the count-down is on

Brynn is counting down the days until she begins Kindergarten. Her excitement is growing daily and after last night something really hit me, in a few short days she will be heading into a world where her father and I will not be the only influence in her life. This is not a bad thing, but I must admit it makes me a little sad. For the past five years, we have been everything she needed (and wanted) and now she will be venturing out and having new experiences we will not be a part of. It is the beginning of a new chapter for all of us.

Last night we attended Kindergarten orientation and met her teacher, who is a sweet woman who has been teaching Kindergarten for 13 years. Several of the kids on our block have had her as a teacher and we have only heard pleasant things about her. She made all her students little gifts bags, which won Brynn's heart right away. I expected Brynn to open a bag full of candy and pencils, but instead it was a bag full of random items with a note attached.

Cotton ball - The cotton ball is to remind you that our room is full of kind words and warm feelings.

Hershey's HUGS - The hug is to remind you that everyone needs a hug sometimes, especially your teacher!

A Star - The star is to remind you to always shine by doing your best.

Eraser - The eraser is to remind you that everyone in our class will make mistakes (even you and me) and that is okay.

Band-aid - The band-aid is to remind you that we can help each other heal our hurt feelings.

Happy Face sticker - The happy face sticker is to remind you to wear a smile everyday.

Tissue - The tissue is to remind you to help dry someone's tears.

Lifesaver candy - The lifesaver is to remind you that you can always count on me to listen and care about you.

Penny - The penny is to remind you that you are special and valuable - especially when you are in this class.

I have a good feeling we ended up with the right teacher for our sensitive little girl. In fact, Brynn asked to put the happy face sticker on her backpack and the tissue and band-aid in her backpack. When I asked her why she wanted the tissue and band-aid inside, she responded, "just in case someone cries on the first day of school" (little does she know, it just might be her mom).

We spent the rest of the evening touring the school and meeting different faculty members. Brynn even got to experience riding the school bus. She was excited she got to do this, but in the end was fine with knowing she would not be riding the bus when she found there is no air conditioning (My girl likes her A/C).

It was cute to see all these little first-timers making there way in an unfamiliar place and every once in awhile I would catch one of them looking back for mom or dad and it would make me smile knowing, they will always need us.

Four more days to go....