August 17

I registered Lily for preschool at the end of Februrary, and since then she has been continually asking me when it was time for her to go. At least once a week, she would shout, "Thank you for signing me up for preschool!" when we drove past the preschool location.

After months of waiting, it was finally her big day.

Look at how happy this girl is! 

We got to school early because I had my first MOPS meeting today, too. Early to school meant we had time to take some pictures out front.

I seriously could have dropped this girl off on the curb and driven off - she didn't need me at all. She charged ahead of me, into the building, ready to start preschool!

These hand prints represent one of my favorite things about Lily's school. The kiddos in her class are dark brown, light brown, pink, peach, and every shade in between. Many are still learning English, and many speak with strong accents. I love that she will get to be surrounded by such diversity!

I love that Lily got to be the big sister here, because Caleb and Daisy were already at school She got to be brave and in charge, telling Eli what to do.

She didn't know how to find her cubby and hang up her bag, though, and she didn't know what a name tag was or how to put it on. So I suppose she really did need me! And that funny face? See the necklace in her hand? Without any help or inspiration from me, she made it at home to give to Ms. Amy. When we got to school, she pulled it out of her back pack and ran over to Ms. Amy to deliver it. The face above was her, "Should I go give this to her?" face. She did, and then I left.

MOPS was great, too. Against my better judgment, I kept Eli in his underwear in childcare, instead of putting a diaper on him. It felt like toddler roulette - would I find him in different shorts when I picked him up? How many accidents would he have? But he was wearing the same shorts I left him in, and he kept his underwear dry! Hooray!

Then we picked Lily up, and she was just delighted with her whole day. After naps, we got Caleb and Daisy off the bus. Daisy told me the best part of her day was when her teacher hugged her before she got on the bus. Then she showed me this picture she drew in art class:

It's Caleb, Lily, and her in the canoe at Maggie's house. I love it! 

(I confess: I'm a bit sad that I didn't make it into the picture, but that's ok. I still love it.)

I threw together a picnic, then loaded all of the kids into the van for Caleb's soccer practice. Daisy and Lily were looking forward to playing with their friends there, and everyone enjoyed the picnic in the perfect weather. Chris met us when he got home from work, and after practice we redeemed coupons the kids had gotten for free ice cream cones at McDonald's.

(Oh! I haven't mentioned Daisy's necklace yet! Last month, I realized that going to school might be tough for her, so I contacted the artisan who made my necklace and asked her to make a smaller version for Daisy so that she could always have her family with her when she was away from us. I gave it to her a few days ago, and she loves it. Today while we were waiting for the bus, she realized she had forgotten it at home and panicked. I sprinted home at top speed, found it, and returned just in time. It was silly, but I'm glad she has something that makes her feel secure.)

It was a busy, lovely evening.