First Day of Kinder

Michaela was off this morning to her first day of kindergarten. She’s officially a “hound.”

The alarm went off at 6:20 a.m. — the first time Mike has set a regular alarm in 6 years. Michaela was still sleepy, but in a good mood, excited for her first day at her new school. We got up, had a special breakfast of chocolate chip pumpkin muffins with Greek yogurt (with honey and vanilla stirred in). Michaela showered, Mike brushed her hair, I helped her put on the outfit she’d picked out. Before we knew it, it was 7:30 and we needed to get on the road.

Of course we had to snap some first day of school pictures first.

Then we set off walking the two blocks to school.

We snapped a few more pix when we got to school, including this one outside Michaela’s classroom.

We all lined up on the blacktop and eventually walked with our kinders into their classroom. The kids all sat on the rug waiting for instructions. Michaela’s friend from preschool sat next to her, which was very sweet.

The teacher had all the kids’ names written on cards. When she pulled a card and the kid recognized his/her name, he/she was to get up from the rug, say goodbye to the parents, and then go sit on the rug again. Most importantly, the parents were to leave. (So really, this was an activity to get rid of us grown ups.)

Would you believe that Michaela’s was the first name called? She got up, made her way over to Mike and gave him a hug. Then she gave me a hug. I had been doing really well up until that point, but when she looked up at me with a “I’m on the verge of tears” expression on her face, I cried a bit. I had my sunglasses on, so I think it was okay. At any rate, I said goodbye, she walked back over to the rug, and next thing I knew, Mike and I were standing outside the classroom, holding a sheet titled “Tips for the Beginning of the Year.”

I joined some other moms for bagels and Mike headed home. Now the countdown is on until 2:15, when we pick her up and hear all about Michaela’s first day of kindergarten!