All summer long I had been anticipating the start of a new school year. As much as I tried to forget about it, there were reminders everywhere around me. The need to shop for school uniforms, school supplies, and of course the excitement of picking out a brand new backpack and lunchbox. The first day of kindergarten was coming ... and there was nothing I could do to stop it.
It wasn't that I wasn't excited for Abby, because I definitely was. A new adventure, a new school, meeting new friends, and learning new things. But at the same time, that's a lot of new things. I was anxious about how she'd handle it all, how overwhelmed and exhausted she would be, and had prayed that she would absolutely love everything about school.
The week before the big day, we went to Abby's school for Meet the Teacher. It was becoming official ... the dropping off of school supplies, meeting her teacher, finding her assigned seat, and meeting new friends. Abby was beyond excited and was walking the halls of this big school as if she'd been doing it forever.
The next day was another opportunity for her to meet some new kindergarten friends. There was a playdate at the school, giving the kids time to just have fun and get to know each other. Abby had a blast with both
old and
new friends.
Abby had her five year old checkup the same day (Yay for NO shots!) and then had some fun playing with one of her best buds and making homemade ice cream!
Before we knew it, it was the night before the first day of school ... the first day of kindergarten. We did some crafts to get ready for the school year and opened up the special letter from Abby's teacher. Inside the envelope was a poem and magic confetti to put under her pillow to help her sleep. ;)
And then ... in the blink of eye ... the day was here. Abby was heading off to elementary school! It was an extra special day for so many reasons. Not only were we celebrating Abby's first day of kindergarten, we were also celebrating her fifth birthday! The biggest surprise of the day was having Daddy HOME for an unexpected, amazing OFF day!
Abby was
all smiles heading into school and
all smiles walking out. She had a wonderful first day ... loved her teacher and made new friends. She said she missed us a few times throughout the day, but I know that will get easier over time.
To celebrate the end of Abby's first week, I ate lunch with her in the cafeteria on Friday. She loved our time together and it was fun seeing her mingle with her new buddies. She is such a social butterfly and for that I am so grateful. After school we met friends for smoothies ... they all said "cheers!" to surviving their first week of big kid school! YAY!
So ... we did it. It was a week full of mixed emotions ... laughter, smiles, and tears. Here's to a wonderful school year ... a year where I'm excited to see my little girl grow, learn, and spread her wings!
We love you SO much sweet girl! xoxo
