Time to learn and time to play...

I have been fearing this day for 4 years but alas, the time has come...Isabelle has started Preschool! She and I both fretted about it too much, ever since we signed her name on the dotted line for the Stone Oak Presbyterian PreK Class last spring. I understand that she is ready to learn more and I know that she needs to get her feet wet before she is thrown into Kindergarten every day next year, but that didn't make the decision to drop my little shadow off every week any easier. I consciously never let Belle hear the anxiety in my voice and I made sure I rejoiced each time we drove past her "school" in the car all summer long but she too was anxious about being away from mom and insisted several times a week for months that I sign her up for the shortest class possible!

A week before school began we attended a "meet the teacher" night and when it ended with Jelly in tears I worried that this was going to be even tougher than I had anticipated. As we left that night Isabelle yelled across the parking lot to her little girlfriend Madilyn that we signed up with, Bye Missy, I'm not coming back! We celebrated the upcoming change and bought some Twinkle Toes for school as well as a backpack and lunchbox, and carried on the Christensen Tradition with a Back to School Fashion Show where Isabelle cried as she strutted her stuff in her new school clothes. One her first school night, after a comforting blessing from Daddy, Belle was tucked in her safe little bed with her bag packed and clothes laid out for the big day! I got out all of my sad tears about her growing up too fast that night as well so I was fresh faced and ready to go in the morning!


Our little prayer was answered when morning came and everyone in our home was excited for Isabelle's new adventure. She quickly got dressed and ate breakfast and we were on our way to drop her off at school. Ben, Olivia and I all three walked her to her classroom and found her cubby and seat and then she smiled and said goodbye! I listened for my phone all day but it never rang! Grammie drove over as quickly as she could from Houston without Belle knowing and surprised her when she was there to pick her up from her first day of school. Isabelle was all smiles and was so proud of just how brave she was, especially since when we arrived the kids were all sitting in the dark as the power was out due to Hurricane Hermine!

Now Isabelle spends her Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00am to 2:00pm at school and has already been a line leader and has taken show-and-tell for the letters A, B and C. She loves to see her teachers, Mrs. Ashley and Ms. Pat, and loves to play with Missy, Caleb and Gavin. So far she makes me promise each school day that I will come and pick her up AS SOON AS SHE CALLS me because she never plans on staying the entire day, but I have never received that phone call yet. Of course in true Isabelle fashion, she immediately came down with a bug and was too sick for her 2nd day of school but thankfully the enthusiasm was still alive on day 3.

Olivia wonders why it is so quiet during her morning nap and loves when she hears Isabelle's voice at the end of the school day. I have quickly learned to enjoy running errands with only one little helper, and we have finally found the benefit to Belle being a VERY early riser, but I am so grateful that Isabelle has a day at home in between class days! For now, we are going to enjoy Belle spreading her wings just a little bit and not even think for a moment about Kindergarten next year.

One of my absolute favorite books to read to Isabelle has been Llama Llama Red Pajama because Jelly is EXACTLY like the little llama in the story! I often quote lines from the book to her all day such as "Llama llama what a tissy, sometimes mama is very busy..." so it was too perfect when just days from school starting we came across a new treasure titled Llama Lama Misses Mama. Little Llama starts school and it has quickly become our new favorite book to read together each night.

Llama finds out something new -
He loves Mama...
and SCHOOL, too!