Isaac's First Preschool Olympics

Isaac passing the "torch" to one of his classmates during the Opening Ceremony.

Last week, Isaac's preschool had their Preschool Olympics. It took place on Monday and Tuesday, and Isaac participated in the Tuesday session since that's his day to go to school. My Dad, Elise, and I were able to watch about half an hour of the Olympics, which were held in the morning during normal preschool hours. Isaac saw us watching with the other parents during the "Opening Ceremony", and his lip started quivering. It was obvious that he was holding back tears. He was trying so hard to stay with his class, but we knew he really wanted to be with Mommy and Ba, so he was distraught emotionally. Eventually, when I couldn't take it anymore, I scooted up near him and stood beside my little man. He seemed to take some comfort in my standing beside him, but I think he really just wanted to go hang out with Ba at his house.

Since that wasn't an option, we encouraged Isaac to play with his friends at the various stations the preschool had set up. He enjoyed that part, but clung closely to my Dad and me. We left after the first three stations, but at pickup, Isaac was happy and seemed to have enjoyed the remainder of his first preschool olympics.

Here are some pictures of Isaac at the Olympics:

The mini-slide:


The parachute:


Waiting on the church steps for his turn at tee-ball:


Tee ball:


That night, my parents, Kati and Ray, and our family gathered at the preschool for their "Closing Ceremony". We dropped Isaac off with his teachers and classmates before settling into our seats. Then when the music started, each class walked down the center aisle of the church.


Isaac and one of his teachers coming down the aisle during the Closing Ceremony

When Isaac arrived, we stood up to see him and try to take pictures. However, after a quick snapshot of his arrival, we saw his lip quivering again. He made eye contact with us and immediately lost his composure. He had been holding tightly to his teacher's hand, but he made it clear that he wanted to be with his Mommy. So I grabbed him up and held him tightly as he cried in my arms, having nothing to do with Steven, my parents or Kati and Ray. He was obviously overwhelmed with all the people. When it was time for his class to go on stage to receive their medals, I carried Isaac up and sat with him on stage. When his name was called, I tried to get him to stand on the pedestal; he did, but he clung tightly to my leg the whole time. After his teacher put his medal him, he quickly took it off and threw it down.


Isaac promptly throwing his medal off right after receiving it

Thankfully his class was allowed to leave right after that, so we jetted out of the sanctuary for a breather. Isaac was glad to be done with all that attention and ready to get some dinner. We grabbed hot dogs, chips, and cookies and headed to the church grounds for dinner. The rest of the evening went much better for Isaac. He had a blast eating and playing with Uncle Ray, and was back to his normal, playful self in no time! Overall this was a great learning experience for us all. We learned that Isaac is still taking everything in when it comes to his preschool experience and that sometimes that can be overwhelming for him. At those moments, he just needs a little extra TLC to ensure him that everything is OK. And once he's back in a place of familiarity or with family and close friends, he feels much more comfortable.

What an adventure! Fun Olympics - Crazy Ceremony - Yummy Food - Wonderful Family.

And a champion of a little boy who makes us so proud!