"May-ember" is here and we are bouncing from one kid event and activity to the next until the last day of school in June. And this end-of-the-year in particular will be a special one for our favorite girl, for it means she will soon be turning in her preschool shoes and joining the ranks of Kindergarten at Aldrich Elementary. Class of 2032. And while that may seem like a lifetime away, it's milestone years like this that make me stop and linger a little longer at just how fast it truly goes. I brought Mila to Kindergarten roundup on Wednesday and vividly remember doing the same thing with Cruz three whole years ago. It's all so bittersweet, isn't it? Watching them grow into such vibrant, unique, wonderful little people brings more joy in my life than I ever dreamed possible, yet it hurts just the same to sink into the time that has passed and the tenderness of those early years. It's a lot like life, I guess. We live in the tension all the time and somedays you feel it all at the very same time.
Cruz rode his bike to school a half hour before Mila had to be there. We spent that time watering the flowers, and then I found her in here reading her books and "practicing." She makes up the words as she goes and narrates in her little voice that will someday grow up. I sat in the floor in the hallway and just watched. She kept reading for me and I tucked that little image away of my girl in her twirly dress on the morning she visited kindergarten.
For a few days leading up to Kindergarten roundup, Mila's preschool class talked a lot about their feelings about the whole thing. Mila would come home saying things about being nervous or getting butterflies in her tummy. But Miss E. gave them some important homework to report back to her about the following day. She was supposed to 1) Be a big kid at drop-off, give Mom and Dad a hug and say "I'm ready for kindergarten! and 2) Make one new friend. At the end of the day, we received a video of her class all huddled up for a 3-2-1 cheer where they yelled, "We can do it! We are ready!" This class of friends have been together for so long and they are CLOSE! That is one of the hardest parts! Kindergarten is going to be so great, but so was the place we're leaving behind...
It wasn't until we pulled up to the parking lot that Mila got a little quiet and told me she felt nervous. And then she spotted Kena, a friend from school, and she left me in the dust! Our community has grown so much since Cruz went to kindergarten, for I feel like I know half the incoming kindergarten class! It will be fun to watch our kids grow up with so many great families.
After dropping her off in the teal group and hiding my tears behind my sunglasses, I went to Target for a little retail therapy and was back two hours later to pick her up! They get just a tiny taste of kindergarten! As expected, she was all smiles and stories from then on.
Mila was thrilled to tell me about all things kindergarten. She said her teacher, Ms. Knock, was "really good" and she was so excited to sit by Adrienne, a new "best friend" she made a quick connection with at our neighbors a couple weeks ago. She listened to a story about Pete the Cat, drew a picture of herself (with orange flowers just so she would remember the dress she wore), and played tag with Briana during recess.
We celebrated her big day with a little picnic on the back deck on a beautiful May afternoon. Then we walked (she skipped, of course) up to meet our bike rider for his noon dismissal and spent the rest of the day outside. It was a good good day.
No comments:
Post a Comment