KINDERGARTEN!!

The first two weeks of September always bring about much excitement around here.  Summer is ending so we pack in pool time, we wrap up our summer list and we host a shrimp boil at the end of August.  This year is particularly big because Lucy started kindergarten today, is gearing up for her 5th birthday on Sunday and Graham is right on her heels with his first birthday next week.  Today though, it is all about Lu.
For weeks now we have been going to playdates with new kindergarten friends, at the school playground.  Lucy now knows 10 or more faces and kids (mostly girls- can you believe it?!) and has been getting very comfortable with the idea of going into kindergarten.  We have shopped for back to school clothes and supplies, we have been to registration and open houses.  She has invited a couple kids from her new class to her birthday party and we have met her new teacher, Ms. Amico. 
With all that being said, when I asked her yesterday if she was ready for school and for starting kindergarten, she replied, "Tomorrow?!  School starts tomorrow!"  Who would have thought?
Thank goodness her seemingly startled self settled down and and just got excited about her first day.  She picked out her outfit, decided what she wanted for breakfast (oatmeal with dried apricots) and snack (babybel cheese round, wheat crackers and apple slices- thatta girl!) and packed up all her school supplies.  We went over where the bathroom was, where the water fountain was, her cubby, who her cubby buddy was and where her seat was (center table, center seat).  She was funny because when Lucy gets nervous or excited she gets chatty and this morning was no exception.  She thought everything on our walk to school was great, "Mom, look at those pretty red flowers.  And this grass, it is a really pretty green, isn't it?!!!!)  When we got close to school she was able to pick out new friends among the crowds of 750+ kids and was annoyed when we had to park the stroller and get her brother and sister out so we could walk her in the first day ("Can I just go ahead to my room?")
When we got to her room she walked right over to her cubby, hung up her backpack, took out her folder and went and found her seat.  She wasn't moving.  This is what she was told to do and she didn't want to mess up the first day.  She got excited to see her new friends Kate and Kyle were sitting at her table and that she could see her other buddies Taylor, Allyson and Spencer were there and acting quite cool as well.  (Side note, it must be noted that Harper was playing the coolest kid of them all in her purplicious sunglasses, hanging very close to her big sister's side and occasionally noting that she too would be in kindergarten when she was 5).  She allowed one more photo of her in her kindergarten seat, kissed each of us good bye and then began turning her attention toward the order of the day.
Since other kids were crying, hanging onto their parents and otherwise carrying on, I decided not to tempt the situation and we departed pretty quickly, so proud that our new kidergartener was indeed ready not just for the day, but for her first year in the "big school".