Sophie's First Day of Kindergarten

Last week marked the beginning of a whole new chapter for our family. Sophie is now a Kindergartner! Her first official day at Nickajack Elementary School was Thursday, August 5th, but the week leading up to it was full of events to help her transition into her new school.

Tuesday was "Sneak a Peak", where we found her classroom and met her teachers. I have to admit that it was all a bit overwhelming for me, though Sophie seemed unfazed and simply enthusiastic. This is a brand new school for her, so most of the faces are completely new. We did pass a few of her former classmates from VCLC in the hall, but none were assigned to her class.
The next morning, which was the day before school officially began, we woke her up at the crack of dawn to do a practice bus ride with Daddy. We're not planning to send her on the bus just yet, but the school offered a practice run for the younger students to ride with a parent to school and back, just to see what it was like. Sophie was less than enthused when she first woke up at 6:15, since she'd normally sleep past 8 if we let her. Frankly, it was a painful awakening for all of us! This new schedule is going to take us awhile to get used to. The bus ride proved to be a success, and at least she knows what to expect should we decide that she's ready to do it.

And finally, onto the big day. As prepared as we were with supplies and information, etc., nothing quite prepares a mother to watch her little girl embark on the beginning of a new, more independent journey. Being a Stay-at-Home Mom has given me the ultimate control over my children - until now!

We decided to make it a family affair, and all hour of us piled into the car to drop her off. This will be a significant transition for Jack, who is used to being around Sophie for most of the day. Here he is giving her a big squeeze before we drove to school.And the two of them outside her new classroom...
She had a great first day. So much so that on Day 2, she totally snubbed my attempt to kiss her goodbye when I walked her to her classroom. When I called her out on it later, her reply..."I was just ready to be Kindergartner and I didn't have time to kiss you".

And so it begins...