Anne’s First Day of School

Last Thursday was Anne’s first official day of preschool. I really did struggle with the decision to start her at 3 almost 4 and go for two years or wait until next year. What tipped it over the edge was her wanting to go because all of her friends were going to school. She is 6 months younger than most of them, so she will be a year behind them when kindergarten starts but I figure the socialization and the ability to make new friends is always a good thing.

For her first day of school I wanted to do something special. I made her a dress for her first day, she picked out the fabric of course, and I also made her a special book…

It is a basic fabric covered Composition Book, but what makes it special is what I wrote inside. When we were home in March my mom gave me this box of papers that she had been saving for me since the beginning of time. Inside it was 6 different sets of papers all stapled with the same set of questions. Each of them were answered in my mom’s handwriting but the answers were mine. Close as I could figure I answered them from Kindergarten until 5th grade.Ā  I decided it would be fun to have Anne answer the same questions, but instead of loose leaf papers that could get lost, I wrote them all into this notebook so I could see how her answers change year after year.

Here are the questions:

My Name Is:
Today Is:
I am ___ Years Old.
I was born on___.
I have ____ hair and ____ eyes.
I am ___ inches tall and I weigh ___ pounds.
I like to wear ____.
Usually I feel ___.
I am happiest when ____.
I am sad when____.
I get angry when ____.
IĀ  like ___, ______, _____, _____, _____, and ____.
I am good at _____.
I am not good at ____.
I want to learn ____.
If I could go anywhere I want to go, I would go to ____, because ____.
If I could be anyone I want to be, I would be _____, because ____.
If I could have anything I want, I would want _____.
If I were an animal I would be an _____ because_____.
I live in _____ with ____.
I have responsibilities at home ____, ____, _____, and ____.
Draw a picture of your home and family.
I go to ________ (school).
My favorite thing about school is __________.
I don’t like _________.
I have responsibilities at school ______, _______, and ________.
Draw a picture of your school.

Lot’s of questions! We spent the morning answering these and Anne was so excited to draw in the special notebook!

I thought you might like to see a couple of her answers!

The cutest pictures of the day though are the ones in her dress all ready for school! But then I might be biased about that šŸ™‚

We also got one picture before heading into the classroom.

Shortly after I took this picture we went into the classroom and signed her in. She was amazing, she found her own name tag without any help! Yup, she can read her name!Ā  After we were done with hand washing she immediately told me that she was ok and that I could go home now.Ā  I was torn between being proud of my independent little girl and a bit crushed at how quickly I was dismissed. I went home, had lunch alone for the first time in almost 4 years and then spent my time sewing and waiting for 2:40 to roll around so I would have an excuse to get back in the car and go get her!

This whole school thing really is a whole new adventure for the both of us!

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20 Responses to Anne’s First Day of School

  1. Julie says:

    I wasn’t lucky enough to be able to stay home with Erin until she started school only until she was 2 but I still remember her first day of school and I still cried. So did you cry? The last school that she went to had a mom’s kiss and cry breakfast on the first day of school. All the mom’s that had to drop off their kids for school for the first time got breakfast and prayed together. It was cute.

  2. Kathleen says:

    Such a sweet post. Love your daughter’s curly hair!

  3. Sharon says:

    She does look grown up! School is such an exciting time! You will be amazed at how much she changes and learns the next few years. It sounds like she is happy to go!

  4. barb price says:

    i remember those feelings exactly, savor every moment, they grow up toooooo quickly, mine is now 22 and i remember being dismissed the same way like it was yesterday. your little girl is precious.

  5. Katy says:

    Aww, very cute. Anne’s a girl after my own heart though, I sprinted away from my parents on the first day of school, didn’t even look back šŸ˜‰

  6. Beth says:

    She is so cute! And that is such a great idea from your childhood!

  7. Lori Smanski says:

    Absolutely wonderful. I love the idea of the questions. I had something similar, only not so many question. LOL Great keepsake. Especially for you right now. I found it helps with helping her to grow up and conquer what needs to be conquered. Her dress is so adorable. She is such a cutie. I remember the feeling of being gently and with the second one not so gently that I could go home. So I found when they reached kindergarten I would help out in many ways at school PTA, Library etc. That helped a lot for me. Letting go of our little ones is not easy but necessary for them and us both. You are a good mommy. Keep it up.

  8. Jeifner says:

    How sweet and strange that must feel.

  9. Carrie P. says:

    she is a big girl now. such a sweet post.

  10. Lisa Lisa says:

    What a cutie! I love her dress and her book, and her answers are so cute! You’ll be fine, mama šŸ™‚ I understand that it made you sad, but the fact that she was so independent definitely says something great about how you’re raising her. Be proud, for sure! Enjoy your sewing time!

  11. Debbe says:

    Such a sweet girl. I’m glad she is enjoying preschool

  12. Beth T. says:

    Oh my word. She usually feels like a beautiful shining star. Feel good about that, Melissa, because some of that shining must be a reflection of what she sees in your eyes.

  13. Jacque (aka Snoodles) says:

    Beautiful, poignant post….time certainly does fly when we aren’t looking…. šŸ™‚

  14. Lisa L. says:

    She is such a big girl right now! How quickly they grow! I am so proud of her! šŸ™‚

  15. Flying Blind says:

    What a big girl now! x

  16. Susan says:

    What a great idea the book is! I love the outfit you made for her. She looks adorable and SO grown up! Chin up, Mom. You’re still the center of her universe for a while longer, and you’ve done your job well in making her able to stand on her own two feet without fear. Think of the sewing time! =)

  17. Sondra says:

    Love this post! Love watching Anne grow and change. You are creating such amazing memories…such a loving mom. XXXXXXX

  18. Michele W says:

    Melissa,
    The first day is always the hardest. I love that you are asking her the same questions as you were asked (I sure love reading them now).
    I am so proud of you — you are raising a beautiful independent person!
    Love you,
    Mom

  19. Connie says:

    Melissa she looks so cute in her new dress and ready for school!! My gosh time just seems to fly! The journal is a wonderful idea and how neat that your mom did that with you when you were young.

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