Kindergarten Girl

Elise had to wait until the following Wednesday after Grey started to start kindergarten. She is in afternoon kinder MWF and all day Tues/Thurs. Her first day was a half day and she was SO anxious to go. She sat at the window with her backpack on most of the morning.

She has been so excited to start school and I can feel her little independence pull as she is wanting to grow up a little bit and have a little space from me. I have such mixed emotions as these milestones come up. I always await the beginning of the new school year with a little excitement for a more regular schedule and of course a little bit more alone time for myself. But I always tear up the first day of school as I recognize my little baby growing up a little bit more and becoming more independent. I love it with 95% of my heart and 5% of my heart breaks as I say goodbye to a chapter in our lives or our relationship. I had not even thought about how I would feel when Elise went to school. I was just kind of going through the motions--I do have two other kids taking 99% of my time and attention. But as I watched her walk into that school, I sobbed the whole way back to the car. Hoping she hangs on to her sweet innocence for a while longer.