Emma's first day of preschool

 Well, the day has come! Emma's first day of preschool. My heart was in my throat as I taped the sign up on the door and walked over to get my camera. I was actually taking the "first day of preschool" picture, holding back tears with all my might!



Strawberry Shortcake lunchbox



 

Ready for preschool



Hugging Levi goodbye!





 



"Heyyyyy! I want my picture taken too!" ...actually, he was probably asking for milkies!



Felix stayed home with Levi while I took Emma to school. The school asked us to leave siblings at home on the first day incase we needed to stay with our nervous preschooler. It was a long 4 mile drive for me, silently crying through the wooded, curvy road to her school.
It was pouring rain in the morning, so we dressed in our rain gear and ran to the car. When we got in the car Emma started to cry when she realized her backpack & lunchbox were wet. As we drove off, I tried explaining to her they are able to get wet and still keep everything inside dry, just like our house. I guess I kept giving her examples, because she finally said "ok mommy. that's enough talking."

walking to the car, backpack and lunchbox in hand....

In front of her school (i took this pic at the end of school, when the rain had stopped).


She was so excited. Before we left the house, she said "I can't WAIT to go to school!!". And she knew the drill......come in, hang up your coat & bag on the hook with your nametag, wash your hands, lunchbox in cubby, and play!








She walked in the door and did a great job! She was extremely excited to be there, giggling and pointing when she saw her picture next to her nametag/hook for her bag and in her cubby. She loved washing her hands in the just-her-size sink with the froggy soap dispenser. And she climbed right into a seat to start playing with a puzzle that she barely even took the time to kiss me goodbye! Of course, I forgot to sign her in...but hey, I guess we all have to get used to the new routine!

It was extremely crowded with parents everywhere helping to get their children settled, it was loud, and there was lots of crying/screaming going on. But my little Emma was all smiles, ready to play. I made sure to get the teacher's attention so they knew she was there, forced Emma to give me a hug and kiss, and walked out.



The drive home felt strange, alone. But I was so relieved that the day had finally come, and that she did so well! I swallowed the rest of my tears, and was proud of my little girl.



This is what the drive looks like the whole way . A tree lined street, with rays of sunshine peeking through (on a sunny day). It is a very narrow and curvy road, but it is so peaceful!









Her school! Isn't it so cute?!!



She did great at school. She was there from 9-1, they had circle time where they shared what they did over the summer and read books, they did arts & crafts, had snack and playtime, played outside/took a walk around the wet playground looking for squirrels, more circle time and books, lunch, and a little indoor exercise since it was still wet outside. When I walked in to pick her up she was grinning ear to ear and gave me a huge hug. She is happy there and is doing great so far.
And although she has only been there 2 days, I am very happy with the school as well. I think we made a great decision. The teachers seem amazing, extremely open and friendly, the school is very parent-involved, parents are very friendly to each other, and the teachers communication with us is awesome.

And.....it's only been two days, but I am already starting to really enjoy the 4 hours of quality time I get to spend with my little man while she is in school. Levi & I  had lots of fun belly laughs together today and my quiet little guy said "cook" today! A strange one for him to choose to add to his extremely limited vocabulary (mama, ball, and random animal sounds)..... but I'll take it! We played shape sorters, blocks, catch (the kid can throw!), read books, and then he passed out for a late morning nap to compensate for his 5am wake-up this morning. And I got SO MUCH DONE! I felt like a very accomplished woman. Especially when Felix came home at 8pm tonight and said "why does the house look so clean?"