parting for preschool

i recently decided to start a preschool co-op with a few women in our ward. they all have kids around madeleine's age that weren't doing formal preschool, so we decided to each take a week a month and do a very informal version of preschool at our house.

i did the first week at my house, so diane (and jonathan, for that matter) joined us as i was in charge. at the end of preschool on thursday, madeleine said, "i can't wait for next tuesday, when diane and i get to go to preschool again."

whoops.

apparently i had failed to communicate that even though diane got to participate at our house, she wouldn't be going to the other kids' houses with madeleine. i explained this to madeleine and even though she was still very excited about going to preschool the next tuesday, her frequent countdown was always followed by "but i'm sad because i will miss my sister so much."

as we were driving to preschool on tuesday, madeleine said, "i'm not sure i will have any fun today because i will miss my sister so much." it would have been even more heart-wrenching had it not been so overtly dramatic. madeleine has a flair for the overtly dramatic.

diane and i drove home together and when we got back to the house, she dragged me into the toy room to play with her stuffed animals with her. but just in case i got too cocky in my imaginative play abilities, diane made sure to frequently mention how much she missed her sister.

i missed her too. even though i know that my girls get along really well and entertain each other really well, i had forgotten just how well. between breakfast and lunch are some of my most productive hours and i rarely see much of the girls while they play together during that time. i had thought that with madeleine gone at preschool, i was going to be able to get even more done during those hours, but now i'm realizing that i'm going to get far less done. it will be good time for me to spend with diane though, and is probably a good way to ease into the separation that kindergarten will bring next year.

it's really sweet to see how much my girls love each other and makes me hopeful for their future as friends. my sisters are my closest friends and i hope that they enjoy the same rewarding relationship with each other that i do with my sisters.