Today was a big day. It was Ruby's first day of preschool. I know we have anxious grandparents waiting for a report, so here it goes! (The rest of you can feel free to skip this post. It's just full of a proud momma's ramblings!)
Our preparation started last night. I laid out Ruby's outfit, packed up her school supplies, and made her lunch. I was hoping that her snazzy lunch duds would encourage her to eat:
I packed several of her favorite things (a Lunchable, Gogurt, water/juice) plus a couple of surprises (Phineas and Ferb fruit snacks, carrots in a princess snack cup.)
Then, I wrote her a little note.
Once everything was packed up, I felt emotionally ready for this really big step. :)
When it was time for bed, I set my alarm. I found out that my phone has a program where you can set your alarm to keep ringing until you've solved several math problems. (Example: 80-42+5=?) Once you've solved the problems, you can tell your phone to snooze or dismiss. Obviously, once you've solved the math problems, you're wide awake.
It's genius!
When it was time to get Ruby up, I said a little prayer that she'd wake in a good mood. As she brushed her hair away from her eyes, she said (in the cutest sleepy voice), "School, here I come!"
Seriously, those were the first words out of her mouth this morning. That's how this kid does life. All-or-Nothing. Full Throttle. Passion for Everything. Somedays, I'm afraid it's going to kill me. But moments like this? I love them. It reminds me that this is the best way to live. :)
Ruby got dressed and gathered up her backpack and lunch box. It was seriously the cutest thing I've ever seen:
We decided to take Ruby out for a special breakfast before school. When I was a little girl, I loved it when Dad was on school duty. Every once in a while, he would take Kyle and I through the Hardee's drive-thru. I would get little mini cinnamon bun thingys and hashbrowns. It was one of the few ways my dad spoiled us when we were little. Spoiling was usually Mom's job. :)
Once we got to school, Ruby walked us back to her classroom. She is in the Lamb classroom this year, and she loved showing Daddy how to get to her class. (i.e. "Not yet. Almost there. Noooot yeeeet. Getting closer! We're here!!")
Ruby hung her backpack on it's hook and put her lunch box on the counter. Within moments, she was settled in and shooing us out the door. Can you guess what drew her attention so completely?
Yep, books. Once she saw the basket of books, it was, "Hello School! Goodbye, Mom and Dad!"
We left her at school and headed off to our first morning as a mommy and daddy of an official preschooler.
The fourth member of our family was a little less sure about all of this. Burke was hesitant to leave Ruby's room, and he whined a bit when I told him we were leaving sister. He was pretty subdued the whole morning, but I'm guessing he'll get used to this new-found sole attention. (And, unless I'm crazy, I don't think it will take him too long...)
Burke and I spent the morning playing cars and *trying* to read a couple of books. Then, I cleaned out the front closet, hung the curtains, and painted a wall decoration to match the new curtains.
I think we'll both adjust to this new lifestyle *just* fine. ;)
When we picked Ruby up from school, she was not happy to see us. She wanted to stay and take a rest with the other kids. When I was finally able to lure her out to the door, Miss Anderson gave Ruby a sticker for being a good girl in class today. When we got home, I cleaned out Roo's lunch box and found that she ate all of her food except a couple of her carrots. Yippee!!
All in all, I would say that her first day of school was a TOTAL success! Here's what Ruby has to say about it all:
(This video was taken immediately after I picked Ruby up from school.)
(This video was taken once we got home. This way, I could interview her without Burke screaming in the background.) :)
So, our little girl is officially a preschooler. She seems thrilled, and we're pretty happy, too!
Do you like us? Well? Do ya? Do ya?
Love Mercy
Random Photo
