Abigail started school on Monday.  Her last year of preschool; my last year of  preschool  She is so excited; I am not so excited.  I can not believe that in just a few short months, she will no longer be attending the preschool that has been so much a part of our lives for the last five years.  Five years?  That’s half of a decade!  Abigail was only a year old when we switched Gracie there.  Gracie went for almost two years and Abigail will have been a student for four years when she “graduates” in May. 

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve found myself wishing I could turn back time or at least stall it.  These preschool days have been magical and I know that each year that passes, the girls get more and more independent.  What will our lives look like five years from now when we have have a 7th grader and a 4th grader?  I know the magic will still be there, but I also know the magic will be different.  Will they still enjoy “crafting” with me?  Maybe.  Will I still be the most exciting person they know?  Probably not.  I do know that I will try my best to enjoy this last year of preschool, both for Abigail and for me.

The interesting thing, at least for me, about having two children, especially when they’re more than two years apart is this:  Everything they do is the first time and the last time.  And both the first and the last are wrought with emotion.  I cried when Gracie started kindergarten because it was the first time one of my babies started school  And, I’ll cry when Abigail starts because it will be the last time one of my girls will start school.  And I guess that’s appropriate because everything I am as a parent is tied up in the two of them – they are both the beginning and the end, the start and the finish.

Abigail is so excited for this year.  She feels like a “big girl”.  And, in fact, she is a big girl.  She’s no longer a baby or a toddler.  Soon, before I blink it seems, she won’t be a preschooler.  But for now, we’re both going to enjoy classrooms filled with glues sticks and markers, baby dolls, and dress up clothes.  She may learn to read and write her name this year, but I’m sure that what she’ll remember most from her last year of preschool is the time she spent playing with her friends.  Here’s to a wonderful year!