Girls First Day of School!!!!

I can hardly believe it my baby started Kindergarten.  Something about when that last one of yours, your baby hits a milestone and your heart goes soft because you know it is the last time you will have that experience with any of your children again.  Today was a first and a last for me in this way.  I cried a few tears, tears of a season ending with any little ones at home, tears of how fast time flies - seems like we just brought her home from China, but also tears of joy and gratitude and just overwhelming awe of our God and what he has down in her life, the miracle that she is and the gratitude I have that God picked me to be her mommy and share in all these moments.  She is going to do fabulous! 

 

As for Grace, she is over the top excited.  She could not wait for this day to come.  Now like her sister and brothers she gets to go to school like a big girl.  She loves Hope Academy and was so excited to go to school with Olivia. This morning she was ready to begin drop off line.  I explained to her the first week we bring you in but next week you can do drop off line.  The girl is ready!  She was excited when I told her she would do the car pick up line today, lol. 

 

So here are the pictures that speak volumes.

 

Grace about to head out to her first day of Kindergarten

Love this girl, she is so excited

and my Olivia, starts first grade this year.  She loves Hope Academy and loves school.  She is like a sponge and soaks it all in. I am in awe of this girl the amount she has learned in a year.  She started Kindergarten last year after being in the country for 5 months and only the English she had picked up in that short time.  She ended the year, reading, writing and doing all the things a Kindergartner does.  This girl is so smart and I can not wait to continue to watch her grow this year in first grade. I think we are going to see another big year!

Isn't she beautiful?  She is getting so big and really starting to look like a "big" girl now.

 

My sweet girls ready for their day

Don't you love Grace's facial expression?

Olivia and her 1st grade teacher this year, Ms. Laycheck

My kindergartner at her table...two Grace's this year in her class again

Grace and her teacher Mrs. Holeman

 

Can't wait to hear all about their days this afternoon.

 

So now two in elementary and my oldest Jonathon started college last week.  He of course isn't about the pictures anymore.  But he is off to a great start.  He is living at home this first year and doing a bridge program with our local university, UNC-Charlotte.  He will work with both UNC-Charlotte and CPCC (Central Piedmont Community College) for his first year, attending at CPCC and putting in 24 credit hours.  His 25th credit hour and second year will be at UNC-Charlotte in the Fall of 2014.  Jonathon wants to major in Criminal Justice and his dream is to work for the FBI.  UNC-Charlotte is a great school and has a wonderful Criminal Justice program so this works great. The bridge program is a great option, for kids not ready to step out the doors on their own yet and wanting to take a baby step into the whole college experience.