We’ve had a lot of changes around our house lately. We have had Kiera’s first drastic hair cut.  It’s more of a shoulder length bob now instead of hair flowing down her back. I know, I really need to get an updated photo of us soon.

Next, Kiera received her first pair of glasses and now the most recent change, we have enrolled Kiera in Pre-K at Victory Life Academy.

It was a tough decision to make for us. We sat down with Kiera and explained the difference between school and daycare and asked her which she wanted to do. She made the final decision to attend school. Technically, VLA started school last Monday. Kiera started on Thursday. She loves it. I’m so proud of her for wanting to go to school and learn.

It was a little difficult for me. Ok. That’s an understatement. It was very difficult for me. The decision was one of the hardest to make.

I went and viewed the classroom last Monday. I was very impressed. I visited with the teacher and was very excited about the prospect of putting Kiera in Pre-K. Then came Tuesday. Panic set in. I wondered if we were doing the right thing, I worried that I was taking her childhood away too early.  If you haven’t figured it out yet, I sometimes tend to over think things.

By Tuesday at lunch, I was beginning to stress myself out. I took a moment and emailed my friend, Sherry, who also works with me. I quickly told her my concerns and asked her for her opinion. Then went back to my work and waited for her response. By that afternoon, I was still worried and had not heard from Sherry. I gave up. There’s only so much patience I have.

I grabbed my water cup and refilled it on my way to track Sherry down. Thankfully, she was between customers and listened to my mini-melt down as I expressed my concerns to her. She reassured me that we were indeed doing the right thing and that Kiera was ready to learn. Once again, I felt better.

Wednesday, we went and enrolled Kiera into Victory Life Academy. We took her to meet her teacher and the principal. It was so obvious after we sat down to meet them. She was so ready to start school.

That night, we headed to the store to get her school supplies. Now, let me just say, I don’t mean anything negative about teachers, when I tell this next story. My mother is a teacher and I have the upmost respect for them. Kiera’s teacher is a very nice woman and I am thankful for her excitement and passion she has for teaching.

With that said… let’s talk about school supply shopping. As we have already discussed, I don’t necessarily have a great deal of patience, I don’t always handle change well and I have a tiny bit of OCD. Sounds like it makes for a great time of school supply shopping, doesn’t it?

We made it in the store and for about two minutes, I had a grand plan of walking through the aisles and letting Kiera pick out the colors of the items she needed. I pictured in my mind, Kiera, Aaron and I smiling and laughing as we tossed pencils and crayons in the shopping basket. That little dream promptly disappeared as I stood in front of the aisles of school supplies. I quickly became overwhelmed at the different choices and styles of everything.

Aaron, decided it was safest if they disappeared and he convinced Kiera to go help him shop for something on the other side of the store.

After they left, I began to walk down the aisle, glancing from my phone list to the products in front of me and back again. Crayons, 16 pack. All that I could find was a 24 count. I decided to move on and look for something else.

Next on the list was construction paper. I looked up and saw a huge container of construction paper. Score! I grabbed a pack and started to toss it into the basket only to notice there was a slight size difference in what I had in my hand and what was requested on the list. I chewed on my lip and wondered if a ½ inch really made that much difference in Pre-K. I gently placed the package back on the box, deciding to look around some more before making a decision.

I turned down the next aisle and found the Crayola washable markers. I reached to pick up a set of markers only to be met with labels that read, ‘tropical’ and ‘pastel’.  I wanted to yell, “Where on earth are just the plain classic colors?” I managed to restrain myself and dig through the endless amounts of markers before snagging two boxes of classic colored markers. Although, I am fairly certain I wouldn’t have been the first person to have a breakdown on the school supply aisle.

My OCD was having a field day as I searched for the items on my list. My next item was 2 packs of #2 chubby pencils. I found a 2 pack of #2 My First Pencils. I stood in that aisle debating whether to toss them in the basket or not. Could that be the same thing as the #2 chubby pencils? I finally realized I was putting way too much thought into pencils and tossed them in the basket. It was at that point that I went back to the construction paper and tossed it in the basket as well.

By the time I got to the big, pink erasers on my list, I didn’t hesitate checking to see if I needed a certain brand. I grabbed them and hightailed it to the next aisle.  I can’t remember the last time I have been so thankful to be done with a shopping expedition.

We made it home and I realized I had no idea what I was supposed to put her name on and what would just go in the supply closet for later. I wound up leaving a big chunk of it all in the bags and dragging it into Kiera’s classroom the next morning. Thankfully, her teacher is patient and didn’t bat an eye as I handed over grocery bags full of supplies.

I did tear up. I’ll be honest. Once, we helped her put on her cute little uniform and her backpack, she transformed before our eyes. She’s not a baby anymore. She is a little girl. “A big kid” in her words. I probably would have continued taking picture after picture of her in the front yard if Daddy hadn’t reminded me that we had to get her to school.

As I walked her in and left her in the capable hands of her teacher, I stood in the hall, watching her as she sat in her chair. I watched her waiting to make sure she didn’t burst into tears and cry for me. I waited and watched to make sure no one suddenly bullied my baby. I stood in that hallway until my sweet baby girl turned and looked at me and smiled. She held up her hand and signed “I love you” to me and waved bye. I smiled, signed back and turned and walked out the door. That was one of the hardest days of my life. I wanted to call and check on her, but I refrained. When I picked her up that afternoon, I was greeted with smiles and excitement.

I felt so much better knowing that she was happy and had a great day.  It’s just another step towards her growing up. I know, I know. Please don’t remind me at how fast it goes. I’m just going to treasure each moment as it comes… and be thankful that school supply shopping is only once a year.