Thank You, Tupper Tots!

Today was a bittersweet day for Isabelle and Oliver. Although they are very excited for what's to come in April, with a family trip down south on the horizon and their old friend Caitlin resuming her nanny duties on Monday, the kids had to say goodbye forever to a place we all loved. Tupper Tots first came into our lives in September 2008, when we were finishing Isabelle's first year with a nanny and we needed a place that would care for her and allow her and Logan to remain together every day. Tupper Tots was conveniently located near Daddy's work and had two spots available, but it was and became much more than that. Isabelle and Logan flourished in the junior room, developing from diaper-wearing, 3-word sentence, stuck-to-each-other little toddlers to potty-trained and verbose social butterflies. They grew in leaps and bounds under the guidance of a great staff that showed genuine love and devotion to these little ones.

Isabelle left Tupper Tots last summer to be with Caitlin, returning this fall with little brother Oliver in tow. Oliver had a rocky start like most toddlers, but grew to love his teachers and playmates in the toddler room, proud to display his latest toy when he strolled in every morning. He has made great strides in his seven months there, from a shy guy that kept to himself to one that beams with joy when patrolling the schoolyard with his friends. He will miss them all so much and we wish he could understand that today was his last day there. He's easygoing and will transition well, but it's still hard to watch him leave a place he enjoyed so much.

As for Isabelle, she rejoined her friends without skipping a beat, and soon became the supreme socialite of the senior room, as evidenced by the reception she was given every morning and how the birthday parties invitations flowed in. She seems excited to turn the page but she also knows how much Tupper has meant to her.

With senior kindergarten to start this fall and her need to have before and after care near school, she and Oliver will start at a new centre later this summer. It won't be the same as Tupper, it surely will have its own positives and negatives, but it will never be the first place we trusted to care for the most important people in our lives. Tupper never disappointed in this regard, and we left there today with heavy hearts. We can't thank Joan and her staff enough for many months of dedicated and loyal service and for helping us turn our babies into the little people they have become. We will miss you all.

Oliver's friends made him a farewell present. It made us all tear up.