First day of the next 17 years...

Ella started Kindergarten at Bethany Learning Center today. She has been just a wee bit excited for this day, continually asking how many more days until she started school...

So we loaded her down like a little pack mule, with a ginormous backpack and her own little sack lunch...

And marched out to the car...

Dad's car, actually. Her school is right down the street from my office, so she gets to ride in with me every morning. Which means I actually have to get to work on time now, instead of rolling in there whenever I manage to drag myself out of bed...

And then the moment we had all been anticipating... the dropoff at her classroom. I thought there might be tears, sobs, emotional goodbyes, runny noses. But nope, it all went smoothly.

And Ella did just fine too... ;)

Ella even smiled for a picture with her teacher Mrs. M...

Paige and the boys tagged along the first day as well (in pipes the peanut gallery, reading over my shoulder as I type... "What do you mean I tagged along? I'm her mother! I wouldn't miss it for anything!) Ella kept explaining to Levi and Noah that someday they would go to this big kid school too. Even Luke got into the action, trying out a seat at one of the tables...

Ella had a big grin when I got home today, and even told me about what she did in school today. She asked me when she could go to zookeeper school (her latest "what I am going to be when I grow up.") I told her maybe when she was 18. "Eighteen!" she wailed. "Don't they have a zookeeper school for kids?"

One day down, only 17 more years to go...