I wasn't expecting it to be horrible, but I certainly wasn't ready to be as blessed as we were.
Other than some first day jitters, the rest of the week was as if she had been going to school for years already.
Picking out clothes for the first day of school.
The 2nd day, through God's providence, we arrived super early and had to wait a long time in the hallway. Unbeknownst to me, the 25 minute wait actually allowed her to soak in all the sights and sounds on her own terms and slowly. I actually had to remind her to hug me before she walked into class. Total 180 from the day before.
Wednesday for pick-up, I surprised her by going through the car line, because Nathan was still asleep. She seemed a little surprised by it at first, but said it was okay.
Daddy helping her make her first lunch for school.
Thursday when I picked her up she was pouting because she wanted to "go back." "Go back to where, honey?" "To school" she said all mule-lipped. Can we say, music to mommy's ears? She's enjoying it. She's wanting to go back. She's making friends. As much as I miss my little girl being away, if she does have to be away, I at least want her to love it. So far it seems, we're heading that way.
Today after walking her for the last time to her classroom, me and the boys stayed around long enough to watch the K-3 through 5th graders come outside for the Pledge and Prayer. Katherine didn't know we were watching, but we were. I was touched by their innocent reverence to the flag and their remarkable quietness during the prayer.
I feel blessed beyond comprehension for the opportunity for her to go to school there.
One other hidden benefit from all this schooling is my brand new, can't-afford-to-be-the-night-owl routine. Soon after Jim's alarm goes off, mine does too. I never considered "sleeping in" until 7am to be a privilege, but now I do. I've noticed that Jim is a nicer, more talkative person in the morning, and if we can figure out how to keep the middle child asleep past when the clock starts with a 5, there actually might be something to waking up early. I will never, ever, never-ever really like waking up early, but I'm starting to see the benefits to it and a schedule.
Nathan has benefited greatly from Katherine being away at school also. Our potty-training struggles seem to be lessening. There's more time for me to commit to him and our plight towards a diaper-less house. I purposely dedicated time to playing with him every day this week so he would experience some positive reinforcements while she was gone. And he's proving to be a totally different kid. He's the Big Cheese from 8-3, and I'm pretty sure he likes it.
Night before school starts, he didn't understand all the attention and wanted Daddy to quit taking his picture.
Like I said before, this week got an A+. I thank God for the obvious benefits of this new schedule and new school and for the hidden ones yet to be discovered.
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