From Mom's Day Out to Preschool

As many of you know, Abby has been attending a Mom's Day Out program once a week through our church for about a year now. She has done really well with this program and has gained a ton from it. This is where she overcame her separation anxiety, she learned new songs, made new friends, and most importantly began to form a relationship with God. I think one of the most amazing memories from her time at MDO (mom's day out) was when we sat down to dinner one night and she told us we had to pray first and began reciting a prayer she had learned. I will miss this program, but I had decided she was ready for something a little more formal and I was hoping I could get her into a pre-school here in Crestview to eliminate some of the driving I have been doing.

After some research and talking to other mom's in Crestview I decided to check out a couple of preschools in the area. I first looked at the Montessori school in town and just didn't get the right vibe from it. There wasn't anything specific that I didn't like, I just didn't get a good feeling. I then visited the Apple Tree Preschool in town with low expectations but was actually pleasantly surprised. I felt comfortable from the moment I walked in, things seemed organized and clean, the staff and teachers were knowledgeable and friendly, and most importantly Abby was very content there. She was excited to see all the toys and it just made me feel better knowing this was a place she was comfortable in and excited about. I made the decision then and there that she would start in the fall.

That lead us up to yesterday, her first day of preschool!! After a busy trip to Colorado (more to come on that later) we had to wake up early the day after we returned for her first day of school. I spent the night before try to get all of her things ready so we would have an easy transition in the morning and have time to take some pictures and spend some quality time together. Well, like most things in life our morning didn't go quite as planned. Everything was fine till it was time to walk out the door. In fact, things had gone so smoothly we were planning on meeting Sam and Nolan at Starbucks and driving the kiddos to school together. As we were headed out the door with all of our stuff in tow I realized I didn't have my keys. No problem, I would just run back in and get them. No such luck, the keys were no where to be found. As I was frantically searching, I called Andrew at work because he was the last one to have my keys since he drove my car to pick us up from the airport the night before. He told me they were in the pocket of his shorts. Good crisis averted, or so I thought. Of course the keys weren't there! So, I continued my frantic search while calling Sam to tell her we wouldn't be able to meet up with them. I overturned couch cushions, stripped the bed of the linens, threw open drawers spilling their contents onto the counters and floors. The house looked as if we had been robbed! At this point I began crying, I was so upset and really didn't want Abby to be late for her first day of school! I continued to wander aimlessly around the house looking in the same places a million times, when for some reason I decided to look upstairs. I walked into Abby's room and there on her dresser were my keys!!!! For whatever reason, Andrew took them out of his pocket up there and set them on the dresser. Normally I would have seen them when I went to get Abby's clothes but due to our trip I had clean clothes for her down in the living room and didn't need to go up there. After all that, we happened to be on time for school after all! I thought I was going to be more emotional about her first day of school but the events of the morning coupled with the fact that she had been attending MDO for a while led me to be calm and excited for her rather than too emotional.

The emotions did come later though as I found myself in an empty house for a few hours and even more so when I picked up my smiling little girl. I was able to sneak up on her and watch her playing for a few minutes before she noticed I was there. She was having a ball playing and her teacher Miss Marlo said she had a wonderful day! As I began to talk to Abby about her day she told me she had fun and her teacher was nice but that she cried a little on her mat (which they use during rest time) because she missed me! That right there melted my heart. Its good to know that she thinks about me while I am gone, but I also know she was busy and had a good time at school. I am excited about this program. They provide you with a report everyday with how the kids did, what they played with, when/if they went potty, and how much they ate. Their teacher Miss Marlo is very nice and it wonderful with kids. Its also nice that the school is in Crestview, I am able to run errands and go home to clean or relax if need be. I am looking forward to seeing how this enriches Abby's life and what she takes away from it. I am sure there will be more posts about this to come!! Until then, enjoy a few pics that I was able to snap even in my state of pure chaos!!!

Before School

Nolan and Abby after school

A shot of Abby's "daily report"