It is our first day of 1st Grade today! Emily was up early and waiting for the house to join her. She must have been excited. Her backpack and clothes have been ready since last week. She picked something blue to wear of course!

Sporting her backpack that doesn’t seem to swallow her as much as it did last year.

Mama and Julia walked Emily to her class. Emily went last Friday to meet her teacher and find out where the class is. Mama asked Julia if she was ok leaving Emily today and she thought it was fine. When asked if she would miss her while playing she answered that "Mama will just play with me instead".

Emily was happy to get right to work on her desk assignment. She was ready and eager to follow the instructions given to her.

Emily with her 1st Grade Teacher. I think they will get along great this year. Both of them seem to have a bit of bounce to their personalities. Emily asked to bring a croissant to the teacher for her first day. Seemed like a great way to start off the year!

Emily read her homework book to Julia. They started it on their own and it was quite a sweet moment. We love that Emily has this gift she can share with Julia. On a side note, see the shoe on the chair. The shoelaces were tied in that pretty bow by Emily. She had to learn to tie shoes on Mama’s shoes because she is still a size away from her first pair of shoe laced sneakers. But she did it and is quite proud of her new skill! 

Emily’s first class trip was to the Museum of Appalachia. They were the only school group there, so it was easy to keep up with the kids. Keeping up with the kids was made easier as there were also a lot of parents to help with the kids. In Emily’s class alone there were 12 parents for the 17 kids, though not all of the classes had as many parents.

Emily chose to hang out with her friend Charlie for most of the morning outing. We explored the buildings, saw the wildlife, had to speak to all the kids we ran into, and bounced around quite a bit. Emily was not too interested in all the buildings and how things were done, but she picked up on a few things. Charlie was fascinated with the lady demonstrating quilting. I expect she will be asking for someone to give her a go at it herself.

Just as the morning got warm, it was time for lunch and then the return trip to school. Emily was a bit cold because she like most of the kids in her class left their coats and sweatshirts behind at school. Silly kids, maybe they will remember next time.

A warming up Emily in the big field.

The Hominy Mamas who entertained the kids with funny songs and a few fast facts about pioneer life.

This amazing Dad lifted each kid so they could ring the dinner bell. That would be 45 kids in 20 minutes. He got in today’s workout.

Emily with her friend Charlie.

Some hungry sheep out for their lunch.

Before school even started Emily was looking forward to the day she could ride the bus like all the big kids did. We promised that she could try after school had been going on for a little while and the bus drivers were used to the routes and drop-offs. This would limit the time it took to get home. She was patient and waited until September and then she was ready to give it a try.

The bus gets Emily home thirty minutes after school is over and it drops her off just in front of our house. All kindergarteners are only released from the bus if there is someone to get them. Emily has loved riding the bus home. She has had some adjustments though. One is that it is the first time she has ridden un-restrained in a vehicle. For someone so small it is hard to hold yourself on a seat as the bus takes turns. She had to go fetch her backpack a few times. She has made a friend on the bus – another kindergartener girl who occasionally rides the bus. When it is time to get off the bus, she jumps off the bottom step and then runs straight to the front porch and sometimes into the house without even a hello. She has such focus and intent. On occasion, Emily is getting to ride home to her Grandparents house instead of home. It is great that they live on the bus route. She enjoys the treat when it works out.

Emily is thrilled when she finds out she gets to ride the bus home from school!

Today was Emily’s third day of school and the start of her first full week. I asked Emily if she wanted to walk in to class by herself or if she wanted to be dropped off. She definitely wanted to be dropped off. She had been saying this since Friday morning when I walked her in. We practiced what would be involved in getting out of the car with her backpack and lunchbox. Here is a photo of Emily walking away from the car all determined to walk in by herself. I love the determination, it will serve her well in life.

On the drive to school today, I remembered a trip we took when Emily was just nine months old. Emily and I tagged along with Daddy on a business trip to San Francisco. During Daddy’s meetings, we walked around the sites of the city. We rode the cable cars a few times and one time I rode on the outward facing bench in the very front. I held on very tight to Emily as we rode, but I felt pretty exposed. It was a strange sense of excitement and thrill combined with a little terror mixed in. Taking Emily to school and watching her be bold and try these new things has been very similar. I’m so excited for her and watching it happen has been thrilling mixed with trepidation.

The other story from the morning was Julia’s response to Emily going to school. She asked me why we switched the car seats around in the car, she asked when we were getting Emily back, and when Emily got out of the car and we pulled away, she proclaimed that she “wanted her Emily back”. They missed each other so much that . . . before they were out of the car at home they were yelling at each other and mad about a grievance. Oh well, they are just kids and most likely a bit tired and hungry. Hopefully, it will all even out in a week or two.

This day finally came!

Emily picked out her clothes the night before, ate a good breakfast, consented to a few photos, packed up our family in the car, drove the mile and half, and made the journey into her new stage of life.

Emily was a little apprehensive about the unknowns of the day, but also excited about school. She was literally jumping with excitement before we left the house this morning. When we got to school she marched down the hall with her Daddy like she knew what she was doing. Emily patiently waited her turn in line to turn in her school supplies and meet the teacher. She seemed pleased with the attention and then enjoyed her practice exercises while she waited for the class to start. We asked her to give us hugs and tell us goodbye and then she happily went back to work on her desk assignment.

When it was time for pickup, she seemed to have a bit of a deer-in-headlights look until she found her Mama in the right car. Once the "helper" was getting her in the car she was exuberant to tell Mama that "School is Great!". She wasn’t a fountain of stories on the way home, but she continued to tell little things that has given a window into her day. She loved hearing stories and going to lunch. No playground today because of the rain though. She is definitely looking forward to going back on Friday.

When we dropped off Emily in her class we took the whole family. It seemed like a good idea for Julia to know where Emily would be during the day. When we left the classroom to walk down the hallway Julia told us, "I want my sister!". She did get settled and she had her own excitement for the day that distracted her. It was pretty sweet to see how much she enjoys being with her sister.

Emily’s new homework desk ready for when she has some.

Our Big Girl!

Check out her BIG flowery backpack. Maybe we will remember to get a photo like this around the end of the year to see how much smaller the backpack looks as she grows.

Our photos had to be taken inside today due to a rainstorm.

Her favorite Kitty lunchbox accompanied her to school today.

Her first school lunch, she told me that she finished it just in time. It seems lunch ended just after her last bite. Emily can be quite a talker at lunch instead of focusing on eating.

Emily walking down the hall to the Kindergarten wing. She wanted to do it on her own and didn’t want to take Daddy’s hand. Our independent girl!

I’m sure this will not be Emily’s assigned seat, but it was for the first day with her first coloring and writing activity. She was pleased as punch.

Emily with her Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Pendergrass