This One Picture

We pulled in the garage after church this morning.  

I asked the girls if they would smile for a quick photo in their cute Fall dresses.  

They climbed up on the porch.  

I turned around and saw all three of them huddled together; arms around each other in this perfect pose.

I snapped a few pictures on my phone.

And I got this one picture.

There is so much to love in this one picture.

Their cute smocked dresses.
The three different shades of their hair.
Abby's tiny hands and the tilt of her head.
The way Emily's curls are sweeping her shoulder.
Molly's big and bright blue eyes.
The pretty Fall colors in the background speaking to the warmth of this gorgeous day.

They arranged themselves in this position all on their own.

And it's symbolic of what I love the most about this one picture.

That they are sisters who love each other.
That they call each other their BFF's.
That they kiss each other goodnight and blow kisses to each other when one leaves.
That they teach each other and play with each other.
That they love to match one another.
That they want to put their arms around each other for a picture.

Quite simply, that they have each other.

They are Sisters.
They are Friends.
They are Family.

This one picture speaks so much.

And I love every single little thing about this one picture.

16 Things That Made It OK {first day of kindergarten}

emily kate
1st day of kindergarten
8.16.13

*****

I have been dreading the first day of Kindergarten since the 1st day of Pre-K last year!  I have had so many emotions over this milestone for Emily. I might write a post detailing more of my struggle, but for now, I want to note the 16 things that made the dreaded 1st day of Kindergarten... OK.  I didn't expect great or exciting or proud.  I just hoped for OK.  And it was, indeed, OK thanks to these 16 things:

1.  We met her teacher the night before school started.  She had so many fun things for them... a treasure hunt to find things in the classroom and a fun little "goody bag" to take home on the night before Kindergarten. When we got home, Emily said:  "My teacher is really HAPPY!"  That's exactly how I picture a Kindergarten teacher... happy!  And to know that Emily thinks that about her new teacher makes me happy too!

2.  When we got home from the Open House, I read the "Meet Your Teacher" note she had sent home with us.  The last part...it was like a salve for my open heart.  "I will be a partner with you in helping form them to live their life as a disciple of Jesus..."  So thankful for a teacher who believes this and is willing to put it in print!

3. I occupied my mind the night before by doing something I like to do... decorate!  I continued the tradition of a special Back to School breakfast, but added some special "extras" because it was Emily's 1st day of Kindergarten, after all!

{folders for placemats and a special gift of new pencils for each "student"}

{even though molly doesn't start until next week, we included her too!}

{rulers & notebook paper for place cards & a sunflower for added cheer}

{happy girl}

{new pencils and a mama note for each one} 

{continued tradition: pancakes shaped in the grade level, eggs, bacon & fruit}

4.  I put a little of myself inside their lunch boxes... love notes, a knock-knock joke (for Noah) and an apple-themed lunch box.  There may or may not have also been a small bottle of hand sanitizer in their lunch too :)  Side note:  When the lunch box came home, there were a few bites out of the apple cookie and a few missing M&M's... that was ALL!  She had a 2nd go-round once she got home!

5.  She looked so cute in her uniform and I found that laying it out the night before was actually worse than putting it on in the morning!

6.  My mom came over so that she could stay with the littles and Vance and I could deliver her to her room unencumbered.  Thank you mom!

7. She wasn't sad for me to leave her there.  ALL smiles (with a bit of a nervous "finger in the mouth)!

8.  Even though I knew they wouldn't see a lot of each other during the day, knowing that her big brother was in the same building (and that he promised to SMILE at her when he saw her!) made me feel better.

9.  Noah's 1st grade teacher, who has also become a friend, sent me this text and picture mid morning.  She snapped it on her phone during recess.  Not to mention, she send a little encouragement to me that morning too!  I have already requested a "reserved spot" for her 1st grade class :)

10.  I have great friends who knew this day was hard for me.  They asked me to go on a walk in the morning and then arranged another lunch play date for the little ones who were left behind.

11.  These two surprised me.  While I was getting ready, they disappeared into my closet and emerged wearing my shoes; a little reminder to me that they, too, will form a special bond and dress up days will continue in my house.  It's just a changing sibling combination :)

12. She was all smiles when I went to pick her up at the end of the {very long} day!

13.  As soon as Molly woke from her nap, she ran to her room and this is what I saw.... another reminder to me that they will still have their special time together and will maintain their tight sister bond... which is the thing I worried most about missing with her being gone all day.

14.  Her teacher made this for them to bring home on the first day.  I cried when I read it, but am so grateful for a teacher who cares enough about "little things".. like making their handprint on the first day and sending it home for the overly sentimental mama's like me!

15.  Filling up buckets is a core theme in her class this year. The "filling a bucket" concept comes from a book that I've been reading to the kids for years.  "Filling a bucket" equates to giving someone a compliment or building them up with encouragement.  It's the kind of character building thing that means so much to me.  I think that all teachers do their very best to teach kids to treat others with kindness, but it makes me happy to know that this is a part of her core curriculum and a stated part of their everyday routine.  I still remember when Noah was hurt in 1st grade as I feel it changed his personality permanently.  To this day, he remains intimidated by those boys.  I know that kids will always be kids and that hurt feelings are a part of life, but I am beyond thrilled to see that in Kindergarten, "filling up buckets" is something that will be encouraged, talked about, and rewarded daily!

And most importantly...

16. Prayer. There is no doubt that this is what gave me a small amount of peace about this day.  Prayers from others...

And prayers of my own.  I fought having her go all day as hard as a parent could fight, but in the end, my only choice was to send her to this full day program.  I don't like it.  It's not what I wanted.  I felt I was treated disrespectfully by some school officials.  I was bitter.  But I had to come to terms with it and let.it.go.  

My only choice was to pray about it and ask God to either give me peace or show me a different route.  For weeks, that's what I've done.  Prayed for peace.  In the end, I think I received my answer.  I'm still not happy about it, but I'm willing to accept it and move forward. 

On the night before school, I knelt during Mass and asked God to just make it "ok" on the first day.  And I think that all of these little things were His response.  They made it OK.  They gave me some of the peace that I have been in search of for months.  And despite my disappointment, the only thing I saw when I walked my baby girl into school that first morning were SMILES... smiles from the teachers, smiles from the administrators, smiles on the faces of the other kids, and most importantly, BIG smiles from my BIG Kindergartener!

{barely able to hold the weight}

{special necklace for the 1st day}

{"i couldn't have picked a better teacher" gift of fresh berries}             

{walking into the classroom for the 1st time}

  

Scary Observation?

I jumped on the blog tonight to check out my other favorite blogs and in the process, I made what could potentially be a scary observation.

In the first picture of the last post, ALL three of the girls have their arms in a somewhat defiant position!  Emily and Molly have their arms folded across their chest and little Abby Grace seems to have her hands on her hips!

Is this what the future holds for me?  Three hormonal girls who fold their arms and put their hands on their hips... and probably stomp their foot or roll their eyes at the same time?!

Again, just a potential scary observation about my future life with three sister girls :)

A "Little Thing"

They slept together on our beach vacation.

They started out like this... 

and ended up like this!

LOVE!

The Littles

Of all the kids, I was most worried about Molly's transition with the new baby.  She was, after all, my "baby" up until Abby was born.  


She is so physically little that she is unable to do a lot of things that most almost-2-year-olds can do.... go up and down stairs without help, get into the car without help, get up/down from a chair without help, etc.  And so as a result, being carried was (and still is) her favorite mode of transportation.  She talks; but most of her speech is barely recognizable to anyone other than us or her big Sissy.  And she weighs a mere 19 pounds!  So even though she is almost 2, she still feels and seems so much like a baby.  Hence, my worries about how she would react and respond to having her "place" taken by a newer, smaller version.


But for the most part, my worries were unfounded as she has done remarkably well assuming her role as a "big sister".  She is interested in baby "Aaaa" (as she calls her) and overall, she is very sweet with her.  And it's amazing how BIG Molly seems now that we have another "little" in our house!

I have really loved seeing the "sister friend" relationship bloom between Emily and Molly.  They have become little buddies who play babies and kitchen and perform dance recitals together.  It is a really sweet thing to watch.  


And now, as I watch Molly inquisitively look at her little sister, I look forward to seeing what kind of sisterly bond will develop between the "littles"!