Can I get a HALLELUJAH?!!!?

Oh my.  My sweet little Emmy, who I just birthed I don't know, a few minutes ago, is off to preschool!  Holy smokes, how time flies by.  We have been anxiously awaiting this moment for a while now.  Ever since I started researching every preschool in the greater Cincinnati area like a maniac.  I am nothing if not properly informed.  And I don't mean anxiously in the can't wait to unload her crazy on someone else for a while kind of way.  Well, maybe every once a while.  More in the TERRIFIED OH SWEET LORD LET THIS GO REASONABLY WELL AND LET NOBODY COME AWAY EMOTIONALLY SCARRED FOR LIFE kind of way.  As you may know, our Big E is on the shy side.  And I have certainly not excelled in getting her properly socialized.  We did try a tumbling class earlier in the summer as a sort of litmus test to see how things might go at school.  Yikes.  Needless to say, I did not have high hopes of making it through the day with my sanity intact.  But my big girl is always full of surprises.

We all excitedly got ready together, trying to leave as much time as possible in case of various emergencies/melt downs.  She got all fancied up like a champ.  I'm kind of obsessed with this outfit.  I want one.

Backpack on and ready to go baby!  Because I'm a cynic, I was half afraid to look directly at the smile for fear it would immediately turn to tears of refusal, or burn my retinas like an eclipse you're only supposed to look at through that tiny hole poked through the middle of a paper plate. 

Out the door and still rockin'.  It's important to get your dance on before any major events.  It gets the nervous out.  And hey, it just looks good.

Are you loving that backpack?  So awesome.  It lets Googa go to school with her.  Googa makes everything better.  Googa's my hero.

And one more time, break it down!

She looks like such a big girl in this photo.  It's hard to take it all in.

I know you think this has been a lot of pictures.  If only you knew how many I narrowed it down from.  Appreciate.

Ah, yes...that's the face I was expecting.  Still holding strong though.  Trying to say cheese, though clearly the nerves have hit.  Welcome to Herry's Helpers!  A classroom of 16, 4 year olds taught by Miss Eileen, a masters level teacher and grandmother, with an assist from Miss Judy.  They rock.   They are angels.
That's Emmy's classmate Carly in the background with the pink bow.  Her Mom always comes to school with a fresh blowout.   Does that make me not like her?  Only a tiny bit. 

I don't know why I didn't bring my camera for pick up.  Perhaps because I was scared she would greet me in tears under a table somewhere.  That's actually a true story the secretary told me about some other kid.  Yes, I called the secretary about an hour after drop off to have her go spy and report back on the battle conditions.  Why yes, thank you, that is a long time to hold out.  I thought so too.  Especially considering my favorite Mom from class waited only 10 minutes before making her spy call. 
I held it together pretty well as I was pretty much ushered out of the classroom trying to get my goodbye hugs.  It's really better if you just go.  Miss Judy did the ushering.  Rosa spent the entire 2.5 hours asking where Emmy be?  where she go?  Emmy not here?  I want see Emmy!!!  So sweet, and a little heartbreaking.  Rosa has really appreciated the first ever alone time with Mama.  Her tantrums during our time together were non-existent.  Which is, well, quite a nice change of pace. 
Are you just dying to know how it went?  Well, the secretary reported back that she was attentively listening during "circle time" and there were no tears to be seen.  INSERT GREAT SIGH OF RELIEF.  When we picked her up she was all smiles and immediately ran out to the playground and had a race around the track with her classmate Christian, a giant almost-five-year old boy, who cheats when he runs, by the way.  For a moment I thought perhaps I have picked up the wrong child.  I have never seen her play with any kid outside of family.  CUE GOSPEL CHOIR.
As we drove home I asked her how school went.  Her reply:  School was so much fun, I want to go EVERY day!!!  Can I get an AMEN?