Charlie's First Day of Preschool - Ever!!

Okay, today was harder.

Charlie had the best attitude and was so excited to go to school. He wouldn’t eat anything but a smoothie for breakfast, which was my only hint he was nervous at all. He even got into his lunch box and found the helicopter I bought him as a surprise. He is so much like Mark!!!

When we got to school, he literally ran down the hall and left us in the dust talking to Lizzie’s old teacher, Mrs. Fionda. When we realized he was gone, we hurried down the hall to find him totally busy playing playdough and talking to the teachers and other parents. Who is this kid?

Mark and I just stood around and watched, waiting for our son to realize how scary this was supposed to be and come running for hugs. But he never did. He was happy and comfortable. Even his teacher said she thought he was going to be the kid she could get to try things first.

So we walked out to the quiet car with Owen and Mommy & Daddy were sad. So proud of our children and relieved that they embrace school so openly with joy, but sad about the time that has passed so quickly and these little ones who find their wings and fly off without a glance behind.

The day her dreams came true...Lizzie gets to go to Kindergarten!

She did it!! My baby started kindergarten!

So many of my friends homeschool or send their children to private schools that I was feeling a little alone as I prepared my heart for the first day of kindergarten. I imagined tears and butterflies in my stomach. I was "letting go" of my baby, after all.

But as He always is, God was faithful.

Our friend, Lisa Haug, who we know from Hill Country Bible Church UT back in the day, is a kindergarten teacher at Lizzie's school. And all summer long, we've been praying that she would be the one to teach our little girl. And God answered that prayer! Lisa is a Godly woman, a Longhorn, AND a reading specialist! Seriously? What more could you ask for?

So on that big day as we walked down the sidewalk behind our little princess, it wasn't quite so scary for Mom & Dad to hand over our baby.

She was so excited to get to school, make friends, and start learning. She has always loved school and began negotiating for more school time her first week of preschool as a 3 year old. But mommy is a little less excited to say goodbye to long mornings in PJs and happy shopping trips to Target.

Kindergarten is a whole new world. And truthfully, I'm not handing over my baby.

I'm sending my little girl, who is confident and eager to learn, to her first day of elementary school. A dream come true, indeed.