Kindergarten

Noelle had her first week of kindergarten last week! She is such a little girl already (no more preschooler!), and seems even more grown up in the few days that she's been in school full time. Thankfully she absolutely loves it, and at this point, still looks forward to going to school. We had back to school night last week, and Luke and I were even more blown away by the school and how much they have to offer for being so small. We love her teacher, and are super excited to see Noelle learn all the things this year!

That first morning I was extra grateful that Luke was with us because I was a bundle of nerves and kept tearing up as we drove to school. I kept asking him what if this or that happens, and he kept reassuring me that everything would be fine. We were able to walk her to her classroom and stay for  a few minutes as she got settled. When it was time for us to go, she gave us a quick hug and got right back to the task at hand (gluing colored scraps of paper to her name.) Seeing her happy to be there helped settle this mama's heart quite a bit!

Her teacher sent home a packet for the parents to fill out to give her a better idea of what each kid is like. She asked things like what our goals for our child are, what we're most worried about, personality questions, bedtime routines, and more. One thing she included was for us to give her any and all information we wanted her to know "in a million words or less." As a mom, I wanted to convey as much as I could about our girl and wrote out some thoughts, and wanted to keep a record for ourselves.

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Where to begin about our girl, Noelle? As most any parent would say, it has been an absolute joy watching her grow into a big girl. While I'm sad about how quickly each stage is passing, it's been fun watching her become the girl God is creating her to be.

Noelle is sweet and loving, reserved and silly, smart and inquisitive. She loves her family, all things crafting, singing, dresses, being read to, eating pizza and Chick Fil A, playing dress-up, princesses, ballet, and so much more.

When she's in a new environment, she often takes some time to stand back and take it all in. Once this girl is warmed up though, she will jump right in, ask people their names, and play with complete strangers. While she is shy, she doesn't seem to have stage fright, as displayed by her pre-k graduation where she (and she alone!) curtsied after every song.

Her daddy is a goofball, and Noelle loves to be silly right along with him. They make up songs about everything and anything. Her giggle can't help but make me smile, and she'll repeat anything that made her laugh- and then the laughter begins again.

Noelle loves her family. She's always been a mama's girl, and daddy is the best at turning her sour attitude around. She and her brother Jonah (21 months apart) have spent hours playing together, and he adores her. She was so excited to get a baby sister this past summer, and as a little fashionista, loves picking out baby Clara's daily outfit. We also live less than a half hour from both sets of grandparents, and it's been beautiful seeing those relationships grow.

This past summer her love for crafting exploded. All of a sudden she seemed to be taking her time coloring pictures and staying in the lines. We had daily painting sessions, drew pictures on the easel, colored with chalk, and more. We know starting her first day of kindergarten with decorating her name was one of the best possible ways to begin her year.

We knew she would be excited about kindergarten, but we were still blown away by how well she did in her first week. Seeing my baby walk down the hallway full of confidence, and hearing her talk and laugh about each day has been such a blessing. We are excited for the year ahead!