The END of an era...

I cried when I drove away from preschool yesterday. The girls have been in school now since August 8th. There are six kids who are all together in the same class again this year. We loved our teacher and these five other Moms and I all agreed to keep our kids together since they got along so great and were all nice, non "poopy face" "stinky butt" saying kids. So yesterday the girls and I arrived our usual 10 minutes early. We meet the other Moms early so the kids can run around and play for 10 minutes before class starts and we can visit and chat. Katie's best friend since last year has been Kyler. A blond angel of a little boy with golden hair, blue eyes to die for and who is honestly the cutest child I have ever seen. Katie and Kyler run to each other when they see each other and hug like it's been a year since they last saw each other. Kyler had a little sister born in June and he told everyone he was naming her Katie. Jessica's best buddy was Alex last year but she decided that Alex has to sit in the Time Out chair too much because he doesn't follow the rules so now her best buddy is Ryan. Well.

Kyler was under the tree with Ryan and Joshua. Katie was talking to Hayley about her new shoes that had hearts on them that she just LOVED and "Mom can we please stop at the store and buy me some shoes like Hayley on the way home PLEASE?" All of a sudden Kyler yells "ROCCO (another kid) ROCCO! WE ARE OVER HERE!" Katie's head pops up and she cheerfully exclaims "KYLER, I DIDN'T SEE YOU!" and proceeds to run over to him and hug him. He stiff arms her and knocks her down on the ground! Then he says "We were calling for Rocco NOT A GIRL!" I felt like my heart was going to break in my chest. Katie, however, laughed, got up and called "HAYLEY, JESSICA, MEGAN...COME DO RING AROUND THE ROSIE WITH ME!" All of a sudden, a gaggle of little girls appears and makes a circle holding hands with Katie and sing ring around the rosie. Kyler started to leave his buddies and wanted to join in with the girls and just as Jessica went by him she said "AND YOU CAN'T PLAY! NO BOYS ALLOWED!"

So I was happy Katie wasn't upset and that she had girlfriends that supported her and played with her and she is obviously way more socially bullet proof than I am, I mean was. I was secretly THRILLED that Jessica stood up for her sister and told Kyler he couldn't play. But I am officially not happy that Jessica excluded anyone from joining their group. But mostly, I am SO SO SO SO SOOOOOOO sad that we have reached this next phase of growing up. More of the magic dust of childhood and being babies has been knocked away. Katie all of a sudden cares about shoes with hot pink hearts on them and they have entered the boys vs. girls stage of life. Just yesterday they were pulling themselves up on the couch to try and walk. I swear it was JUST YESTERDAY. I called Mike from the parking lot and sobbed into the phone "Mike, I think Katie and Kyler are officially over." And he was all "say what?" And I was all, "He just pushed her down and I think they are broken up." And he was all "okay Aim, I gotta go." He told me later that he is going to LOVE this phase of life where boys have cooties and Katie and Jessica hate boys. He's more worried about the next phase when boys take on a whole different dimension. I just miss my babies and I wish time could slow down.