Preschool Princess

Today our baby started preschool! She has been so excited the past week to go see Mrs. Knapp and make new friends. The day started off really well. I wasn't too sure it would because we were up until 9:30 after the "Meet the Players/Coaches" pep rally at Amarillo High. But I've realized that our life is going to be just a little bit different than textbook since we are a coaching family. Anyway, Mali surprisingly got ready for the day without too many problems (brush teeth, brush hair, get dressed) and wore her new school outfit that Daddy bought her. She looked too cute! Mali was very excited to get to her room and see Mrs. Knapp. Right a way, Mali played with the shopping cart and groceries (she has been talking about that since the open house) and she looked for some one to share with. She was sharing so well with a little boy and I was thinking is this a new friend? Until the mom came over and said, "honey we need to go, this is brother's class" oops! So Mali said "I need a new friend to play with" and asked another little girl to play. She was already establishing her "ground" and telling the little girl what to play with. Mean while, I was sitting there patting her saying "Mali give Mommy a hug and kiss" and she was completely engrossed in her play and could have cared less that I was leaving. Finally I got a hug and kiss, and stepped back with the other mothers. Mrs. Knapp told all the kids to come sit on their carpet square. Guess who obeyed? Everyone but Mali! Mrs. Knapp had to take a baby doll away from a whining Mali and then Mali ran to me and said "bye" and kissed me about 50 times on each cheek (she was just trying to get away from obeying!!!) Mali is going to learn quickly that preschool is not all about playing, but I don't think she will mind the learning eventually. When I left the parking lot, I had a good cry. It is hard to explain my sadness, unless you drop your baby off at preschool for the first time. It is part grieving that a season of our lives is forever over (from now on she will always spend part of her days learning some where else), part the realty that she is growing up, part uncertainty of what my new role as mom is just when I feel like I got it down (I'm very black and white, so I'm afraid giving me an inch of freedom will make me slack as a mom and I don't want that), and the remaining part...she is my first and she will always be my baby! I told my dad that maybe I'll get used to it, but he assured me that I will even cry when I drop her off at college because she is my baby. I'm so thankful for the special place in our lives that God has given Mali! It is so special to be the first born and the first born girl (that is my birth order too)! So, I cried for a while in the Wal-Mart parking lot, but got it together and did my shopping...alone...which I must say was pretty nice, but new. I didn't accomplish all of my list of things to do today while Mali was gone, but there is tomorrow too, and next week, and the next week....
Anyway, when I picked Mali up Mrs. Knapp said she did great. Mali didn't comment too much on what she did. She said she rode a pretend helicopter and went down a rainbow slide. She told me about her cheese crackers for snack, adding that some were good and some were not good. On the way out, Mali invited a little girl and a little boy to have a picnic with us (we were not having a picnic) and to come to our house tomorrow! So I guess she made friends. I'm so thankful for my extrovert! Mali told her Daddy that she did get in trouble for pouring her cup of water into the trash can. That is very, very minor. I look forward to Mali warming up to preschool and conversating a little more about what she did. That is hard for me too, not knowing what she did!
Here are a few pictures of her morning.




notice the babydoll on Mrs. Knapp's lap