Kindergarten

McKenna used to say,"Mommy, when I turn five and am in Kindergarten, I will ..." usually followed by something really big for a little girl. Well, McKenna turned five and last week was her first week in Kindergarten. She started on Tuesday, August 26th. There are 13 Kindergarten classes in her school. She is ALL the way down the hall at the end, and I mean the end, out the door and up the ramp to an Education Cottage, other wise known as a trailer. One good thing about her being in the trailer, is there are fewer children in her class than the others. I believe she has 18 in her class and the others have 24-26. She was very excited about going to Kindergarten. She got a Hannah Montana bookbag and lunchbox from her friend Gracie for her birthday. She carried her lunchbox and wore her bookbag as she walked about 6 steps ahead of me as I walked her to her class the first day of school. Chad had asked me if he could be there to see her off on her first day of school. It really meant a lot to him and she was tickled to death when she saw him standing at the front of her school. As we pulled into the parking lot she saw him standing there and yelled, "Mommy, there is Chaddy! He is coming to see me go to school!" When we got out of the car, she ran up and hugged him, grabbed his hand and started walking to into school. I caught up with the lunchbox and bookbag gave them to her and off we went into the school to embark on her educational career. She goes to Wintergreen Primary and her teacher is Miss Church.

I remember just a clear as if it were last week taking Alyssa to Kindergarten. I can still picture her in her little black skirt, white shirt and embroidered Winnie the Pooh vest. I remember it all from the red bow in her hair to the red socks and white Keds on her feet. And I remember I cried and cried that day. Our county school system has gone to uniforms so McKenna was in her Khaki shorts and either blue, green or white polo type shirt. I did OK on McKenna's first day not crying, well as least until I was in the car by myself driving away. I thought about my little Winnie the Pooh girl driving herself to school for her Junior year and my little Velcro baby independently and excitedly walking several steps ahead of me. On Wednesday Alyssa and I walked her in before heading to the hospital to have blood work done. Thursday as I walked McKenna in, she told me she wanted to walk by herself and to stop at the end of the hall. I stood there and watched her walk all the way down the hall, out the door and to her classroom and had to swallow hard to not cry then as well. On Friday, Grandma took her to school. She told Grandma as they got close that she wanted to walk in by herself and Grandma needed to stay in the car, she wanted to go through the Kissy Lane (Kiss N Go lane). And she did.

McKenna was very proud that afternoon when she brought home a Terrific Kid certificate telling me she had not had to move her Popsicle stick from the happy face to the sad face all week. All too soon my little happy face girl will be driving herself to school her junior year.