Look out Manz!

Well today was Katey's first official day of school. First day of Kindergarten-full day today with only half of her class and then next week she will begin on Wednesday with her entire class. 22 kids in the class. She is going to Manz Elementary school. I was able to "tour" the school yesterday during her 45 minute classroom orientation and found myself sitting in the library thinking about Washington School (where I attended K-6) and learning the dewey decimal system and playing on the playgrounds...it was pretty surreal to think that Katey is starting this entirely new chapter in her life-she is school aged. I have to admit it freaks me out. I don't feel sad necessarily, but blown away by how our lives will change now that she is in school, and how much she will continue to grow and change and it is exciting and sad all mixed in one! Surprisingly I didn't cry today-Katey was simply so excited to go to school that her spirit really kept my emotions in check. As you can see it rained today, luckily Katey has a matching iCarly umbrella for her iCarly backpack! This girl...she is going to take us for the ride of our lives I think! I can't help but be proud of her. She has changed and become so much more confident in the last year-leaps and bounds different from one year ago when I had to comfort her while she cried waiting for the 4k bus and assuring her things would be OKAY. One year later and she walks in to her new classroom and sits right down-I had to actually ask her for a kiss goodbye! Today has been long-I have the day off of work and I find myself looking at the clock every 20 minutes! I hope she is doing okay, I hope she likes it, I hope she is making friends, and I hope she feels strong enough to ask for help if she needs it. I have zero control and this is a strange feeling...one that I am sure is going to get more familiar and even more complex as my girls get older. So all I can do is think about her and look at this sweet picture to remind me of how much I adore this kid, how proud of her I am, and how much I know I am going to love watching her grow up before my eyes!
**okay...now I am crying:)