first days

Her first days were a lovely mix of excitement, caution, wonder and all the energy her little mind and body could muster.  She seems to like school but is extremely happy to be home in the afternoons and just play...unstructured.  "Momma, can I just color and play in my kitchen?"  That is all she cared to do after school the other day.  Just play.

Having a child in kindergarten reminds me of those first exhausting days and weeks as a new mother.  Just take it day by day and in about 6-8 weeks things will run much smoother.  That seems to hold true for a newborn and a kindergartner.  We are all exhausted!

I love the little tidbits we get after school on the ride home.  They are so delightful to hear as she processes this new experience.

"Momma, I almost drank all the water out of my water bottle today!"

Momma, did you know that if I don't like the lunch you pack me, I can go up and wait in line for another lunch."

"I wanted to ride the bus home but my teacher told me that I had to ride home with you."

"Why are you waking me up so early?  It is still dark outside."

"Momma, I am trying my best all day and I didn't get a star up.  I am frustrated."

"I decided to leave my barrettes at school today in case you forget to fix my hair one morning.  I will have them there when you forget."

"Momma, will you please stop talking to me about my day and just turn some music on!"

Being the big kid on campus has been good for her this year.  She has taken great care to watch out for her little sister.  Having the opportunity to look after her has created such a special bond between these sisters.  Our big girl has a wonderful teacher this year and we are extremely grateful.  My girl seems motivated and happy about the year.  Earning classroom money for an end-of-9-weeks auction has peaked her interest and motivated her to try extra hard.  New hair-styles have popped up along with more opinions about her clothing.  I guess I didn't realize that most second graders had opinions about those sorts of things!  Ha!

Even though we are all exhausted, these first few days have been great for both my big girls.  I am happy they have had positive beginnings!