we, I mean she, made it

Every year on the first day of school we (hurry and) take a picture in front of this pine tree.

These are from three year old preschool, four year old preschool and kindergarten.

I want to reach out and hug the Eva in picture in number one and two. I loved the pink cowboy boots and I loved her short hair.

She wanted to wear the same dress she wore on the first day last year. Make it her "first day of school" dress. I talked her into wearing something new. Because, to be honest, I didn't even like the dress last year.

She has amazing neck muscles to be able to hold her head up straight with those huge flowers. Do it while we can get away with it, right? In our defense, today was "red day" and for no reason in particular, she doesn't have any red clothes. I realize that every 4th of July. So the giant red flowers made up for it.

We walked to bus stop. I took pictures the whole way. Another mom laughed at me and said, "You're funny." She thought it was funny that I was taking so many pictures. Boy, she doesn't even know the half of it.

This is the fourth year that Eva is using that pinkish purplish backpack. Makes me feel all good and reduce-reuse-recycle-ish that we have gotten so much use out of it. I could have just washed it to start the new year but instead I spent a bunch of time decorating it. I wasn't sure that I wanted to do the trendy for now bird on the branch but ended up giving in. It just looks so cute. Hopefully it doesn't prematurely shorten the use of this trusty backpack. But, seriously, no joke, doing this kind of thing is my kind of fun.

I was so nervous for this day. Nervous that we wouldn't get ready in time, nervous that we would miss the bus, nervous that we would forget something, nervous that she would freak out about her clothes (she went through a phase last year and I am still scarred from it), nervous that she was eating a gross lunch...

Turns out the day was just fine. She was fine. I was fine.

I used to be the slowest eater I knew. Along came Eva. She now takes the title. I was nervous about her eating in the lunchroom and missing recess and wondered how she was going to eat in the alloted amount of time. Images of her eating alone in the lunchroom as the bus leaves to take everyone else home...

Were you the last one in the lunchroom?

No, there were three girls, I was one of them.

Did you get to finish your lunch?

No.

What happened?

Someone came and told us to go.

A teacher?

No, she was a cooker. (I love it)

So what did you do?

I ate one more chip and went outside.

Feels weird that she is gone most of her waking hours. Feels weird to hang out with just Samuel. He said he missed her. Missed her so bad that he had to raid her room and get into her candy stash and mess up her stuff. I guess we all have different ways of showing love.