1st day of 1st grade!

Here is Sunshine this morning as we left for her 1st day of 1st grade. We walked her to her classroom and found several friends from last year in the hallway waiting to go into their classes. After a few pictures inside her class, she told me "Mommy, it's time for you to go". I'm proud to say that I haven't cried today. After uploading some pics on FB, I went to meet some friends for coffee & 1st day stories. We started the tradition last year as weepy Kindergarten moms. This year, all eyes were dry.

As I was uploading our 1st day pic, I thought about other 1st day pics. Here they are:










Sunshine in Aug. 06 going to Pre-school for the very first time. She cried a little that morning (mostly because of the other kids who were crying) and I know I did. I remember sitting the orientation & thinking "What are you doing??? Go get her & bring her home!" It turns out preschool was great for her, and for me as it would become the only time I would have to myself when Hunter deployed in spring '07.






Sunshine in Aug. '07. Hunter had been deployed for 5 months so he missed this first day. Sunshine made so many friends in this class & we absolutely adored her teacher. She was wonderful with the children & took the time to work w/ Sunshine after Hunter came home for R & R (and went back to Iraq).









Pre-K in Aug. '08. Again, we were blessed with great teachers and with a great, great, super wonderful group of parents. Both Pre-K classes did so much together outside of school. We had almost-weekly play dates, mommy lunches, you name it. Even the teachers commented on how involved everyone was & what a sense of family there was between the classes. Ironically, this was the first year that we didn't walk Sunshine to her class. She requested to use the car line from the first day.



Kindergarten, Aug. '09. SO much drama before this day. Sunshine didn't want to leave her pre-school, her Pre-k teacher, her old friends, you name it. The first day she found a friend from pre-school & held his hand as she walked into school. Parents were encouraged not to go to the classrooms so we didn't. Luckily, we didn't need to.




Here's to a wonderful year, regardless of whenever your 1st day is!