Finally Home and Off to Kindergarten!

Whew! We just arrived home from our nearly 3 week cross-country trip yesterday afternoon. I am excited to return to blogging, but also loved being forced to step away from the computer and smart phone for awhile. There is so much to share about our trip – pictures, memories, lessons learned. Today, though, is Ella’s first day of Kindergarten.

Ella looked a little anxious this morning, but she was primarily excited about her first day in Kindergarten. She can’t wait to turn 5 this month and her 2 years of preschool have prepared her for today. Ella seems to love the routine of school and I think she was ready to be a bit more independent again.

She looked so sweet with her freshly combed  hair and the new dress Grandma Cathy bought for her. I tried to prepare her for the day ahead, but realized that she wasn’t really worried about all of the details. I wanted the morning to go just right, but she needed me to just make it a normal, routine morning.

We live right by the school, so the four of us walked there. Thankfully, Ella is familiar with the school because we’ve played at the playground on a regular basis. She was such a trooper, walking ahead, eager to go to school. Poor Ezra was excitedly walking next to her, ready for school too.

The main moment Ella looked a bit overwhelmed came when she sat in a circle with her class in the gym, waiting for everyone to arrive. Ezra sat next to her and she reached for him and even kissed him on the cheek. Things went great, until I got up to chat with her teacher for a minute and Ezra disappeared! I found him after a few minutes of panic – calmly walking out of the building.

I adore my little girl and have such mixed feelings about her growing up and going to school. I miss her already this morning. No tears yet, but we’ll see. I can’t wait for her to come  home and tell me about her big day!