Reese: 1st Day of School

Yep, it's that time of year - today was Reese's first day of preschool for the 2009/2010 school year. She is so grown up I could cry and have! We went to orientation last week and her teachers couldn't belive how much she'd grown, matured and grown some more!

Last year when I walked her in for the first time, she clung tightly to my neck. She sheepishly went to Mrs. Edie who in turn held her for most of the day. When I picked her up 45 minutes early, she was ready for snuggles and a nap. In the days that followed, she would boo hoo when I left and zip to the door the second they told her I was there to pick her up. It took weeks for her to get acclimated but once she did, it was a breeze. She was so tiny last year - 15 months old in a class full of two going on three year olds. She couldn't get in the chair by herself, or color on her own or say much more than "mommy" & "daddy".

This year is a whole new ball game. Not only was she super excited about going to school (at least for a little while), she had the routine down pat. We started with breakfast followed by a quick wash up and a fight to put her clothes on (she'd rather be in a diaper only). We finally made it to the car where she snuggled her bear and nunny and asked for Parker (her friend from last year) the whole way to school. I pulled in, got her out of her seat and she took off! She only turned back to carry her bag, for 30 seconds of course, and marched right into her classroom. She didn't even look back over her shoulder. I couldn't belive it! Where did my little Reese Pie go?!

I'm so proud of her and happy for her that she feels confident, she knows the drill & is comfortable with it. And I'm so sad that our little girl is growing so quickly - the moments rush by and so many of them are missed in the hustle and bustle. I don't wish for a redo or to turn back time but I do wish life would slow down. I treasure each silly moment and am thankful the crying doesn't last long. I'm going to hold on tight and ride this roller coaster with eyes wide open so I don't miss a thing!

For some humor, here is how our morning progressed.