Kindergarten Readiness Rally

On March 7th, Kenly and I had a mother-daughter date of sorts when we went to the Kindergarten Readiness Rally at the Blue Ridge Mall. It was a mixture of madness/mayhem and pure excitement. The main reason Kenly wanted to attend the rally was to get on the school bus. So, when we parked the car and headed to the entrance, Kenly spotted the bus and begged to go there first. Since I don't get to say YES as frequently as I would like to, I took the opportunity to say OF COURSE. So, our first stop to kindergarten readiness was a big, yellow school bus.  (I'm behind again, so none of these photos have been edited.)

Kenly hopped on the bus and headed straight for the back seat.  All the cool kids in the back of the bus.  We sat on the bus and talked about what it would be like if it were moving.  We talked about the bus rules, and then I had to convince her that there would be other cool things in the mall.

I can't get this picture to rotate for some strange reason.  It is  my favorite picture from the event because I think it captures her excitement perfectly.  So, do me a favor and tilt your head for me, okay?

We entered the mall and registered for the event.  Kenly was given a paper to collect stickers on as we completed activities.  The event was four times bigger than I imagined it would be.  She collected treasures, made art, and showed off her readiness skills.

We even stopped by to see her preschool teachers at the Creative Beginnings table.  She and Ms. Kim played a little game.

When it was all said and done, Kenly and I had a wonderful time exploring all the tables.  We stopped by the Mills River Elementary School table where she was able to plant a bean.  On the way home, she told me that she was a bit nervous to start school.  I explained that being nervous was a normal reaction to starting something new.  Kenly is going to have so much fun in school.  I know she's going to blow her teacher's mind next year.  I'm her Mama, and she shocks me with her brilliance on a regular basis.

I registered her for kindergarten the following Monday.  It was a bittersweet moment.  I know it needs to happy.  She needs school to challenge her all day.  Before Corah was born, I could challenge her for most of the day.  Now, I'm splitting time.  Corah is a daredevil, so most days I have to fight to keep her alive  This isn't a bad thing.  Kenly is learning so much in her new role as sister, but I can tell she's longing to be challenged.  My heart is so torn.  I want to keep her small, but I'm excited to see her fly.  I know she's ready.    

Oh...and to make the girl happy, we boarded the bus a second time before we headed home.