The First Day of Preschool!

Tuesday was the first day of four-year old preschool...wow!  What a great day the girls had!

On Monday night, B told me that she should probably wake up early to go to school.  I assured her that her usual 6:30am wake-up was plenty early!

The girls got up, full of excitement.  They bounded downstairs for hugs with Daddy, and they remembered our special breakfast from the first day of school last year.  "Will you put a candle in my French toast, Mommy?"

The girls enjoyed a very special breakfast, complete with a candle atop their French toast, so we could make a wish for a great school year.  They got ready in record speed, and asked to take pictures on the front steps.

The girls were very anxious to see their returning classmates and play with the toys they sampled at Open House last week.  And they were super excited to take their lunch to school.

The girls posed for quite a few pictures, but eventually A said, "That's enough."  We loaded up and headed downtown.  The girls were still content to allow Mommy to take more pictures...walking towards school...and then on the front steps.  [I could get used to that level of cooperation!]

Unlike last year, when the girls were whisked into their classroom (part of a coordinated plan by the three-year old teacher to try to limit tearful goodbyes), the girls gave me huge hugs, kisses, and smiles before they skipped into their classroom.

When I came to pick them up...after four-and-a-half long hours!...the girls bounded out to shower me with affection.  "Mommy!  I missed you!"

When we got home, the girls were TIRED!  They didn't want a nap, but they wanted to cuddle and snuggle...the perfect reunion after being away from my babies for such a long time.

Unlike last year, when I didn't get very many details of their day, the girls were full of information.  They told me all about their "centers" -- the different areas of the classroom they rotated through -- including a rice sensory bin, a pre-handwriting exercise, and a teddy bear craft made with coffee.  (My A told me later that they painted the glue on with paint brushes.  "It was just like cheese dip, Mommy!"  I love the reference to Mexican food!)

I know B looked at some books, and they did some puzzles.  They sang some songs -- including some of our favorites from Laurie Berkner -- and they played, "mostly with T", B told me, a new classmate.

The highlight of the girls' day seemed to be eating lunch.  That's a totally new experience for them, eating away from home, away from me.  They brought home empty lunchboxes, so I guess they enjoyed their almond butter and cheese sandwich, veggies, and grapes.  They told me what some of their other classmates ate, including "chicken balls" (what the girls call chicken nuggets...HA!).  It was the next day before it was divulged that "some kids had cookies".  That's interesting, huh, to eat cookies in the middle of the day, I remarked.  "Yeah!  That's silly!" the girls agreed.  :)

The highlight of my day was how much the girls loved the "I {HEART} YOU!" notes I put in their lunchboxes.  My precious A was so sweet...

"Mommy, I loved my note.  Thank you.  I love you, too."

"Mommy, will you put that note in my lunchbox next time?  I want to keep my note forever and ever."

I told her that she might have a different note in her lunch.  "Well can we keep that one?  Let's put it on the refrigerator."

Before bed on Tuesday night, the girls both told me, "I'm ready to go to school the day after tomorrow."  And the first thing they said on Wednesday morning was, "I'm ready to go to school tomorrow!"

I am so thankful for an awesome preschool...wonderful teachers...and sweet classmates (even if they do eat chicken balls and cookies...HA!).  I couldn't ask for a better [continued] start to my girls' introduction to formal education.