Clearly I'm very behind on my posts since we're now six months into the school year and I'm just now documenting her first day! Total Mom fail on my part but better late than never....I hope!
As you read in my last post, we closed on our new house on Friday August 19th, spent the weekend receiving and unpacking some of our belongings that the movers delivered and then bright and early on Monday the 22nd we were off to the first day of kindergarten! My poor girl left the home she loved, moved to a new state, got a new house and started kindergarten all in a matter of three days! She's such a trooper and none of it ever seemed to hinder her. Mama, on the other hand was not quite ready for so many changes all at once.
The night before the big day we excitedly packed her lunch and gathered all of her new school supplies. I'm a cheese ball so I bought a card for her which Matthew and I both wrote encouraging notes in it and I stuck it in her backpack for her to find the next day. Turns out, she never even saw it and I found the card in the same pocket of her backpack a month later! Ha! Oh well....My intentions were good.
It was hard for me to believe that my one and only baby, the one who had always depended on me for everything would be on her own the very next morning. For the first time in her life she'd be with someone else more hours of the day than she would be with me and this was just the beginning of me having to let her go. What would I do with myself without my little companion everyday?
Without cookware, utensils or even a kitchen table we were very limited on our options for her first day of school breakfast. As much as I wanted to start her off with something healthy for the day, our only option was cereal. Poor girl didn't even have a place to sit to eat it!
Obligatory first day photo shoot
Even the public schools here in Texas require their students to wear uniforms which was quite a shock to us. To this day she still has an entire section of her closet full of "new school clothes" that she hasn't been able to wear. These dumb uniforms have really taken the fun out of being the mom of a little girl! She doesn't seem to mind though.
Daddy was able to go into work late that day so that we could drop her off at school together. This meant a lot to us!
The first bell rings at 7:30 which means most mornings she gets up around 6:45. We only live a mile from the school so we typically leave around 7:20. Getting adjusted to this was quite a shock to the system for BOTH of us, since neither Kyndall or I are morning girls AT ALL!
I drop her off in the car line now but we wanted to walk her in on the first day....
That same day this picture from 2011 showed up in my memories app and it truly made me realize how quickly time is passing.
On our way in from the parking lot it suddenly started flooding and we made a mad dash to the covered porch at the front of the school. All the kids were soaked but laughing!
Kyndall didn't hesitate for a second. She went right in, put her things away and found her desk. I was the one who didn't want to leave!
We kissed her goodbye, walked out and just like that our baby was an official kindergartner.
The PTO hosted a "Boo-Hoo Breakfast" for all of the kindergarten parents so Matthew and I briefly went to that before he headed to work and I sadly found my way home. The house was so quiet all day. Matthew was hard at work with his new job, Kyndall was busy making friends and learning at school and I found myself wondering what my purpose was now? For nearly six years my full time job was taking care of my child and now someone else had that responsibility. That was an overwhelmingly sad feeling to me. It's now been six months and I'm still not really sure what my purpose is in the day to day life. There is only so much cleaning and laundry that can be done and eventually all the errands are caught up on. Then what? It's in those moments that I really miss her and Matthew.
I was one of the very first parents in the pick up line that afternoon (I'm sure that's shocking!) because I couldn't wait to scoop her up and kiss her and hear all about her day. She was SO excited to tell me everything. I grabbed my phone and took this short video in hopes of capturing a bit of her excitement that day....
Once again due to our circumstances I was not able to provide her with a well balanced, home cooked meal that night so we opted for pizza on the kitchen floor instead. She didn't seem to mind!
She received a very sweet card from our friend Kelly Harden that night in the mail, complete with a Toys R Us gift card for her to spend.
Her first day was great and she went to bed that night exhausted but very happy.
Later that week we also had a few other "firsts"....Her first art class and her first dance class. If you know Kyndall, you know that these are two of her very favorite things so we didn't waste any time finding ways to let her channel those artistic gifts she's been given. Her art class and her dance class are actually on the same day so these days can be a bit tiring following a full day of school, but because she loves doing them so much she never complains but instead looks forward to this day each week.
Her very first art class masterpiece!
We had a dinner date at the Mexican restaurant between art and dance class and we did this for several weeks until we both got sick of Mexican every week!
From art on to dance
This dance studio had a lot to live up to considering how attached we were to Mrs. Kim and Glory Dance. So far it's been alright. She's having fun and I suppose that's all that matters but I still miss my dance mom friends and our "social time" we used to have while waiting on our girls. Now I just sit in the car and wait for her to finish.
I also talked her into getting a good haircut that week. It was much needed but I'm glad it grows fast because I love for little girls to have long hair.
We had our first homework assignment a few nights later and we were excited to work on this timeline together. She was really proud of it!
By mid week we were dragging a little, but still excited!
Cool treats are the perfect ending to a long, hard day of kindergarten!
By Friday of that week we all felt a bit like THIS....
I let her end her first week with a relaxing bubble bath and her choice of dinner. She chose pizza and a movie night so that's what we did. (Yes, pizza AGAIN!)
She also asked if she could "camp out" on the floor in the playroom and she's been doing this every weekend since we moved here! Pizza, a movie, popcorn and camping on the playroom floor have become our standard Friday night traditions and we all look forward to it the entire week!
Before the movie was even halfway over she passed out. Getting used to being in school almost 8 hours a day was quite an adjustment for her little body.
Even Cam and Huck were tired....
Continuing with our traditions, she and Matthew wasted no time finding a new skating rink for their Saturday Daddy/Daughter skate dates.
We also discovered a new favorite local diner here in Forney that day and we've been frequenting it a lot ever since. It reminds us a lot of our beloved Rhodes Diner back in Medina. Kyndall loves it because if you clean your plate they give you free ice cream!
Things you see in downtown Forney...
Later that weekend the remainder of our household goods were delivered. Some of it was damaged from all of the misloading but we were just happy to finally have it all in one place. We could finally start feeling like we were settling in.
Remember how I told you I didn't know what to do with all my free time while Kyndall was at school and Matthew was at work?? Well, be careful what you wish for because considering I was the only one with so much time on my hands, I was the one who got to tackle the job of unpacking an entire house.....
Crafty Kyndall didn't let these huge boxes go to waste. She quickly claimed one as her hideout and decorated it inside and out. This blasted thing is still taking up space in our house because she refuses to let me throw it away six months later!
The first days of kindergarten were definitely an adjustment for all of us. We learned some things that we never realized before, like the fact that she could not unbuckle her own seat belt (she's still in a 5 point harness), she could not open the car door from the inside without help and she could not put her giant backpack on her own back without falling over. I'm happy to say that since this first week we have now mastered two of those things. She still cannot unbuckle her own 5 point harness but in my opinion that's not necessarily a bad thing! She is still VERY slow getting the car door open in the drop off line in the mornings but she's pretty tiny and not very strong so it takes everything she can do to push that door open. We simply wait until we can pull to the very end of the line where she can take her time and not feel rushed.
We've accomplished a few other things since the first week of school, like getting into a better nighttime routine and making sure she's in bed by a decent time. She's a night owl like me and could stay awake all night but then she's a total bear in the mornings. I think we've found a good balance now so that she still has plenty of time to play after school and spend time with me and Matthew but is still getting in the bed at a reasonable hour. Just last week she asked to start setting her own alarm clock to get up for school in the mornings. Each night we set the clock on her ipad and she wakes up on her own and begins getting herself dressed. By the time I get up there she's usually almost fully dressed and only needs help tying her shoes and getting her hair done. The tying of the shoes is the next thing on our to-do list!
We also learned that she would prefer to spend her lunch break talking rather than eating and I just cannot figure out where she gets that from. I've learned to only pack her a minimal amount of food because there is only so much talking and eating a girl can do in 20 minutes! Ha!
It's still hard for me to believe that my tiny little 6 pound premie is now a kindergartner. I love watching her grow and develop but there are definitely times when I wish I could stop the clock. We've entered into a new season of life and I will never again have the option of having her at home with me all day long. It's been good for both of us and has forced this self admitted helicopter mom to loosen the reigns a little bit. I still find myself wondering what she's doing throughout the day and hoping she's happy and that her needs are being met the way they would be if she was home with me.
Of all these feelings and emotions the one that reigns supreme is the feeling of THANKFULNESS. I am so thankful to be this little girl's Mommy. I am thankful that she's happy and healthy and able to enjoy her days to the fullest. Most of all I'm just happy to be here to witness it all. I pray I always will be!
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