Preschool Ice Cream Social

So as I shared yesterday, on Kaiser's final day of school we took him down the road to Kelley's Dari Delite for a sweet treat. Four days afterward, we gathered to celebrate the end of the year with the entire preschool community. Imagine how disappointed our family was to learn that this event would involve ice cream, as well.

Kaiser had been talking about the Ice Cream Social nonstop for weeks (eyes on the prize, y'all), so when last Sunday arrived, I was shocked to find out he didn't remember that it was the much-anticipated day! I rolled with it, knowing that if I reminded him, he would be way too amped up to take the afternoon nap he most definitely needed. We got home from church a little before 1:00, immediately ate lunch, and then laid all three of the kiddos down by 1:30, in the hopes that they'd be able to get at least an hour of rest before we left for the social at 2:45. Porter didn't end up falling asleep, but when I came to get Kaiser from our bed he was disoriented and sweaty and had clearly been sleeping hard. At the mention of ice cream, though, he quickly came to, popped out of bed, and was ready to roll!

We arrived right at 3:00, when the event started. All of the students and their families gathered on the lawn right in front of the church for some praise and worship time with Pastor S.

Mommy and Malone hung back to watch.

Kaiser not only did the motions, but tried to teach them to Porter, too.

After the kiddos had sung several songs, the board presented the preschool's director, Mrs. M, with a gift for her 20 years of service. (She's been in her role since the school started in 1993.) Mrs. M really is an incredible leader, and the students, teachers, and parents are blessed to have her!

Beautiful stained glass window.

Finally, it was time for everyone to line up for ice cream! Brett and the boys were near the back of the line, so I visited with some friends of ours and then joined them toward the end of their wait. We each got a cup of vanilla, and the teachers manned the tables and helped serve up our toppings. The boys couldn't have been happier with their chocolate syrup, crushed M&Ms, sprinkles, and cherry on top. We had perfectly pleasant weather, too; last year the day was so hot, our ice cream had practically melted by the time we found a place to sit! 

In heaven.

The social also provided a prime opportunity for people-watching.

A little o' this and a little o' that.

Finished my ice cream quickly and requested a pic with my girl.

The plastic spoons entertained Sister for a while.

By about 4:00, our bowls were clean and everyone was beginning to make their way to the parking lot. As we got loaded into the van, I got a chance to chat with Kaiser's teacher's aide, Mrs. M, who was also leaving. I thanked her for lovin' on our boy this year, and she told me she sure did have fun with him. She said he "kept her on her toes" and that she couldn't get anything by him, because he was too sharp. :) 

On our way home, Kaiser kept saying that he'd had so much fun, but had eaten too much. (Big shocker there.) Meanwhile, the nap that Porter skipped eventually caught up with him.

Ice cream will knock a fella out.

We are so grateful for a lovely afternoon wrapping up a great year at Kaiser's preschool! (And, of course, the Braly crew is always looking for an excuse to eat ice cream.) :)