Ainsley's first day of preschool

Ainsley's been looking forward to going to school since her third birthday.  I told her that she could go to school once summer was over, and she's asked at least once a day for the last few months if "summer was over yet".  I can't believe she's really old enough to go to school.  As much as it makes me sad, it makes me even more happy knowing she's having a blast at school.  We picked out her book bag at the beginning of August and got it ordered.  The morning it came in the mail, she was in love.  She walked around the house all weekend with it on her back, stuffing whatever she could find in it.

She's watched Lisa's kids get on and off the bus for the last three years, so that was another thing she was excited about.  She thought she was going to ride the bus to and from school.  It wasn't easy to break the news to her that she wasn't going to ride the bus.  She didn't understand.  She kept saying:  "But Abby, Jordyn, and Levi ride the bus."  After she found out that both me and Joel were taking her to school the first day, it made not riding the bus situation a little better.

We had our home visit with Ainsley's teachers the week before school started.  One of my childhood friends is Ainsley's teacher, so I've been talking to her about sending Ainsley since February.  I'm sure Elisha's tired of seeing my name pop up on her phone!  We couldn't ask for a better person to be Ainsley's first teacher, and I'm so excited that she gets to be in Miss Elisha's class!

Miss Elisha and Miss Amy with Ainsley during her home visit

Ainsley was excited for Miss Elisha and Miss Amy to come to her house.  She got her name tag for school, and I filled out some paperwork and she was set!

I don't know how much I slept the night before her first day, but I know it wasn't much.  I knew she'd be fine, but I think I was worried most about how she'd act.  Ainsley can be quite the diva, but it's usually only for me.  I set everything out the night before, and it didn't take Ainsley long to fall asleep.

We were up early enough to take a few pictures before we headed to school.

We pulled up to the school and Ainsley couldn't wait to get out of the car and head in.

It was nothing short of crazy once we walked in the doors.  The hallway was packed with the preschool kids and their parents.  We found Ainsley's locker, and put her stuff in there before heading to her room.  As soon as we rounded the corner to her room, she went right in without looking back.  We didn't even get a "bye".  I had to call her back over to us to give us a hug and kiss.  She was too busy checking everything out and was already loving it!

Elisha sent me the picture below and said she was proud of Ainsley for finding the "A".  I told her that Ainsley is obsessed with finding the letter "A" and can find it anywhere, including in the clouds!  She looks for an "A" everywhere.  She'll point one out on my tshirt, in a store, or anywhere she finds one.

I picked Ainsley up the first day of school, and all the kids walked out of the school in line and toward the bus.  Ainsley saw me, and took off (out of line) running for me, and the bus driver and Elisha were both trying to get her back in line.  They didn't see me standing there.  Ainsley didn't want to get back in line, and kept coming to me.  Once she got to me, she was crying, and immediately buried her face in my shoulder and wouldn't stop crying.  I took her to the car and set her down to put her book bag in the car, and she informed me she was "never coming back to school".  I just laughed at her and asked her if she had fun, and all she would say was "I'm never coming back to school."  I had to take her picture before we left the school, because all I could do was laugh at how ridiculous she was being!

By the time we got home, she told me she had fun, and had decided that school wasn't really that bad.  By that evening, she was more than ready to go back the next day.

I asked what they did at school, and she wouldn't really say much.  I asked if she learned about any letters, and then she told me that they had lots of letters there, but they didn't have any numbers.  She got a look on her face and said:  "But, I have numbers at my house."  She had to play with her clock and numbers for quite awhile that afternoon.

Ainsley asked constantly if she could ride the school bus, so I gave in.  I was planning on letting her ride it after the first week, but gave in on the second day.  She goes from 8:30-11 each morning, and can ride the big bus to school with all the other kids in school.  She would have to go to the bus stop in order to ride the bus to school.   There is no way I'm letting her ride the big bus, so I'm going to take her every morning.  Since her class gets out at 11, there is a little short bus that takes the preschool kids home each day.  The little bus has seat belts, and is only for the preschool kids.  They also drop the kids off at their house instead of at a bus stop.  Ainsley rode the bus home the second day and when she came around the corner of the first seat on the bus, she was so happy!  She got off the bus and we had to stand on the front porch and watch the bus drive off.  She thought it was the coolest thing ever!

I don't know what they do at preschool, but it kicks Ainsley's butt!  She came home every day last week and took an hour and a half to two hour nap.  She wasn't taking very good naps this summer, so that was quite a change.  She was also in bed and asleep every night by 8, which hardly ever happens.  She would tell us throughout the day/evening how tired she was.

She came home the second or third day singing a song.  I could understand "Open, shut them" and "clap, clap, clap", but that was it.  I went over to Elisha's house over the weekend and asked her about it, and she said it's:  "Open, shut them, open, shut them, do a little....clap, clap, clap."  It made sense then!

I can't get Ainsley to tell me much about school.  She tells me she's good at school, they play on the playground, and she goes down the big slide.  That's about all I get out of her.  She brought home her first "masterpiece" the other day, where she glued feathers on a piece of construction paper.  She was pretty proud of it, but I'm pretty sure I was more proud.  It's hanging on the refrigerator, and I'll catch Ainsley telling Lily that she made that at school and Lily can't touch it.

I know Ainsley's going to change and learn so much this year, and can't wait to see how well she does.  I hope she continues this enthusiasm for school for many, many years.