Graduating Class of 2021

Lilly is so excited and cannot wait to go!

She loved the first day and we had a little
party when she came home.

Here is Josie excited for Lilly to come home!
She also loves to wear Lilly's shoes.

First Week- Memories

On Monday August 11th Lilly started her first day of Kindergarten. I was a little ruffled. Sending Lilly to a school with 1200 other kids, grades k-8th, created a lot of anxiety in me. Which I was not trying to transfer onto my child. What if she got lost in the shuffle. But it all turned out o.k. and she had a great day. Her teacher and classroom were so cute. She told me she made a new friend named Ellie. Who she ate her sack lunch with. She informed me that they ate it in this place called the cafeteria and she couldn't get her apple finished because this strange voice from over head yelled, "Its time to clean up! Its team to clean up!" Which she yelled to me in a robotic voice. I had to laugh. I forgot that intercom's are new to her too. Lilly got to tell the class her favorite thing to do. But, she didn't know that she was only going to get to say one thing. Doesn't surprise me. She could talk your ear off. So, she told her class that her favorite thing to do is fold clothes. Not true! But, her second favorite thing to do is ride roller coasters which she didn't get to tell the class. Now that sounds more like the dare devil Lilly.

On the 2nd day I had her ride the bus to school and picked her up after school. This is something she wanted to do since she saw her cousin Mackenzie riding the little bus to and from her home two years ago. I put her on the bus with a little girl from the bus stop, who is older, who said she would sit by her. I crazily raced ahead of the bus to the school and was waiting at the kindergarten playground when she got there. She wasn't sure which classroom was her's and was a little disoriented because she entered the school from the other side.

Our school has no hallways, so all the rooms open directly outdoors. This is my big gripe. Therefore a giant prison fence surrounds it with locked gates, and only some of them are open for 10 min in the morning and after school to let kids in and out. I know this is a protection from someone just strolling into a classroom and not going through the administration office. But, its like you never could run to the school playground and play because it is under lock down most of the time. I haven't figured out yet which gates are the ones to enter from -it is different from the morning to the afternoon. This school was intended to be a walking school so there is no parking. I have to park so far away to get her that it is ridiculous.

Back to the 2nd day of school
Lilly informed me after school that it was to hot to play outside at recess (115degrees) but everyone has to go out. Which I agree with. Maybe they should wait until it cools off a bit. They never sent me out in a blizzard. She said, "I don't really like to sweat." Another thing that was troubling to her was that you could not touch anything in the classroom. Not one thing. Which she didn't like because she wanted to touch all things in the room. It is really hard to shop with Lilly she wants to touch everything. She can make an apple into a fairy princess etc...

Lilly likes Mz Goings who she calls Mz Glowings. And she is pretty adamant that her name is Glowings and that she is not allowed to call her teacher. But, she didn't like the school lunch because she only got a yogurt and celery sticks. I asked her if she liked celery sticks, which I knew she didn't. But that was all they had she told me. Some how she either didn't make it to the hot food line, or she was just being silly. I asked her about her friend Ellie. Well Ellie sits by her in the classroom but she now has a new one named Winter. I asked why she didn't eat lunch by Ellie? She said I have to sit where they tell me to. She told me she was not going back because there were no toys there and the kindergarten play ground did not have monkey bars and not enough swings for everyone. She then informed me of the playground rules-You cannot push anyone off the swings or climb up the slides. It is just not fun. There is not enough time to color the things your working on. And most importantly she really missed her toys. She also told me that the girl on the bus had really bad breath and she almost fell of the seat because there are no seat belts. So she had to scoot forward to keep her feet on the ground, as to not slide around. Wow! Wow! I lot of new things to worry about. I bet a lot of the other kids had no idea of all the rules. I bet they just played. She is a little too serious. I am hoping school will relax her a bit. But, more importantly someone needs a nap-big time.

3rd Day- "I am not going to school today Mom." Why? I need to stay and play with my toys. Everything was a fight from breakfast to how I combed her hair. Lilly has always slept in. Now, I have to wake her up. That is not a good thing. I guess we will go to bed earlier. I didn't think it was possible. Funny or oddly for a 5 year old, Lilly is amazingly controlled. As soon as we step onto the school yard, she acts like everything is o.k. But, I am pretty sure she did not want to go today. But, when I picked her up she said school was great and she had fun. She said she helped her new friend who got a cut on the playground. She took a band-aid to school in her backpack just incase someone got hurt. Good thinking! She informed me that little kids get to sit on the mat during story time, and not the big soft pink chair. She also really likes the kids at her table and of course her teacher. School is great.

4th Day- As I am dropping her off, Lilly told me that it would be o.k. to call her or come get her if I missed her. Rip your heart out. I looked around and about one third of the kids lining up to go into the classrooms were crying. Oh all day kindergarten is too long after summer break with no structure. When I picked her up she seemed really tired, but wanted to play alone with her toys when she came home. She was worried that the day would be over soon.

5th Day- Everything was great. She was happy to go and more excited to swim after school with her friend Gabriella. She didn't even tell me that her teacher went home early because she was sick. Her teacher sent home a note saying that Lilly was the best listener. I think this school thing is going to be great for her, even if I think that it is a long day.