Oh my...my baby started kindergarten today! Yesterday was the orientation. Erik and I drove her to school and we met her teacher and saw her classroom, found her cubby and put all of her school supplies away and then took a tour of the school. When we got into the car to take her to school she said "Um, hello, there is supposed to be a bus". So funny! She thought it was the first REAL day of school and thought she was going on the bus and was a little disappointed she didn't get to ride the bus yesterday.
Today was the real day. My stomach was a mess all morning and she had no sense of urgency to move along this morning, it was like any other day to her. We got up to the bus stop and what a relief, there was another little girl starting kindergarten today as well. Her name is Leah, so I was so happy that she had someone to ride the bus with to and from school every day. They must have just moved in because I didn't even know she lived in our complex! Anyway, the bus came and the lump in my throat grew even bigger and my eyes welled up with tears. She walked right up to the bus, up the steps, sat in the seat and looked out the window and smiled and waved to me. At least I got a wave good bye. I walked away before I lost it. The worst part about it was that Scott FREAKED out when she got on the bus and cried crocodile tears and was screaming "ditty, ditty, ditty". He calls her "sissy" but it comes out "ditty". He was so upset and I think it was more about the fact that he thought he was never going to see her again and this big yellow monster just ate her up! It seriously was the most precious thing ever. They grow closer and closer every day and are always playing together. She is very over protective of him although he could kick her butt any day and a lot of the time he actually does!
Anyway, I came home at lunch time and met her off the bus with Grandma and I didn't get anything from her other than the fact that her friend Ashlynn is on her bus on the way home from school (she is a friend from her 4 year old preschool class). I asked her if she sat with Leah on the way home from school (the little girl from our complex) and she said "No mom, I sat with Ashlynn because she is my best friend, I just met Leah today and I will ride with her on the way to school because Ashlynn is not on my bus in the morning". Wow, really, is she already 13 talking like that? What are we in for here??
One last amusing story is about the school supplies that the parents have to buy for the kids to take to school for kindergarten which included a 24 count box of CRAYOLA crayons, 12 count box of CRAYOLA markers, 16 count of CRAYOLA paint, 4 oz ELMERS WASHABLE white glue and a LARGE pink eraser (I am emphasizing the count and brand only b/c the school was very specific on the list which made it extremely annoying b/c nothing else was sold out but THESE specific items). So anyway, I get the list the day before orientation and you are supposed to bring them in that day so the kids don't have to worry about lugging it around in their back packs that are already bigger than they are. So, ok, I print the list out from the school website and head off to my home away from home...Target. Oh, well, I guess every other parent shopped there that day as well because every single 24 count crayons, 12 count markers, etc, etc were sold out. We left Target with the glue. Yep, just the glue. Headed over to Walmart which I never go to so I had no idea where anything was and we were a little more lucky there and were able to get the crayons AND the paint. Then we headed off to Staples where I was starting to convince myself that they don't even make a 12 count crayola marker set and I just happened to look down into this bin of 10 count markers and wow, there was ONE box of 12 count markers. I snatched that baby up and then stood in line for 20 minutes to buy them b/c the woman in front of us was arguing about the fact that she was over charged .42 cents for a pencil or something. Anyway, so the only thing we didn't get off the list was an eraser, but my feeling is that all of the trouble I went through, the teacher can lender her an eraser if needed! I have learned my lesson and next year I will be more prepared.
Tomorrow will be fine now that I understand my daughter has no fear and is independent and grown up beyond her years already. She may be only 4 and she may be a peanut, but she is certainly not a baby...
