1st Day of Kindergarten

Jocelyn is off to Kindergarten like the big girl she is.

And she seemed barely phased by the whole event!  

Once we put Jocelyn on the bus, we raced over the school to greet the bus when it arrived.  This is a school tradition on the first day and we have decided we like it a lot!

The parents cheered the kids on to their first day of school (the place was a mob scene!) and then we got to hang around for the first hour.  By the time we left, Jocelyn was already into the swing of her day and barely noticed.  If it had to be any way, that's the way I would want it.  It was hard to watch some of the kids that were sad.

She will have a great day, and I can't wait to hear all about it.  I'm still trying not to cry....   and not watch the clock the rest of the afternoon.

And The Time Has Come...

So my beautiful tiny baby girl...

6 weeks

1 year old

3 years old

2 years old

5 years old

4 years old

Has become a Kindergartner.

Today at the Kindergarten Open House

Three days from now, I will watch my sweet baby girl board the yellow school bus to a whole new life.  Everything is about to change.  

Up until now, we have had years of days together doing what we wanted, spending time together.  I have been her world and she has been mine.  

But starting on Monday morning, she goes into a much bigger world with so much to learn and so many new expectations.  She will learn to depend more on herself and others in this new world.   And my biggest fear is she will need me and I won't be there...  or worse...  she won't need me at all. 

I am going to miss her so much.  My heart is aching as each day has gotten closer to this moment.  People told me that the time would fly by, but how did I blink and lose 5 1/2 years?

The good news is, Jocelyn is ready.  I know she is a bit apprehensive, but only because this is all a big unknown.  But she's ready to have some routine and she's ready to learn, and she wants to be a part of this new and exciting time.   

If there had to be anyone struggling with this event, I'm glad it's me and not her.  I'm doing everything I can to be a part of her new life.  I've been on the PTA since May!  I already have two jobs for the PTA that I'm going to love and once her teacher is assigned at the end of next week (yes we have to wait a week), I will be the first email she gets asking how soon I can volunteer in the classroom.

So on Monday morning, I give over the most important part...  the best part... of me, to a new unknown.

My daughter is special.  Really, really special.  She is kind and caring, generous and loving.  She wants others to be happy.  She is introspective and observant, curious and wondering.  She's beautiful inside and out.  I will try my best to be strong come Monday morning, but if I can't even write this blog without crying, I know there's no way I can keep her from seeing the tears.   I will tell her my tears are happy tears because I am so proud of her and she's such a big girl.  And that is the truth, even if I am so incredibly sad too.   I knew that one day I would have to send her off to school, but oh how I will miss her.  

Have a wonderful day Sweet Baby Girl.  I will be waiting anxiously at the end of the day to hear all about it.  And to those that will share that day, and the ones to come, with my girl... 

"I Trust You'll Treat Her Well"

Dear World:
I bequeath to you today one little girl...in a crispy dress...with two hazel eyes...and a happy laugh that ripples all day long.. and a flash of sandy blond hair that bounces in the sun when she runs.
I trust you'll treat her well.

She's slipping out of the backyard of my heart this morning...and skipping off down the street to her first day of school. And never again will she be completely mine.
Prim and proud she'll wave her young and independent hand this morning and say "Goodbye" and walk with little lady steps to the schoolhouse.

Now she'll learn to stand in lines...and wait by the alphabet for her name to be called. She'll learn to tune her ears for the sounds of school-bells...and deadlines...and she'll learn to giggle...and gossip...and look at the ceiling in a disinterested way when the little boy 'cross the aisle sticks out his tongue at her. And now she'll learn to be jealous. And now she'll learn how it is to feel hurt inside. And now she'll learn how not to cry.

No longer will she have time to sit on the front porch on a summer day and watch an ant scurry across the crack in the sidewalk. Nor will she have time to pop out of bed with the dawn and kiss lilac blooms in the morning dew. No, now she'll worry about those important things...like grades and which dress to wear and whose best friends is whose. And the magic of books and learning will replace the magic of her blocks and dolls. And now she'll find new heroes.

For five full years now I've been her sage and Santa Claus and pal and playmate and mother and friend. Now she'll learn to share her worship with her teachers ...which is only right. But no longer will I be the smartest woman in the whole world. Today when that school bell rings for the first time...she'll learn what it means to be a member of the group...with all its privileges and its disadvantages too.

She'll learn in time that proper young ladies do not laugh out loud...or kiss dogs...or keep frogs in pickle jars in bedrooms...or even watch ants scurry across cracks in sidewalks in the summer.
Today she'll learn for the first time that all who smile at her are not her friends. And I'll stand on the front porch and watch her start out on the long, lonely journey to becoming a woman.
So, world, I bequeath to you today one little girl...in a crispy dress...with two hazel eyes...and a flash of sandy blond hair that bounces in the sunlight when she runs.

I trust you'll treat her well.

 Author: Victor Buono

Summer Revisited

As the summer comes to a close, here is a recap of all the fun we've had. Jocelyn has done it all this summer...

Camps, playdates, storytimes, swimming, birthday parties, a trip to Hershey, and so much more.

Swimming!

Choral Performance at Kindergarten Camp

1st Mom's Group Reunion

On the Pirate Ship Ride at Hershey

Olivia's Birthday

Lily's Birthday

Doing the Toodie Ta at the Library

Kindergarten Here We Come Library Event

The summer is almost gone.  It's been 12 weeks since Preschool ended and the weeks ahead seemed endless then, but here we are less than a week before Kindergarten starts.  How is it possible that time could move so fast?  We've had a very busy, very fun summer.

Thoughts on Kindergarten coming...  when I think I can handle it...

Hershey Park and Friends

Jocelyn and I spent last weekend in Lancaster and Hershey PA, with Aunty Joye, Uncle Don and all the kids.  We had such a great time!  As with every visit with them, there was not nearly enough time, but oh so much fun!!  And I must admit, exhausting!!  We shoved a lot into two days!

On Friday, Jocelyn and I drove to meet them in the morning at the hotel.  The weather was questionable for Hershey Park, so we decided to wait until Saturday for that, and instead had some other fun closer to the hotel and Lancaster.

We went Mini Golfing.

And rode on the Strasburg Railway.

Notice who snuck into their family photo!

We also tried out a maze.  (There's no photos of that because I was too busy trying to find my way out.)  And later, we got some yummy ice cream from an Amish Dairy Farm.

Saturday was the big day at Hershey Park.  We got there at 10:30 and left at 10:30... yes 12 hours later. Jocelyn and I are still recovering.  

Riding the rocket with Ben

Before we all headed home yesterday, we took our usual group photos.  Here are my favorites.

The kids

All of us!

The Girls

Me and my favorite girl

Me and Joye

Jocelyn and I were so sad to see them drive away yesterday.  It's hard when so much fun comes to an end.  As I always say, I really wish Joye and I lived closer to one another.  Once upon a time, that was all about OUR friendship.  We would love to live closer to one another so we could spend more time together.  But now, I feel that sadness for Jocelyn too.  She loves Joye's family, and of course, especially the kids.  I hope we can see them again soon, but I suspect the holidays will go by again before that will be possible.  

For now, we enjoy the newest special memories of them and our weekend together in Hershey PA.

Summer Fun Continues!

Besides the Butterfly Garden, there has been so much going on this summer!  Non-stop fun!

Pat and I took a weekend away for the first time since Jocelyn was born.  Yes, I know she is 5 1/2, but I just wasn't ready (notice I didn't say Jocelyn wasn't ready!).

We spent the weekend in Lancaster PA.  I would live there if I could.  Besides the quiet and the corn fields, you can't beat the chance to travel through one of these.

Yes, that is us in the distance.  You can't be picky about
your photographer on a deserted back road in Amish Country!

Last week we got together with some of our friends from our first Mommy's Group.  We haven't seen most of them in a really long time.  The kids had a great time playing together, as if it hadn't been years (?) since they have been together!  And the Mommies really enjoyed catching up on each other's busy lives.

Today we went to the "Kindergarten Here We Come" event at the library and ran into some other friends from this group!

On July 31, Jocelyn officially turned 5 1/2, so here's the return of Gus!

Yes, I did mention Kindergarten in there somewhere, didn't I?  There's only 19 days before I put Jocelyn on that school bus for the first time.  Yes, I am counting down, but not because I can't wait for the day.  It's because I'm keeping track of how much time I have left.  The reminders are coming at me all the time now and I'm barely holding it together.  So that will be a post for another time.  For tonight we concentrate on the good times of summer and there are still more to come!

Butterfly Garden Revisited

So it's funny how it only took us 3 years to get back to the Brookside Gardens "Wings of Fancy" Butterfly exhibit.  When I read this post from 2010, I had no idea it would take so long!!

But we finally made it back last Friday and what a treat!!  Jocelyn really liked the exhibit.  We were probably in there more than an hour all together.  The only disappointment was none of the butterflies landed on her, and boy how she tried to make that happen!!

Here are some of the pictures I took.

A butterfly did land on me!

Irresistibly Cute!

These butterflies were the size of dessert plates, no joke!

Please butterfly!  Land on me!!

My Fairy Girl

Walking the wall through the gardens.

It was a really fun day, perfect weather and beautiful gardens.  Hopefully it won't take us another 3 years to get back there!!