The day finally came and Miss Aberly started school. Well, PRESCHOOL, but still here at our school in Oman! She gets to come to school every day now for half a day. She is in Mrs. Carla's class with three wonderful aides.
Let's just say Aberly has been ready to start preschool since half way through last year. Not only did she want to go, but let's face it, our busy bee needed way more interaction and stimulation than these exhausted parents or working nanny could offer. All summer, she was focused on starting school after coming back to Oman and these last few days of being home while we did inservice, she told me each day "I don't feel like staying home with Eunice today". I felt so bad for her!
So, last night, we built up her going to school by picking a back-to-school outfit. She said she would pick her outfit out herself and bring it down. I was envisioning her coming down with one of her many new clothing sets in her drawers. Nope. She came down with her favorite outfit the last few months. The jogging pant and hooded-long sleeve shirt I got her for the "cooler" days back in America.
Us: "Oh honey, I know that is such a wonderful outfit, but it would be too hot to wear to school."
Aberly: "But it's cold in the school."
Us: "Yes, but don't you want to wear something more nice and fancy for the first day of school?"
Aberly: "This is fancy. The shirt has the big, sparkly heart on the front."
Us: (laughing at this point) "You've got us there, Aberly. We have nothing else to counter with."
Well, luckily, we still convinced her we should look at some other options and save that outfit for when the weather cools off a bit (i.e. below 90 degrees). We went upstairs and I laid out five outfit choices, one that included another shirt she chose.
After weighing her options, she picked a dress my mom had bought with a cute pair of purple lacey capris we bought her, and a headband.
The next morning, she was up and ready to go at 6:45. "Is it time to go yet???". "No, you're not even dressed and we haven't had breakfast." Let's do that first.
Finally, we were ready and she was even more ready. We got outside a few minutes before the bus was set to arrive, which she was super jazzed about riding after seeing her friends, Izzy and Marin, leave on for school all last year. We snapped a few "first day" photos and waited.
When the bus headed down our street, she was poised, ready, and waving to it as it approached. Hand in hand, she and Marin walked to the bus and she promptly found her seat. No fear, and no fear that she was surrounded by kids of all ages, up to high school. She was stuck in her glow of excitement to be on the bus.
Since the bus arrived the same time Colin and I were ready to leave for work (it was a bit early), we literally followed it to school and into the parking lot. I watched as Aberly got off and hand-in-hand, walked with the bus attendant to her classroom (they are awesome!).
I met her and she immediately hung up her backpack on her hook (which we found at registration the week before), and went right in the room. You could tell she was so in heaven FINALLY at school. She had one of those tight, little coy smiles the whole time. She was probably thinking "I can't believe I am finally here!" The kind of excitement when you don't really know what to do with yourself, you know?
The year will be great. She has a wonderful teacher and the whole EC (early childhood) teaching team has a great system and curriculum in place. She has three friends in her class (Noah, Nadine, and Ava) and her friends, Isla and Luca, are in the next classroom over, so she will see them on occasion for combined activities. Our good friend, Liz, is a teacher across the hall, and Aberly loves her, so she will be another friendly face to see each day. Liz gave her a huge hug this morning.
As I write this, I get a little lump in my throat because as any parent will remember, there are moments when you step back and are amazed at how grown up your child has become. She is almost 4! She is a little girl and no longer a toddler. In a few years, she'll be in kindergarten! Seriously, where has the time gone? We are so proud of her and she has developed into such a wonderful, caring, thoughtful, insightful, aware, and active little girl. She truly loves learning, growing, and being a part of everything. We are so blessed by her. Tears! Okay, that's enough.
So, to end on a smiling note, here are a few of Aberly's funny recent "sayings".
Let's just say Aberly has been ready to start preschool since half way through last year. Not only did she want to go, but let's face it, our busy bee needed way more interaction and stimulation than these exhausted parents or working nanny could offer. All summer, she was focused on starting school after coming back to Oman and these last few days of being home while we did inservice, she told me each day "I don't feel like staying home with Eunice today". I felt so bad for her!
So, last night, we built up her going to school by picking a back-to-school outfit. She said she would pick her outfit out herself and bring it down. I was envisioning her coming down with one of her many new clothing sets in her drawers. Nope. She came down with her favorite outfit the last few months. The jogging pant and hooded-long sleeve shirt I got her for the "cooler" days back in America.
Us: "Oh honey, I know that is such a wonderful outfit, but it would be too hot to wear to school."
Aberly: "But it's cold in the school."
Us: "Yes, but don't you want to wear something more nice and fancy for the first day of school?"
Aberly: "This is fancy. The shirt has the big, sparkly heart on the front."
Us: (laughing at this point) "You've got us there, Aberly. We have nothing else to counter with."
Well, luckily, we still convinced her we should look at some other options and save that outfit for when the weather cools off a bit (i.e. below 90 degrees). We went upstairs and I laid out five outfit choices, one that included another shirt she chose.
The next morning, she was up and ready to go at 6:45. "Is it time to go yet???". "No, you're not even dressed and we haven't had breakfast." Let's do that first.
Finally, we were ready and she was even more ready. We got outside a few minutes before the bus was set to arrive, which she was super jazzed about riding after seeing her friends, Izzy and Marin, leave on for school all last year. We snapped a few "first day" photos and waited.
When the bus headed down our street, she was poised, ready, and waving to it as it approached. Hand in hand, she and Marin walked to the bus and she promptly found her seat. No fear, and no fear that she was surrounded by kids of all ages, up to high school. She was stuck in her glow of excitement to be on the bus.
As I write this, I get a little lump in my throat because as any parent will remember, there are moments when you step back and are amazed at how grown up your child has become. She is almost 4! She is a little girl and no longer a toddler. In a few years, she'll be in kindergarten! Seriously, where has the time gone? We are so proud of her and she has developed into such a wonderful, caring, thoughtful, insightful, aware, and active little girl. She truly loves learning, growing, and being a part of everything. We are so blessed by her. Tears! Okay, that's enough. So, to end on a smiling note, here are a few of Aberly's funny recent "sayings".
Reading the story of Noah:
“And they landed on Mt. Ararat.”
Aberly: “Huh,
there must have been lots of rats there”
“Jesus
is watching us from heaven. That’s
kinda crazy, right?!?”
(after watching Mt. St. Helen’s explode on a
video): “It’s going up to Jesus.”
(after talking about not spreading germs we all have): “My germs are REALLY dirty.”
(age comparison) “Was
that when I was big 2 or little 2?”
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