happy ending...for the day

 all set and ready for her first day of 1st grade.  

geez, that makes me feel old.  she was really excited about wearing her new breathable shoes and the headband she had picked out for her birthday. 

 

as we drove to school the excitement dimmed and i could hear in her voice a little bit of nervousness.  ah, just looking at this picture above breaks my heart.  as all the other kids excitedly chatted, ella would not even take off her backpack.  there were a couple of tears. 

it was definitely a little easier for me this year, but i did need a little distraction...

 wondering around this did the job. 

 next we went to the library where we found some of the cutest decorations.  i'm not even sure why all of the knitted coverings were there but i liked it!!

hmm, this gives me ideas...

so the first day of school for ella ended a little better than it started.  when i picked her up she said she liked her class and that her teacher is funny.  this morning dropping her off was a lot easier.  she put her backpack and lunch bag on the rack and shelf and got in line without clinging to me.  she gave me a kiss and as i walked away there was still a smile on her face. 

whew!!