First Days of School ~ Getting personal

I was going through images today of the first (and second) days of school this year for the girls. I happened to look on my blog to see which ones of MJ I used from when she started Kindergarten. I actually happen to blog about her first day of Kindergarten on this very day, Sept. 3. I thought it would be fun to look back a little here and here. And here's one of the girls together that day. I love their expressions. Emma looks up to Mackenzie so much; it's really sweet. She was a little sad to see her big sis leave for school that day.

MJ's First Day of Kindergarten-2009

Fast forward to today...
It's fun to look back and see how much kids have grown and changed. This year our Little E started Kindergarten. Having another child hit that milestone is again bittersweet. I am excited for her and all the growing up she is doing. Her spunky personality continues to shine through. She's excited about her school year, just has M is excited about starting second grade.

On the first day of school, I dropped the girls off. We took photos in front of the school, as well as with their teachers. MJ wasn't nearly as excited about having me tag along for photos-she just didn't want to be late and miss meeting her friends before school.

At first I wished E didn't have her fingers in her mouth or that she wasn't twirling her hair in the above photo, then I realized that she won't do either of those things forever. It reminded me that even though she's getting bigger all the time, she's still a little girl. These are the details of childhood (while not perfect) are still part of who she is, and I want to embrace that too.

I also took more photos on the second day of school as this was the first day the girls rode the bus to school this year. The girls are loving school and I anticipate another great year for both of them. It's hard to believe school has already started again. The mornings are also starting to be a little crisp. Just a little hint that fall is definitely right around the corner. I'm not quite ready to say goodbye to summer, but each new season brings new adventures...and new memories.