Didn't we just do this last year for preschool? We did, actually. I used to be one of those people, before kids, who thought Kindergarten Graduations were stupid. "It celebrates mediocrity," I used to say. "What are we teaching kids when we reward them for simply learning to cut and paste and say the alphabet? Let's save our adoration for the important stuff."

Well, guess what. This is important stuff. We have had a really hard year in Kindergarten. We fired our old school, hired a new one, got sent to the principal, learned to read, had all sorts of new and different experiences. You can laugh and you can joke, and you can warn me that life will be much harder in the teen years. And you know what? You're probably right. But none of that negates the impact of this past school year for us. And for me.

I'm a big quotes fan, I like to find new ones and remember old ones. Here's one that fits our situation this year: "...sometimes you don't know what you want until you have something you really really don't want. "

Throughout this year, we found out what we really, really don't want for our kids. I hate that we had to learn the hard way, but the course correction has been made and we are on our way to excellence without compromise. So without further ado, here are some early shots of the Pomp & Circumstance that will commence (hee hee!) this Friday. Family and friends can email me for password to the locked gallery...out of respect for the privacy of the other children and their parents that is not a public gallery.