Kindergarten here we come!

Charlotte had her first day of Kindergarten at Classical Conversations on August 28th. She could not have been MORE excited & asked days in advance "Do I get to go to school tomorrow?" day after day after day : ) It was really fun to finally say "Yes, sweetheart, you get to go tomorrow!" the night prior to the big first day.  We got her backpack all packed up with the necessities, made lunches & aimed for a good night sleep. It was like Christmas Eve for that adorable little five year old. She hopped in my bed around 6:30am & snuggled with me till 7 when we got moving. I imagine packing up anyone for a day at school has the potential to be a big deal but with Classical Conversations I have to pack for the kindergartner plus three younger siblings who spend the morning in childcare + me, the mama. I'm getting faster : ) 

Back to the first day.  Robby had a meeting that morning so he got his picture taken with a breakfast eating baby girl #1 prior to his departure. 

The rest of the crew enjoyed a quick cereal & yogurt breakfast while Uncle Scott & I traded off getting ready. Praise the Lord he was there to help us on the first day! It went quite smoothly with two adults.

The girlies were excited & acting very silly as they finished up at the table....

I took Charlotte to the store to pick out something special to wear on the first day & almost had a heart attack when she chose a tutu like skirt! Our practical, always wanting to be comfortable in shorts & a t-shirt girl was looking like a little lady on her first day of Kindergarten & could not have been more beautiful.

We spent what I thought would be a few minutes online looking for a backpack but in actuality it turned into much longer.  She was picky & wishy washy but so was I looking at all our options, haha! She finally decided on a Land's End (which was more financially friendly than Pottery Barn) purple & lime green with her initials on the front. It is just the right size for her & even Mr. Owen can carry it around : )

and a couple more....

Scott & I thought we should give getting a picture of the Fab Four a try. It went GREAT!

First of all, the boys don't like the girls to hold their hands....

Eloise decided since Anson wouldn't come close with the hand holding that she should just pick him up...

and what usually happens when the little sissy gets the chubby bubby.....

My favorite part of the following picture is cute little Char just smiling away : ) Does this mean when I have a 9 year old, a 7 year old & two five year olds I will have it made in the family photo department? If we have to wait that long, there are surely many more moments like these to come!

We gave up & put the most cooperative person of the morning with the girls...

So, after a photo session on the front porch we said farewell to Uncle Scott, loaded up & made our 10 minute drive to our CC location.  This was a nice change from our 30+ minute drive last year! Another big & exciting change this year is that the boys are old enough to be in childcare. Last year, they were my best buds that took a lot of attention & energy to care for outside our home for three hours. Thankfully, God provided some other mamas that were happy to share the load and/or help me snap my buckles on double Ergos ; ) Eloise was really happy to have the boys in her "class" & went right in with a smile on her face ready to "help" the boys have fun. Anson was the one who completely lost it. He is such a mama's boy right now...I'd be lying if I said it even bothered me for a second ; ) I passed him off to an energetic young lady & he stopped crying fairly quickly.

We started in the opening assembly & I was quickly reminded of how little a Kindergartner is compared to even a Third grader. It brought a smile to my face knowing that there are MANY years ahead with our sweet young lady. She was grinning ear to ear & participated in every part. After the assembly we were dismissed to our individual classes.  God provided the kindest, sweetest teacher for us to enjoy this year. Her name is Mrs. Brandi & I am thankful for her willingness to serve our children this year.

Our class has only one boy which is a completely different dynamic than last year! It was much more calm with all ladies & one gentleman : ) They were attentive & had a great time learning. I did find myself missing the other mamas & kids from our class last year...especially the Brainard family whom Hannah, Char's buddy belongs to. We had some wonderful, hilarious moments last year they will not soon be forgotten. I do know that God provides exactly who we need in each & every season, that being said, I look forward to seeing friendships formed as we transition into being Texan again!

Part of CC is having a weekly presentation to share.  Last year, Charlotte hated it for the first 12 weeks. This year, wow, she hopped right up & answered all her "interview" questions without missing a beat. She, in true Charlotte style was still soft spoken & serious but she has grown leaps & bounds since last year! We look forward to seeing her grow this year too. 

One last first day pic...

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE her & could not be more delighted to be tackling Kindergarten together at home & with Classical Conversations. It is sure to be a year full of excitement!