Toby's Concert

Toby and his beautiful Ms. Marie...a rare and precious jewel who will never be forgotten in this family!

toby and his faithful buddy Beau playing their instruments during a song

the whole gang rockin' out

Toby has had an amazing year! he has been going to school 4 days a week. He goes to "sleeping school" (he dubbed it that because they take a nap) and it has been really good, but Ms. Marie and Ms. Monica's class has been AMAZING! He was especially taken with Ms. Marie. She is a former montessori teacher and she has been outstanding! she has taken this little motley crew of mostly 3 year old boys and turned them into well-behaved students (well for the most part). she understands their wildness and need to be boys, but expects them to only exhibit that at the appropriate times. we would come pick up toby and she would have the entire class silent playing some game where they had to listen. He has learned all sorts of amazing things this year including but not limited to: the four seasons, Wampanoag Indians, dreidels, plus they learned a new song every week! They performed all of them for us the other day. the performance took 20 minutes! Toby had to sit down at one point, because he said he was tired, but besides that he sang through all of the songs, probably 15 or so. They each taught something as well! One of my favorites was when she passed out musical instruments to each of them. She entrusted them each with a noise-maker and all she had to say was, "put your instruments at rest position." and down they went at their feet. Then when the song began she said, "ready position" and they all held them silently until it was time to play them! Then she went through and had only the bells ring, only the wooden, only the timpanis and they knew all of them! Toby talks about Ms. Marie every day! he has loved how she has treated him like a real person and has expected more from him! I am so thankful for her, because she made this time so wonderful for Toby. I am just hoping i can get her to come out at least once a year to Iraq!