I got a few shots yesterday at The Dinosaur Place, that I thought would be appropriate for this theme. This first shot is one of Jack in the 'a"maze"asaurus', as he is trying to make his way to the end.
For Jack, life is definitely about the journey and not about the destination. As soon as he found the end of the maze, he immediately wanted to do it over again (and again, and again).
In this second shot of Jack, he is wandering along one of the Dino Trails, in search of the more than thirty dinosaurs placed along the path.
To me, the journey isn't just about where we are going, but who we are going with. Tim Cahill wrote: "A journey is best measured in friends rather than miles." One of our good friends along with us on our journey is our most awesome, daycare provider, Kellee (Haefele) Ratzer.
I had to steal this picture from Kellee's Facebook Profile. I have a ton of pictures from daycare but Kellee is usually the one taking the pictures, so she is not in any of them. It makes me realize that I need to start taking some so that Jack and the other kids will have some pictures that include her.
When we began our search for daycare for Jack, Kellee was just starting to run her business and all roads pointed to her. When our previous daycare provider told us she was full, she immediately recommended Kellee. Our next door neighbor, who knew Kellee from the Mom's Club, also gave her glowing recommendations. She said that Kellee was one of the most patient people she'd ever met, and she was right. She said she would send her own kids to Kellee without giving it a second thought, and eventually when she also needed daycare, she did. When we met Kellee, we knew she was the right choice. The fact that she is a vegetarian too, was an added bonus for me.
Kellee has been in our lives since Jack was nine weeks old. It is very hard to place your infant with someone that you barely know, but it is a decision we have been happy about from day one. Kellee loves her daycare kids as if they are her own children.
She is a surrogate mom, nurse, short order cook, maid, and preschool teacher all in one (and probably performs other jobs I am forgetting). She keeps the kids on a pretty tight schedule with the right balance of fun and discipline. She makes healthy meals and snacks and somehow manages to keep track of all of their likes and dislikes and accomodates them. They are always reading books, learning new songs, doing creative art projects, and playing various games. They go for walks, play outside, and ride bikes all the time. No holiday goes without some sort of recognition whether its a project or a full on party. Field trips have included the library, Day Pond, the park, and Pumpkintown.
Kellee has been there to help with all of Jack's milestones from sitting to crawling to walking to running, potty training, and learning how to share and be a good friend. Some of those we are still working on. Kellee's day doesn't end at 5:00pm when we pick up our kids. She spends her evenings cooking, shopping, preparing projects for the next day, and cleaning. In short, she is amazing!
Kellee is always going above and beyond. She'll drop off toys that Jack left at her house so he won't be without them for the weekend. She brought his Mother's Day card and project over on her day off to make sure that Jack would have them in time for the holiday. She saves clothes from various kids and passes them along, such that a good majority of Jack's clothes have been supplied by her. I think at this point she has purchased more little outfits for Vivian than I have.
In a few very short weeks, Vivian will be joining her big brother at Kellee's house. It is hard to go back to work after having a baby. The transition this time is made much easier by the fact that our little girl will be in Kellee's very capable hands and that she will be loved and cared for in a way very similar to how she is cherished at home.
My final shots for this photo challenge are of a very tasty dinner Kellee recently made for us, to help make our lives a little easier after having a new baby. It was amazing, as was my eggplant vegetarian option, dessert, and my favorite bottle of wine.
Saying thank you is never enough. I honestly don't know what we would do without Kellee.
