Kindergaten

Summer has officially begun for our family. 

That also means that I now am the mother of a kindergartener. (that was even hard to type)

Half of me is having a really hard time with it and the other half is totally pumped about shopping kindergarten thing. 

Riley graduated from her preschool and boy was it emotional for this mama. 

I guess I didn't really know what to expect of the graduation since I have never been to a preschool graduation and the note from school said a small cake and punch reception. When I walked ran in 4 minutes late I was also a little overwhelmed by the amount of people there and that my little moo was wearing a graduation cap. There were grandmas and grandpas, cousins, and it even felt like there second brothers-twice removed for some people. And my honest thoughts: shit! I didn't even tell our parents or anyone, I thought this was supposed to be cake and punch...

I had left work early to make it and had a crazy day at work and I think the happenings of my workday bolstered all the emotion of this graduation. 

I was a few minutes late. Didn't get a seat to take a million great pictures as I normally would. I hadn't invited anyone, but thank goodness my husband left work early too. 

Amongst all the craziness another more important realization happened for me: shit! my little girl is graduating from preschool. The little red graduation hat was what did me in. It made it so real that we are moving on from a huge season of our lives and onto another. My little girls isn't a preschooler anymore, she's a gradeschooler (again, that was hard to type).

It ended up being way more than cake and punch and I cried through all of the letter songs being performed that I have heard my little Riley learn over the past 3 years that she has gone to this preschool.

A is for Alice who met an alligator

They read each child's response to questions about future aspirations and my little one wants to be a ballerina teacher on this given day. It changes often. 

The flood gates opened when they read, "And if you can tell your mom and dad one thing what you tell them?" I love you guys!

 

Each of the children received a preschool graduation diploma and my little was so proud of herself and I'm so proud of her.

They were even telling the truth that was cake and punch. 

I really am so proud of my girl and am getting really excited about our new adventures in her new school, but will really miss this group of kids that she has grown with and the women that have aided in her growing in knowledge and in character. 

We will be spending the summer enjoying the heck our of our last before we become parents of a school aged child. We will also be shopping for school uniforms, school supplies, and backpacks appropriate for a kindergartener. It's going to be fun.