1st Day of Pre-K!

This is a couple of weeks late, but I'd be remiss not to blog about my baby's very last 1st day of preschool!

If anyone has a mind of their own, it's Cate.  She was very adamant that she didn't want a new backpack.  She didn't want to wear the dress I made for her first day.  She didn't need anyone walking her in to her classroom.  You get the idea.  We rolled with it on the backpack, but won on the dress and walking her in.  In six days she'll be five years old, and if this is any indication of the years ahead I need to get on my knees now.  I love her spunky self, but goodness.  She's something!

The week before she started, I took her to "meet the teacher" day...

 

She wore the same striped seersucker dress Towns wore exactly three years earlier when she went to meet the teachers of her Pre-K 4 class.  I'd give my right arm to be able to find the picture I took of Towns standing in that very spot in that very dress on that very day.

 

While she was getting acquainted with her teachers, she quickly informed them that she didn't think she really needed to go to school and she'd much rather just stay at home with her mommy.  I encouraged her to be open minded all the while thinking that I was 100% on her side.  Technically, this is our bonus year together since she's got a September birthday and has to wait another year to start kindergarten.  I've never been so thankful for a September birthday in all my life because if I would have had to send her to big school this year, I'd still be a puddle of tears.  I don't want to send her anywhere.  Ever.  I want her on my hip because that's what makes my heart happy.  Hers too.

However, by the time September 5th rolled around she was ready...

Obviously.

And she trotted off across the street (sporting Towns' old backpack) to meet her friend Brock as soon as we pulled up to the church...

 

Cate and Brock are exactly one week apart.  That boy has my heart...

 

Cute. Sweet. Hilarious. He calls her his Cate Bug. Such a sweet friend! 

And the cherry on top is that he'll play a round of babies without skipping a beat if that's what Buggy wants to do.  He's been known to even play the baby and curl up in her lap.

It's hard to believe this is our last year getting a first day of school picture in front of this sign...

 

She's his #1 fan, by the way.  Pretty sure the feeling is mutual.  He was wearing the girly colored bracelet she made him like he'd never seen anything better in his life... 

 

After pictures, she grabbed her hand-me-down North Face and struck this pose...

 

And told her daddy and me that we could go.  She was fine.

Not so fast, Missy!

We weren't leaving and she knew it.

At least not without a couple more pictures...

 

She chose a seat at the blue table because it's Brock's favorite color...

One more picture of her before I left in tears...

 

I'm not sure I've recovered from that day.

And the fact that this time next week she'll be five is doing me in...