First Day of Kindergarten

The day finally came! This past week, Karis kept asking me how many more days until school. After I told her, her response was always, "I wish it was today." 

Hello Kitty is one of her favorites right now, so she chose a Hello Kitty backpack and lunch box. She also picked out a Hello Kitty t-shirt to wear. I thought for sure she would want to wear a dress, but she said she wants to wear a Hello Kitty shirt every day to school. 

I love this look on her face. It shows that right before I took it, she said, "Mom, you said one more picture. Can we go now?!"

We had a friend come over that morning to stay with Makena and Kyle so that it would be less hectic and we would make it to school on time. We walked Karis to the school which is just under a half mile. 

  

As we stepped onto the school grounds, Karis' pace slowed down a little bit. I could tell she was getting a little nervous. But she was fine once we got into the classroom. We helped her hang up her backpack and put her lunch box away. We said good-bye and then tried to hold back tears!

Ms. Carlton is her teacher this year. We have a few friends whose older kids had her and they all love her. This is Ms. Carlton's 24th year of teaching and she won the Teacher of the Year award last year. 

Karis' friend Makena who she met at the Future is Bright is also in her class. She is just as shy as Karis! We also met another sweet girl who lives down the street from us. We have been praying with and for Karis that she would make 2 or 3 good friends in her class, so we're excited to see how these friendships develop. 

And how do Makena and Kyle feel about Karis going to school? They're excited that they get to play with Karis' toys! 

The house felt so different when she was gone. I was filled with all kinds of emotions that day, but kept trying to snap out of it and spend time with the littles. Makena definitely missed playing with Karis. I felt much better after dinner when our home was back to "normal" and all three were together playing. It's going to take me awhile to get used to our new normal. 

Karis had a great first day of school. She said the only time she wanted to come home was during story time. I'm not sure why she didn't like that part of her day. She was most excited about the toys in her classroom (legos and My Little Pony). 

Getting ready for her second day of school was definitely different. She was much more talkative and silly during breakfast. Derek took her to school and said she ran most of the way. I guess the nerves are gone!