Audrey's 1st Day of Kindergarten

August 19, 2013...the beginning of a new phase in our lives.  Audrey's 1st day of Kindergarten.

 



 

For months, no years, I've been preparing her for this day. Reading books, learning colors, shapes, letters, numbers, rules, social skills. Audrey was excited and ready for this day.  However, I hadn't prepared my heart enough.  I'm not sure you could ever prepare enough as a mommy to send your baby off into the "real world".  Sure, she had been going to preschool, but this was much different.  This meant my baby was growing up.

 

I wanted for her day to be very special.  Certainly, Audrey was nervous, but her excitement overshadowed that emotion.

 

So we began the day with cinnamon rolls with a candle for the birthday girl and sang a special "first day of school" song.

 

 

Her lunch was packed with extra special love and a note.  

 

A goody basket was ready for Ms. R. 

 

Audrey was all smiles ready for this day to begin.

 

Addison wasn't all that happy about her sissy being gone all day.  Now she wouldn't have her playmate all the time.

 

Fortunately, Corey was off work and able to go to school with us. That was good because I knew I was going to need moral support. :)

 

Mommy and my big girl ready for school.

 

Ready to go! 

 

We arrived at school at the same time as our friend Lydia.  She will be in the classroom across the hall from Audrey.  Hopefully since both of them will be there together it will help them be brave.  These two girls are such good buddies.

 

 

Into the school we go! Audrey found her cubby and put her lunchbox and backpack up.

 

Then she found her seat and began playing with the playdough that was put out for them to use.  She gave Corey, Addison and I hugs, kisses and a wave. She had tears in her eyes but was still smiling.  So no sobbing for Audrey. 

 

That can't be said for Mommy!  I had to rush back to the car so I could make it there before the tears started to fall.  Then I sobbed like a baby.  Goodness, I was not prepared for how difficult that would be.  I knew that things would change drastically for us since I was used to having my babies with me most of the time, but that got to me more that I expected.

 

Corey went on to work while Addison and I went back home to wait anxiously for 2:45pm to arrive so I could get Audrey.  Addison whined for Audrey most of the day because she missed her.  I dove into house chores and work to pass the time.  (I was quite productive!- Haha!)

 

Finally, it was time to pick up Audrey.  She climbed into the car full of smiles and details about her "awesome" day.  I was so glad the she enjoyed it.  But I was very glad to have her back in my arms.  Then I had to prepare to take her back the next morning.

 

We are looking forward to a wonderful year.  I know Audrey is going to learn so much.

First Sleepover

These two little sweeties had their first "sleepover" together last night.  I made them pallets in Audrey's room.  They were beyond thrilled. Audrey lasted about 10 minutes before she was snoring.  Addison wanted to have a little more fun at the sleepover so she just played by herself for another hour before calling it a night.

I'm sure this was just the first of many fun, giggly, sleepovers that these two will share. 

Beautiful Ballerinas

Last week Audrey and Addison began dance lessons.  This is the second year that Audrey has taken dance.  Last year she loved it and did really well.  She couldn't wait for dance to start back this year.

 

This was Addison's first day of dance.  Last year she would cry every time Audrey had class because she wanted to go in and dance, too.  I knew that since she was old enough this year (barely) that I had to put her in dance, as well.  I can't even describe how excited this child was about classes beginning.  That is all she talked about since the day we got her ballet and tap shoes. 

 

(sorry about the terrible quality of the photos...had to resort to the camera on my phone.)

 

 

 

Miss Molly Brooke is their teacher.  They are in different classes because of age differences, but the same teacher instructs both classes.  Miss Molly Brooke is FABULOUS with the kids.

 

Addison went right into her class without ever looking back.  She moved and grooved the entire time trying to imitate everything her teacher did.  I don't think the smile ever left her face.

 

Audrey was excited too!  She couldn't wait to get back to see Miss Molly Brooke (that was her teacher last year, too).  She was much more confident going into class this time because she knew what to expect.  Her friend from last year, Olivia, was back in class with her.  She looked beautiful as she practiced her dance elements and did great following directions. 

 

I was so proud of both of these cutie pies!  I'm glad that they both have my love of dance.  Maybe there will be many more years of dance in store for them both. 

 

First Day of Preschool ~ August 2012

This is Audrey's last first day of preschool.  Next year, she will be starting Kindergarten. (sniff, sniff).  This precious child is growing up entirely too quickly.  She has such a beautiful heart and kind spirit. 

 

She was excited about starting school this year.  Audrey will be going 5 days a week this year. She loves school and enjoys learning.  She told me that she was a bit nervous because she wouldn't know her classmates and teachers. 

 

This was before going to school.

 

 Ballerina Ariel had to make an appearance in the photo.

 

 

Sweet girl!

 

She went into her class and was very brave.  She was greeted by her sweet teachers, Ms. Becky and Ms. Amy.  There were lots of fun things out in her classroom for her to do, so she didn't waste much time jumping right into those activities.

 

Audrey and Ms. Becky

Audrey said she had a wonderful day and has already made some sweet friends.

 

Addison is only going 2 days a week this year. On the first day of school, when we dropped Audrey off, Addison cried and cried because she didn't want to leave her sissy behind.  She wanted to stay at school, too.  I was certainly hoping that the next day when she was supposed to stay at school, she would still want to stay there. I was concerned because we had several weeks of crying last year when I would leave her at school.

 

This was my little bit before school.  Where did my baby go??  I think she changes and grows each night after I put her to bed.  Each morning she looks even more grown up than the day before.

 

When I took Addison into school, I was preparing for some tears.  I was pleasantly surprised.  She walked right into her classroom and never looked back at me.  She gave her teachers, Mrs. Juli and Mrs. Karla, big hugs and off to play she went.  From the sounds of it, I think Addison thinks she is the teacher of that classroom. Can you believe that? haha

As a matter of fact, I think Addison was the only child in her room not crying.  When I picked her up from school, she couldn't stop talking about all the fun things she did that day. I love that she is so excited about school.

Addison with her teacher, Mrs. Juli

I took the opportunity to get a couple of pictures of the girls with me and Corey. 

 

 

I do love these 3 people so very much!!

Audrey's 1st Day of Dance

The past couple of years Audrey has taken gymnastics. She enjoyed it, but recently became a little bored. So for several months she had been asking to take ballet. I made her choose which activity she wanted to participate in and she chose dance.

Once she was signed up for dance class and we purchased her dance shoes, leotard and tights, she was so excited she couldn't stop talking about it.

I was one excited mommy, also, because I spent MANY years dancing. So for my little girl to follow in my footsteps made me so excited. All those cute costumes, make-up, songs, and recitals, although expensive, are so thrilling!!

For weeks, Audrey would ask me to "teach" her some ballet. We would practice a few moves (mine were quite rusty :/) in the house.

Then, a couple of weeks ago, the time came for her to start ballet/tap class.



Can you tell how excited she is?!? I didn't even have to bribe her to stand there and smile. She did it voluntarily because she is thrilled to be a ballerina. :)


When we arrived at class, we discovered that our neighbor, also Audrey's dear friend, was in the same class with her. That just compounded the excitement!

Audrey had a wonderful time and has been dancing around our house all day, every day since class.

First Day of School

Somehow, this summer has zoomed by in a flash and today we found ourselves preparing for another year of preschool.

This year, Audrey is beginning a new class (at the same school she attended last year) where she will be loved on by new teachers and make new friends- and renew relationships with old friends.

Here is Audrey just before we left for school this morning. Doesn't she look so growny??


I was a bit concerned about this day because the first 2 months of preschool last year were TOUGH! Audrey cried every day.

Today, she did GREAT! No tears at all--at least from her, I shed my share of tears, but only after I left the girls (you know, I had to be strong for them).

Audrey entered her classroom and immediately found a few of her friends from last year. She began to play away with no worries that I was about to leave.



This is Audrey with her two teachers. There is certainly happiness on her face :)

Audrey was all smiles when I picked her up. She had a fabulous day. Already, she is reminding me what she has to do to get ready for the next day at school.

Also, today marked the beginning of preschool for Addison. She is attending the same school as Audrey. And I was just certain that she would have a meltdown this morning. She is having some serious separation anxiety issues, so I was worried.

Can you tell that she is such a little ham???

This photo is evidence that she really didn't care that I left her. Addison didn't even fuss. However, I'm not sure that she knew that I was leaving...she just knew that she was having fun.

I'm hoping that when I leave her Thursday, she will do just as well as she did today.

Addison's teacher said that she did fine and didn't fuss until it was almost time to go home. That seemed it was just because she was tired.

I can't believe my girls are old enough for preschool. I'm trying to enjoy every "first", cherish the "in betweens" and hold on tightly to every "last".

First Trip to the Dentist

Yesterday, Audrey and Addison had their first visits to the dentist.

Audrey was a little nervous, but the dental hygienist was FANTASTIC. She took her time and explained everything to Audrey really well. It helped calm Audrey down.

Audrey sat there like such a big girl while the hygienist cleaned her teeth then let the dentist take a look. Bless her little heart, she got her Mommy's genes where teeth are concerned, too. The dentist said she had a lot of crowding...so I'm fairly sure we will be visiting the orthodontist in the not-too-distant-future.



Addison, on the other hand, was NOT a happy camper about those folks messing with her mouth. Therefore, I have no photo of her with the dentist or inside the office. Once I got her calmed down and entertained with her new toys, she let me take a photo outside. It was the best I could do.

Addison, unlike her big sister, has plenty of room in that mouth of hers. :)

Audrey's 1st Day of Preschool

Today was a very special day in our family. It was Audrey's first day of preschool. For weeks now, we have been talking about going to school. Discussing what would go on, how things work and we even went to visit the school.

Audrey has been talking about it for a while and was so excited. And as you can tell by the smile on her face, she was thrilled to be going this morning.

I had to take a few pictures before leaving for preschool.



My sweet school girl!

Being silly!

Mommy, on the other hand, was excited...but a bit sad/worried/ and all those other emotions that go along with a milestone of this magnitude. My baby is growing up...will she be okay? Will she know what to do? Will the students/teachers be nice to her?...on and on.

Audrey and Mommy before going to preschool.

Corey, of course, was scheduled to be on shift at the fire station this morning. I told him he just couldn't miss her first day, so he got one kind fellow to work for him a little while so he could take her to school. She was so glad her daddy was there.

Daddy and Audrey before going to preschool.

When we got there we were greeted with several friendly faces. We went to Audrey's room to fill out paperwork and get her settled in. She jumped right in and started playing with the activities the teacher had put out for the kids. I was so happy that she felt comfortable.

Audrey with her teacher, Ms. Cheri.

Audrey never cried, but as you can tell in the photo above, she was apprehensive. Just before I left she said "Mommy, I'm REALLY going to miss you". I hadn't cried up to that point, but I began to tear up at that. After reminding myself that I couldn't cry and to stay strong so Audrey wouldn't cry, I got myself together. She gave me and Addison hugs and kisses then went on her merry way to play with something else.

As I walked away and looked back at my little-big girl, I did have to wipe a tear.

After picking her up from school, I was so excited to hear about her day, but she didn't seem too talkative about it. Finally, after asking several questions, she started talking and it sounded like she had a blast! Her report was that they played in the gym and she liked kicking the soccer ball and pink ball. Plus they read an animal book and sang 'The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round'. She had to show me the smiley face she made and the coloring page she colored red. And she was thrilled that she got to drink apple juice out of a striped "big girl" cup.

That was the scoop that I got from Day #1. She can't wait to go back on Thursday!

Eat Your Veggies

This is what Addison thinks of her veggies...Peas to be exact...



She's not liking them very much.




And I laugh so hard I cry every time she makes this face.