, fair-skinned, sensitive infant.

Whether Ryan returns to KidSpace is still undecided. We have many factors to consider, but if he is to attend day care in downtown Detroit near my office, then he'll definitely return to KidSpace.

On the way into school, Brendan counted the steps on "Grandma Buck" stairs, which remind Ken of the stairs in his grandmother's old apartment building. We also saw Ms. Melissa, who was Brendan's infant caregiver and still showers him with love and special treats.

We had a party in Ryan's classroom first, and he and his pal Gabby were quite content to sit by one another. They are always getting into trouble together and do little without the other. Ryan also donated two books -- Moo, Baa, La La La and a Curious George board book -- to his class.

Next we headed downstairs for Brendan's party. The kids were already on a sugar rush, having celebrated a birthday earlier in the afternoon. They still eagerly ate more cupcakes! It was fun to watch Brendan interact with his friends and made me see (once again) what a young boy he is growing into. Brendan chose three books to donate to his classroom's library: Leonardo, the Terrible Monster; a Magic School Bus adventure; and Curious George and the Kite.

He and his friends looked through some very cool books that Ms. Tasha, one of the teachers, gave to Brendan. He also received a sack full of Spiderman goodies (backpack, ball, games) from Ms. Margaret. And the day didn't end without several hugs and a few tears.

Brendan said many times on our drive home that he was going to miss his friends. I know he will.