A milestone: Avaree's last day at Mrs. Donna's

Next year Avaree will be going to "school" at the Child Development Academy provided for teacher's kids in the district that I teach in. It is about 7-8 minutes from my school, and it is staffed by certified teachers. While it will be an extreme transition, we know that it will get easier, and Ave will continue to thrive.

Of course, no one will ever be as wonderful as Mrs. Donna, and saying bye to Mrs. Donna was H-A-R-D! Avaree's last day at Mrs. Donna's was also Mr. Bob's last day at school (he is retiring after 36 years of teaching at the SAME school--the school where i teach)!! They are both soooo incredible and have loved our family unconditionally.

Of course my dream was to stay home with Avaree, but I knew that was impossible for now, so we started praying for the right "place" for her to go once I went back to work. I visited several "daycares" and spoke to a few "in-home providers" while I was pregnant, but each one of them left me in tears. When we went to visit Mrs. Donna's house (with the knowledge that she likely wouldn't have a spot for Avaree), I sat down on the couch and felt like I was at home. A few months later (on the first day of school in 2009), Mr. Bob found me, hugged me, and gave me the good news that Mrs. Donna would hold a spot for Avaree. When I spoke to her over the phone, she told me that God wanted her to keep my little girl. I will forever be grateful for that blessing. The first few weeks (okay, months...) were hard on Ave and me, but Mrs. Donna was so patient and loving with us--especially as I struggled to figure out how to navigate all the new waters that I found myself in. She never minded the phone calls, and soon she just started calling me when there was something that she knew I needed to know. She and Bob went above and beyond everything I could have imagined to make us all feel a part of their precious family. I cannot say enough good things about this precious lady and the impact that she has had on our lives. She will forever be our treasured friend.

How do you thank someone who has loved, cared for, rocked, consoled, taught, fed, (etc.) the most precious gift that you have ever received? It's not like I could just send a thank you note for a birthday gift. In fact, I still cannot find the words to adequately express my thankfullness to Mrs. Donna for the love and care that she showed my baby girl (and her Daddy and me). So, I asked Avaree to do it for me.... (and we all know how smart she is, so it was no big deal for her to type it out...hehe!). We gave it to Mrs. Donna (along with a copy of one of Avaree's favorite books so that Mrs. Donna can read it to all of her future babies) on Avaree's last day, but I also want to share it with you. I thank the Lord for his provisions in our lives, but especially for his provisions for my little angel.

Mrs. Donna,
Thank you for loving me.

Thank you for changing my diapers.

Thank you for rocking me when I had horrible ear infections and couldn’t sleep well in my crib.

Thank you for feeding me every day and making sure that I got all of my food groups.

Thank you for looking for things that I will eat because you know how picky I am.

Thank you for always peeling the skin off of my apples because you know I like it that way.

Thank you for reading books to me, even though you usually have to read the same one over and over again.

Thank you for reassuring me that you love me and mommy will be back—especially when I was really little.

Thank you for helping me learn to share.
Thank you for encouraging me to crawl, but making sure I never actually "did it" until Mama was there to see it.
Thank you for giving me endless amounts of medication and for calling my Mommy when things just weren’t right.
Thank you for holding my hands as I learned to walk, but making sure that I never really "walked" until Mommy and Daddy were there to see it!
Thank you for teaching me to sign and helping me learn to talk. Thank you for introducing me to penguins: they are my favorite!

Thank you for singing to me, even though you often have to sing the same song over and over again.

Thank you for making silly faces just because you know that they will make me laugh.
Thank you for chewing gum just so that you could blow bubbles to make me laugh.
Thank you for calling to check on me when I was sick.
Thank you for teaching me that I am precious—to you, to my mommy and Daddy, and especially to Jesus.

Thank you for loving me.

Thank you for loving my Mommy and Daddy.

Thank you for praying for me.

Thank you for being you.

I will miss you.

You will always be special to me.

iiiiuuuuuuuu! (i love you)
Love,
Avaree Grace Barton

 06-04-11

 Christmas 2010

 Ave's 1st birthday party (Sept. 2010)

 Mrs. Donna's birthday (April 2009)

We LOVE you, Mrs. Donna! Thank you for EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!