1st day of Kindergarten!

The night before, Jolee's first day of school she couldn't hardly sleep. It took her forever, I think she was both anxious and excited all at the same time, which won her a ticket to sleep with us. As all three of us laid there, we took a trip down memory lane. Telling her some cute stuff, she did and said as a little girl. She would call colors..nolors, she called Elmo...Melmo, she would say...hold you me, if she wanted you to pick her up. At that point it hit me, that my baby was starting "real" school.

The next morning, I only had to call her one time, she popped out of bed and said... Daddy, Daddy wake up, it's time for me to go to school! At her request, she asked that Me, Dad and Brennan all go and take her to school on her first day.

The night before, I stayed up a little late to ensure that she woke up and took to school a few little extra surprises on her first day! Because after all, your first day of Kindergarten should be special and one to remember.

• She told me exactly what she wanted to take for lunch in her new lunch box, she requested..peanut butter and jelly sandwich, some Cheetos and a fruit roll up with a capri sun to drink. So in her lunch box, when she opened her sandwich container, she found 3 star shaped peanut butter sandwiches and a little note, that said..Jolee, We Love You! Love, Mommy, Daddy and Brennan!
• Over the last couple of months, she stated several times that she would love to have a locket. So I went and bought her one and put inside a picture of her on one side and a picture of me on the other side and already engraved on the back it said..Wherever you go, my love goes with you (very fitting I thought)! It was wrapped and waiting for her on the table, when she came to breakfast.
• In her bathroom on the mirror, it said...Jolee Have a fun day at Kindergarten!

Just a few little extra things, just to let her know through out the day, that we loved her and was thinking about her.

She had picked out her outfit, weeks ago and was ironed and folded neatly in her closet with her shoes and headband to match. She also had to have her nails painted a rainbow color (meaning every fingernail and toenail were a different color) and it had a pattern!

As she walked down the hall of her new school, with her little hand tucked inside my hand, just a little tighter than normal. My heart dropped, seeing her with her backpack on that is nearly bigger than she is and her lunch box in the other hand, it just doesn't seem real that she is that old. We walked her into her classroom and got her settled and chitchatted with the teacher a second, gave our hugs and kisses and of we were. Believe it or not, I didn't cry in front of her or at the school, I waited till we got in the car and just a few tears rolled down my checks. However, I think it was easy because her first day was on a Wednesday and then she didn't go back till Friday, due to staggered start (which is like only 4 or 5 kids come on one day the first week and then Friday everyone attends) so I'm sure next week, will be tough on both of us!

Another thing that made my heart sink down a little bit more, was sitting in the car line waiting on her to get out of school. Crazy as that may sound, but seriously wasn't my mom just in the car riders line waiting on me to get out of school?

She came around that corner with her lunchbox in hand and her backpack on, just a smiling! She hopped right in and said...Mom, I loved kindergarten! Then of course, I started the 20 questions..tell me what you did? What did you like the best? Etc, Etc. After telling me just a few things, she said...Mom can you just unpause my movie, so I can watch it on the way home? As the night went on, I got more and more stories and information about her day, which made ole mom here happy!

That night, she was asking to go to bed even though she didn't have school the next the day. I had to wake her up at 10:40 the next morning and then she took a 3hr nap that evening and that's just after one day of school!

So all in all, she had a wonderful first day at school and loves kindergarten and her new teacher!