First Days of Kindergarten

Sunday morning after worship, our youth minister called all the kids to the front and prayed over them and their upcoming school year.  Rhett even went up.  I was like, please be a quick prayer, please be a quick prayer.  But he did fine.

You can tell we are tired in this pic.  Sunday afternoon after ME's birthday party we went out to her school and walked around it and talked and prayed together.  I just felt like we needed to go there together and spend a few minutes getting the jitters out.  And when I say jitters, I mean, mostly mine.  I had had it on my heart to do a prayer walk with her, and I think God really filled me up and supplied me with what I needed to get through the next day.  On the way out there in the car, I got this overwhelming sense of, "OHMYGOSH, I need to impart on you everything I ever wanted to teach you in the past six years.  What have a forgotten?"  I choked back tears as we talked in the car, and I tried to remind her of everything important I wanted her to know.  But when we got there and got out of the car and started walking and praying I felt peaceful.  Until she had to poop. ;)  And then we had to leave.  We came home, took baths, and went to bed early for the big day!

Here we go!

She was nervous, but I think most of it was excitement.  All summer she has been looking forward to kindergarten, but she would randomly get scared and have worries about not wanting to be away from me during the day or what if no one likes me kind of stuff.  We had a good morning, and we talked and prayed again on the way to school.  I walked her in, and helped her get her stuff where it needed to be.  She sat down at her desk and started to color.  I squatted down beside her and asked if she was ready for me to leave.  "Just one more hug, Mom," she said.  I squeezed her tight and almost had to run out the door.  I wanted to peek in, but the tears started flowing and I just had to go.  And of course, I ran into almost everyone I knew on the way out.  Kindergarten mamas I should have been hugging or giving a thumbs up or encouragement to, but I just put my head down and tried to avoid the ugly cry.  I ran into Shelly (the assistant principal and my friend from teaching first grade together my first year) and she asked if I was ok.  "No," was all I said.  Then I passed Cynthia (the principal and then assistant principal when I taught).  "We're going to take good care of her," she said.  I know that.  She is in such wonderful hands there.  When I got in the car I could barely breathe.  My heart was seriously hurting.  Thankfully, I had somewhere to go, so we didn't have to go home.  Bonnie had invited me to Julie's house to have breakfast.  And Bonnie, Julie, Bekah, and I sat around the table and talked and laughed and cried and prayed.  This is hard stuff, man.  So good.  Like I wouldn't want it any other way, and I'm so, so thankful, but it's just a big change for us.  A new season.  The end of a time so precious to me I can't even think about it without crying.  But there's still so much good ahead and many more times to be thankful for.  I've just kind of been an emotional mess about the change of it all.  Boo hoo 

Shelly sent me this pic of her at lunch, which I was so thankful for.  I have to remember how much fun she is having and how much she is going to love school and already does!  When we took our tour at registration she said, "I think I'm going to like it here, Mama.  I think this is the perfect school for me."

Meanwhile...back at the Harriman Casa little brother is taking the change quite well.  He's too busy fighting bad guys and soaking up Mama time to miss sister too much.  This day he said he wanted pb&j for lunch with "bad guy sauce" on it.  One day we had barely gotten home from school, and they were already fighting and Rhett said, "Sister, I'm not glad you're home to boss me around!"

Day 2...not jumping out of bed nearly as quickly.  There was a thunderstorm during the night, and she ended up in our bed. 

When I tried to wake her up, she rolled over ;)

We entered into our 4th year of gymnastics in August.  Thankfully, her class is at 3:30 and we can go straight from school and make it in time.

Artwork from open house...self portrait with the purple bird that talks that she got for her birthday

Picture she drew of the school and our car driving up.  Complete with slide and swing from the playground.

Mrs. Marshall sends texts to keep us updated.  This was a math labeling lesson.

Taking a brain break

Queen of the day...you better believe she got home and rode her bike around the neighborhood with the crown on her head

Rhett is so over getting his nap interrupted to get into the pick-up line.  It does kind of suck.

After school play time at the park...every day after school I show up with a snack and grill her with about a million questions about her day.  So far, when she's had something to chew on, she starts talking.  I know soon she will be like, "Mom, please stop with the questions."  But she always has good things to say about her day.

Look who had his first ever solo play date...we met Gracie and a friend at the trampoline park

After the trampoline park we went up for school lunch.  We got to meet some of her friends, and Rhett and I may or may not have spied on her at recess.  I have already signed up to help Mrs. Marshall in the classroom.  It's all I can do to make myself stay away from up there. ;)  But Rhett and I are having sweet times together too.  We're playing together and snuggling and lunching with friends.  It's weird only putting one kid down for nap time.  So, I'm taking it better.  Until day 13 of this week.  I was a bit emotional on the way to school and on the drive home It is Well came on the radio, and I just lost it.  That song gets me anyway, but I remembered it playing on our drive that first morning and I was just started bawling.  So there you go.