The Beginning of the End of Elementary

Well....this day finally made it's way here. Ashton's First Day of FIFTH Grade.

Just as I have said a million times before (and this won't be the last, it is just one of those "Mommy" things you say), I can't believe how fast time is flying by. I love that she is growing up and getting to experience the things that come with growing up, and I am blessed that she is happy and healthy and here to experience new things. But, man alive. I would love to enjoy her being little just a little bit longer. I find that I can never seem to get enough.

As she is beginning her last year of elementary school....I sit and look at her and wonder where on earth the time has gone. It seems like it was just yesterday that we were taking her for her first day of Kindergarten and I was a pregnant hormonal mess in addition to the normal first day of Kinder emotions Moms go through.

As much as she said she was dreading the first day of school, she was also excited. Really the only thing she was dreading was having to get up early. She was excited to start fifth grade and be the "Big Girl On Campus".

Last night she picked out her outfit (we forgot to look at the specials schedule to see if she had PE or not so we went with a PE appropriate outfit just in case). And then when BB and I went to tuck her in when we went to bed, I snapped a picture of her sleeping.

And off she went. You'll notice there are no pictures of her at the school, walking in on the first day. No picture of her with her teacher on the first day (especially since I didn't get one at MTT). You wanna know why there are no pictures like that (like we have had every other year of elementary school), it because she in SAFETY PATROL...on the first day! Talk about one majorly disappointed Momma. So these are the pictures I got to take of my Big Girl as she headed off for her first day of Fifth grade. I am so proud of her for doing Safety Patrol...she has been waiting for this privilege for a very long time!

I had a certain Little Sister at home with me who was very sad. She was sad that her most favorite person in the world was going to be gone for an entire day. She loved spending the summer with Ashton and was really sad to see it end. She was also bummed because everyone else she knows was starting school today too...everyone but her. She really thought she should be going to Kindergarten this year rather than Pre-K. It's rough be the little one sometimes.

So to make her feel better, she and I had a special day planned to distract her from missing her Big Sis. We went to the dance store to get her some new shoes for her class that starts tomorrow and we went to lunch at the Purple Cow. She earned another certificate from swimming lessons so we celebrated her accomplishment.

Landry and I counted down the minutes until it was time to pick up Sisser. Landry squealed with delight as she saw Ashton walk up to the car. We couldn't wait to here all about her day.

Since we didn't get any pictures this morning before she left we snapped some when she got home. I couldn't drop the ball completely and not have ANY picture to document her first day of fifth grade!

These pictures make me laugh! She was telling us all about fifth grade. She told us we weren't going to be ready for all the things that were going to happen this year. Boy does she know us or what?!

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I am adding this picture to this post because this was the outfit Ashton chose for her "First Day of School" outfit. She wasn't able to wear it because she had PE, just like she has had on every single first day of school she has ever had in elementary.

We are so incredibly proud of this girl...our FIFTH Grader! Here is to a great year Ashton Raley!!