The big K

Well, it finally happened. Our oldest child is in school. I had mixed emotions in the weeks leading up, but by the time it came, I was ready. Of course I'm speaking of myself...I'm the important one here! Obviously - this big milestone is all about Allison!! She was ready. She didn't talk about it much a few weeks out, but in the days before she certainly seemed excited. 

Thursday morning she was in our room, dressed, by 7am. She's never up that early! She was ready to go!!! She wanted a pancake that looked like her for breakfast. I did my best. Not too shabby :)

I had prepped her the night before that she needed to expect lots of pictures. She did great with it. I even showed her the sign ahead of time and did some modeling for her. She took it like a champ. Of course, my camera broke the night before and I was forced to use my old Elph and iPhone. The problem with the phone is that I can't upload pictures to my computer for some reason, but I keep all my pictures on my computer. I uploaded to Jason's computer, emailed the photos to myself and then uploaded them to my computer. It took a while...

But on to Allison! Isn't she adorable! She looks so grown up, it's killing me!

Jason had the great idea of taking pictures of all three. Yeah...that did not go well as you can see.

This last one isn't too shabby...

That bag dwarfs her! This is the one she wanted, and I gladly complied. First, who knew Hello Kitty bags would be cheaper! Second, she may never want a cutesy backpack in the future if she's too cool for school. I'll let her stay little for a while longer!

My neighbor called me the night before and said that it's tradition to take a cul-de-sac picture on the first day of school. Sophia is next to Allison. She's in second grade. Daniel is in 5th grade. I love these kids. Little Sarah Kate is on the bottom - and she's a hoot! 2 1/2 and all sass!

I walked her into her class room. She emptied her bag in her cubby, found her table and sat right down. She did not seem nervous at all and immediately started coloring. She was perfectly fine with me leaving, but I could see her looking around, taking it all in. 

The second day of kindergarten, she was in our room, dressed, by 6:45 am. I certainly hope this is not a trend. The second day was actually harder than the first. I walked with Beth, my neighbor, and her kids. I didn't walk Allison to her room this time. Sophia walked in with her and Allison seemed perfectly fine with doing it on her own. I kissed her goodbye (if full view of EVERYONE...yes, I'm that mom, deal with it), and she turned to go. As I watched her walk in, she wiped the kiss off her mouth. Now, I realize that she does this nearly every other time I kiss her, but that got me. I teared up a bit. It was a further glimpse into my future where she doesn't need me (or want me). I guess it's a sign that we've done something right as parents - she's independent and confident and will do just fine!

Several things are hard for me...

1) I'm used to having my hand held by Allison's preschool teacher. She's amazing. I get a detailed report every day and she is a wonderful Christian who is able to advise on parenting and prays for our children. I love her. Public school is fine, but I pretty much got a head nod and "see you later" from Allison's teacher when I picked up. No detailed report on how she did. This, obviously, is part of letting go. I just didn't know it would be this hard.

2) Allison is tired when she gets home. It was really nice to have a reprieve from her. Not that I don't love her company, but lately she's been a little trying. I think she is ready for school and something new, but by the time she gets home, she is ready to unload on me and her brothers. She's got some nervous, tired energy about her. The last few days have been rough. She slept in this morning until 9 am. Let's hope today is better.

3) Time alone with the boys is nice, but it changes up my parenting a bit. Andrew is used to having time to just do his thing. Now, with more one on one time with mommy, I tried to structure some learning time. He's having none of it.  There's not a lot I can do to motivate him. He's not like his sister at all. He can name all his letters as well as the sounds each makes, but he has no desire to put them together. His teacher says that if he would just care, he would be reading in no time. Not that a 3 year old needs to be reading, it's just hard to see your child's potential and have them completely uninterested in putting it to use.

Welcome to the next phase! I think we're up to the challenge!