Getting Ready for Kindergarten

Last week we received SJ's paperwork for Kindergarten. I almost cried! I am not kidding! I seriously had tears well up in my eyes because I realized how big she is getting.

This was SJ's 1st day of preschool last year and I cried leaving her.

I have been saying that I was ready for her to go back to school. That was and still is 100% true but it is because she craves that type of structure. She needs a routine. We haven't been very strict about bedtime and the kids routine since it is summer. The kids have been staying up late, watching movies in their room more often, sleeping in late, and all sorts of other things we don't do during the school year. 

My husband has never been very big on having a routine. He always tells me that our kids will learn how to adapt quickly because they aren't routine oriented. With my background in case management for individuals with developmental disabilities I don't always agree with him on that.

SJ is able to adapt quickly but she needs a routine. Without a routine she gets bored and bored turns into destructive. I don't mean she is running around breaking everything we own. I mean she is trying to be creative and sometimes that creativity comes out on the kitchen paper towels that are then thrown all over the living room when I come home from work. It seriously looks like it snowed inside...in Kansas...in July...in 100 degree heat. It doesn't help that the baby's new thing to tear everything he can get his little grubby hands on.

After I had opened the paper from her school and informed her of who was her teacher she became super excited. I mean like a 14 year old girl who just talked to her crush for the first time. She started jumping up and down, squealing, and running around. I don't remember being that excited about school EVER unless it was a snow day. Which I swear NEVER happened.

This weekend we were at the grocery store where I kept hearing someone saying "Pssst". I looked up and saw SJ's gym teacher from preschool. He kept trying to get to get SJ's attention but she was too busy helping Momma to hear him. I finally told her "Hey look who that is!" She stops, squeals, and starts jumping up and down then takes off running towards him. While she is doing this I hear him say "Hey...Oh you are running to me!" He was totally shocked that she would run up to him in the store. I adore the fact that she LOVES her teachers so much that she will run up to them in a store. I am so thankful that her teachers are so AMAZING that they stop what they are doing to make sure they say hi to their kids. He then tells her "You go from being afraid of Mr. H (the kids call him that because he has a HARD last name) to running up to me in a grocery store.".I am so proud of how much she has grown from being a shy little girl that was afraid to be herself to a spunky little sassafras. He talks to her for a little bit about school next year and whether she is ready for Kindergarten. She started to get that little twinkle in her eye.

Today when I told her that we need to start going to bed earlier and getting back into our school routine because she was going to be going to school all day. She asked if she after she woke up she would go back to school. I let her know that wasn't going to happen for a couple of weeks. She had a meltdown. I mean full on stomping her feet and tears streaming down her face because she wanted to go to school. You can say she is ready for Kindergarten.

I'm still not sure about it. I mean she was just a little thing yesterday. She used to sleep on my chest and always had a silly look on her face. SJ still has a funny look on her face more days than not but it is different when she was a few weeks old. She may have all her hair now and it is super long but I still see my teeny tiny baby.

I know she will do amazing things. I know she will learn and grow in this next year. I know she will make me proud to be her Mom.

She will also test me. She will push me to my limit because that is what she needs to grow. She will make me get up EARLY in the morning to get her ready.

I have a few weeks left of her being a preschooler. I am going to have to make these few weeks count. She will do a few things we haven't done before. I am not sure what they will be yet but I will think of something. I know there will be tears on her first day as well as lots of hugs. Most of all I know she will work hard to make me and her dad proud of her.

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