First Day of the Rest of Her School Life

Maybe I'll blog sometime about her experiences thus far at school. (And, maybe I won't.) But I can't wait any longer to show Grandma (and the world) just how cute and excited Allyson looked on her first Kindergarten day.

Cora and I accompanied her to the door of her classroom that very first Monday. She walked right in, found her name on a hook, and proudly hung up her backpack and lunch box. She acknowledged her teacher with a hello hug, and then she ran off to a table to play with a new classmate. And thus began Allyson's schooling career. . .

Did I mention the part where she hugged me good-bye, said "see you later", blew me a kiss, or waved as I walked away? Oh, that's right-- those things never happened. Ally is such a pro at being independent! For a split-second I was offended, but then I immediately counted my blessings. Being ignored by a confident and excited kid is way better than having to console a bawling, frightened and heart-broken child in the hallway while trying to choke back your own emotional tears.

And, for the record, I didn't end up crying as had been predicted. I calmly turned my back on Ally's classroom and walked away. Then Cora and I ducked into the cafeteria and had ourselves a celebratory doughnut. I miss my big shadow, but I'm definitely not alone. My little monkey will still be following me around for the next couple of years.

Ally's Last Weekday of Freedom

We visited the Natural Science Center the Friday before Ally started kindergarten. Not only was this our last hurrah before being bound to school schedules for the next 14 years, but the tigers were celebrating their birthday. Who wouldn't want to see young carnivores devouring a tasty, meat-filled, fake-zebra snack?

I guess the folks at the NSC of G think a little differently than I, 'cause the actual "celebration" didn't play out the same as the version in my head. We waited in an extremely hot and crowded viewing area for the presentation of gifts. The girls and I watched through the plexiglass as Axl and Kisa enjoyed licking a set of ice-block cakes with carrot candles. I'm sure the birthday siblings eventually opened their wrapped presents, but they seemed fairly disinterested in them while we were around. Maybe they, too, were expecting zebra?

We met up with some dear friends (hey Walls!) at the party. Ally and Cora got their faces painted, and each of the kids made a tiger headband. We signed a card for the tigers, visited with a few animals, and then split ways again. Ally, Cora, and I continued our fun by exploring inside the museum and enjoying the A/C. We ate lunch, read books, played in the house and kitchen, sailed away on the boat, and built a safari park out of wooden blocks. Basically, we just spent time together.

All in all, it was a wonderful farewell to our unscheduled life of random adventures. Good-bye, crazy and carefree fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants days. May we meet again in Summer 2013!