First Day of Kindergarten!

My baby started kindergarten today! My eldest started the 5th grade -- ugh, that pains me to say that -- last Thursday (it was even a news story that our district starts so early...), but they gave the kindergarteners a reprieve until today! We (I) did better than expected - not just with the emotional aspect, but with the time management one! For years, Grandpa has been watching the girls for full days 2 - 4 days a week, depending on my husband's work schedule (which rotates). So, I am used to him coming over and walking my eldest to the bus. With my little one in morning kindergarten, it gives Grandpa the opportunity to have the mornings off! I took today off from work because I wanted to be home to see my girlie get off the bus after her first day of school. So, I didn't have to get them off to school AND me off to work this morning, but it was a nice test run to make sure that I could do that (I'm not much of a morning person...). The key to a successful morning in our household, is getting fully prepared the night before! Last night we set out the kids clothes, my clothes, lunches were packed, backpacks were filled -- there was a last minute, too close to bedtime panic over a collage that I needed to do to send in to kindergarten today, but we managed! All four of us piled into my little one's bed to hear Daddy read a new book that we had bought her, "Curious George's First Day of School" by Margret & H.A. Rey. And then lights out and off to sleep!

When I went up to bed later last night, I stopped in to check on my little kindergartner (as I check on her and her sister every night) and she rolled over, opened her eyes and said, "I'm going to miss you when I'm at kindergarten, Mama!" Ugh -- I'm sure she's having a great day and will be just fine -- but I'm definitely missing her! I said at dinner last night, it's hard to believe that I would put her on a bus and send her off and that I won't be there to walk in with her and help her find her way! I think it's just the adjustment from preschool, where we take her, walk her in, pick her up, and kindergarten... It's always hard for me to have these reminders of the passing of time -- the kids are growing up, they are getting to be more independent -- and so on the one hand it's difficult to send my second child off to school. But, I think life is like a book and we go page by page, chapter by chapter. I don't want to skip ahead -- I want to savor every page, but it's exciting to flip those pages and see what comes next. We spent so much time last year worrying about whether the preschool teacher was right, and whether she is ready for kindergarten. Now we have the opportunity to see! What kind of student will she be? Will she love school and love learning like her older sister? It's a fascinating book and I look forward to taking it one page at a time! For now, I'm just happy that she went off to school excited and I can't wait to hear all about her day when she gets home!

Oh, and Grandpa (my dad) still came over this morning -- he wouldn't miss seeing his little granddaughter on her first day of school! We took pictures and video and we marched down to the bus stop and then walked them over to the bus. We were doing really well, even after the bus took off for school. But in the driveway, Grandpa told me what a great job I've done with my girls and I gave him a big hug and told him that we couldn't have done it without him -- my husband and I truly appreciate all the time that he has devoted to watching our girls since retiring 10 years ago. And my mother too, when she was living up here -- words can't express how much it's meant to us and to the girls to have family taking care of them when we can't be there. And so that's when the tears finally started for my dad and me!