First day of school

It's the first day of school! After a fun, long, traveling, bubble-blowin', water-soakin' summer...it's finally time to go to school. This year is different though. Jonathan starts preschool, Bella starts kindergarten, and I start my 3rd year (aka. the time when you are supposed to start your dissertation...halleluyer!). Wait, did I just type those words together? Kindergarten, dissertation, preschool? Team Smith is movin' on up. Let me show you a snapshot of our first day:

1. We had a back-to-school-campout in the living room the night before. Complete with smores and lots of stickiness!

2. My first day was the day before Bella started. So, she came with her sweet daddy to eat lunch with me. Talk about happy! Y'all, I just beam with joy when she's walking with me. It's like I want to make eye contact with everyone and say, "Yes, she's mine".

3. She now takes a lunch to kindergarten. I've been looking forward to doing little notes and surprises in her lunchbox for a while now. My mom did that to my sister and I. I'm carrying on the tradition, Mom!

4. Here's the little cutie walking into school. I'm sure she got bored with me wanting to take a picture of everything that morning. "Bella, stop here. You just walked 30 feet." "Bella, wait. Let me get a picture of you, well uhm, smiling again."  You know, the usual mom-on-first-day stuff. She also gets to wear pretty darn cute uniforms. And, her daddy is jumping up and down in excitement! Long skirts, long shirts, long jumpers. ha! It's already started at 4 years old.

5. Here she is in her desk. She's at the back of the class in the middle. I'm a back row gal too in school so we'll see if she likes sitting here or not. She wanted to let me know that she puts her lunchbox underneath her seat. She was very specific in telling me about that. =)

6. "Bella, let your mother (who is about to panic and cry) take another picture of you doing, well, nothing again."

7. "Bella, take a picture with your mommy before all of my mascara runs down my face. Hurry, momma's about to lost it!"

8. Bella took the camera away from me and took pictures of the cupcakes.

9. This is totally normal y'all. I had left the room (after the other kids came in with the teacher). This is usually code to kick the hovering parents out right? So, what's a momma to do? I paced the halls with the rest of the parents and looked back in to sneak a picture.

10. The bell had rung. Prayers were being said. Where was I? Yep. Totally still creepin'. There were lots of parents and families hovering too - all of us with cameras and video cameras and iphones and ipads hovering around the door way. We would take turns snapping another picture of our children doing, well, nothing. But, you know. We needed that other picture.

***SIDE NOTE: I finally left after one final wave goodbye. Mainly I left because lots of moms were starting to lose it and cry. And I did not want to break down there too! So I walked to the car where Mike was (he had taken Jonathan in) and said, "That is the weirdest feeling". Bella has been in preschool or daycare for a long time. I wasn't sad. I was happy that she was in school and growing up and experiencing the world. It's an honor to watch my kiddos come into their own life and loves and personalities. But it just feels different. Granted, part of that is probably implanted by cultural expectations. But, it still felt weird. I guess it's just another part of letting go. I didn't cry until I started heading to my school. Then, after calling the moms and best friend Gayla for support, I cried some more. It surprised me that I cried too. I'm so excited about her starting school.

11. And, 3:00 happened! Mike and I both went to pick that sweet girl up. Here's a picture of her doing nothing more than coming out of the door. Yep, creepers still.

12. Mike went back to work while Bella and I went to get celebratory ice cream. She told me about her day. I asked about every little detail. "Where did you sit for lunch, who did you sit with, did you have a good nap, what did your nap-mat look like, did you make any friends, was anyone mean to you (because I'll have some words with them - just kidding - kindof)....." A momma needs to know these things, y'all!

13. We went for ice cream every day last week to celebrate. This is Friday when we were all celebrating making it through the first week of school.

I am completely thankful for the opportunity of education for me and my kids as this is a rarity in a global sense. I never want to take for granted this opportunity! Until next time, I'm going to keep taking pictures of their every move.

Love,
A happy, proud, and teary momma