Kindergarten

I'm extremely pleased with Sheridan's first month of kindergarten. The biggest shock has come in discovering she is shy! I'm determined not to use that label in her presence but really...she's shy! She stands with her head down, she walks into the school slowly, and Mrs G says she sometimes creeps into class quietly before she ever notices her. It's a shock because the older three are so GREGARIOUS. I mean, there is no stranger and no situation too intimidating for them.

Yeah, she's in kindergarten. I'm not to worried about her social skills. In fact, because we insist that our kids use courtesies (responding when people talk to them) that's why I didn't know she was shy until now. And of course, our other main activity is going to church and she's so comfortable and known there, that she's never felt the need to pace herself!

She is excelling in her school work (thanks for the head start Lisa!) and Mrs G is glad to have her. That's all a Mom can ask for!

First Day of School

(Ryan was already at before-school football practice when it was time to take "First Day of School Pictures." That explains his absence in the following entry and in the previous photos.)



Sheridan woke up happy and excited on her first day of Kindergarten. Little did she know that it was the beginning of school for the next 13 years of her life, and I certainly wasn't going to be the one to burst her bubble!

For the record, neither of us cried as she went in the building and it was a little difficult to keep my happiness for her as everyone I saw that day asked me how I was doing. I had no idea what to do with myself, but was I expected to be crying? I was more upset that I had to wait in bumper to bumper traffic for over 30 minutes after I dropped her off! We live in a small town!!



After school Sheridan had the silliest grin on her face when I drove through the line to pick her up. Her day was capped off as first, they had said her name on the loudspeaker when I arrived. Secondly, she saw that I had her name (in bold letters) displayed in the front window (that's how they knew to call her) and finally, the big kids were all waiting with expectant faces when the van door slid open.

I listened as they each asked her questions about her day. About her only response was, "It was so fun." "It was really fun." "It was so fun." As Lauren explored her papers from her backpack (this is kind of my job, but Lauren was as anxious as I) she found a drawing of a person with yellow hair and striped clothes. She asked Sheridan about it.

Sheridan's response:
"We were drawing our families. I didn't have time to draw everyone else, so I decided to draw only you." This was almost enough to make me stop the car and insist that no one else get to question Sheridan about her day, I mean, I'm the mom that had to let my baby go to school and she drew Lauren!

When I got home, I snuggled Sheridan in my lap for my portion of the inquisition. She told me her favorite part of the day was lunch. I was not surprised about this as I had put love note from me in her bag..."Why was it your favorite part, Sheridan?"

Sheridan's response:
"I got to have chocolate milk. Actually, I got to have chocolate milk twice. Once at lunch and once at snack time."

That's how the first day of Sheridan's schooling went down.