And She's Off....

...to her first day of Kindergarten. I
cannot believe my little girl is old enough to start school. I know it is so cliche', but time flies! I have been trying to prepare myself for this day all summer. I knew I was going to be so sad and was going to have to do my best to hold it together!
The night before school Kate and I had a really sweet time cuddling in bed and talking about the next day. She told me how excited she was and I told her how proud of her I was. I will cherish that time with her
forever.
Kate had a huge smile on her face from the moment she woke up and realized that today was the day!! Finally, the first day of kindergarten had arrived! She got dressed and enjoyed waffles and milk for breakfast. We took lots of pictures and then headed off to school. We had to wait in line for a teacher to check Kate in. That gave Chad and I lots of time to give her plenty of hugs and kisses and to spend time praying with her. We got her checked in and said our last good-byes before Mr. Hurlihy took her around the corner to her classroom. I have to say, I held it together pretty well. There were definitely lots of tears, but I will remember the smile on her face forever....she was just so excited! Brower was super excited for her to come home too. We made cookies for Kate. As soon as she walked in the door, Brower said "Hi Kate, how was kindergarten, tell me about your day!" It was so cute. We sat and enjoyed our cookies as Kate told us about how great her first day of school was. She loved it every bit as she thought she would!
Dear Kate, you are such a joy in our lives. Daddy and I could not have been more proud of you today. You looked absolutely beautiful with your pink bookbag and your big smile. Seeing you turn the corner to your classroom was really hard for me. It was like having to give up a part of me so that I could let you take this next step and grow up. You have grown into an amazing little girl who is so fun to be with, who loves to laugh and play. You are super girly, but you also love to be tough and play in the mud. I love the sound of your giggles and I will miss them everyday while you are at school. My prayer for you this year is that you will love learning in school, that you will meet lots of new friends and that you will grow closer to God...and of course that you will learn how to read! (you have been asking me all summer to teach you to read!) I know you will acheive all those things. You are such a smart girl and will do wonderful in school. Mommy, Brower and Holt will miss you while you are at school and will be looking forward to seeing you come home everyday! We love you sweet Kate and are so proud of you!