The Very Best Present

Preschool teachers know how to spoil a mom. Today AE's class held a Mother's Day Tea, so I arranged for HJ to spend the morning with a neighbor.

I kind of think she's gorgeous.

I changed my lens on the camera, so I couldn't get all the kids in the shot. When we came in, they serenaded us with three songs and concluded with giving us the "key to their hearts" necklace.

In pain or a smile? Still gorgeous!

I have failed as a mother. I don't often give the girls a chance to drink from a cup like this. She did me proud. The teachers served us snacks: popcorn, cheese cubes, strawberries and dinner mints. Pink lemonade filled our cups.

The children decorated boxes for us and filled them with a few surprises.

A poem accompanied the box and explained the significance of each item: plastic teddy bear, band-aid, peanut, stick of gum and two Hershey's kisses.

On the table were decorations the children have been working on for the last month.

Inside the card, I found an AE original poem!

More art on our beautifully set tables!

While we were gone for the morning, some gentlemen began putting the roof on the addition.

They've still got a bit more to go,

but it's really taking shape!

So which was the very best present? A new roof? All the sweet art projects?

Nah. The smile on her face when I came in the room!