Bethany's First Day of Preschool!

I knew this day would come.
I even looked forward to it, knowing all the opportunities it would bestow upon Bethany's never-satisfied mind.
But I still couldn't believe it when I woke up one morning and started getting everyone ready to take her to her first day of preschool!
Maybe preschool isn't such a big deal as I am making it...in fact, plenty of kids go to "preschool" from the time they are old enough to be away from their moms for an extended period of time. But, since Bethany was a baby, I knew that when the day came for her to start school of any sort, it would be a serious thing. Because that little brain of hers hasn't taken a moment off since she was born. So, I've tried my hardest to keep it busy, to keep her happy, entertained, nurtured and stimulated for the past three years. But, especially with two others in tow, I had to just pray that I wasn't doing her any sort of injustice and that she would still thrive on what I was teaching her and what she was, naturally, learning from the world around her.
I had been thinking about and searching for a preschool for her for about a year before she started. I had some very specific ideas in mind about what would be a great fit for her. I liked the idea of something in a home since that would provide a nurturing atmosphere, a comfortable environment and a teacher that was more concerned about being loving than being professional. But, since it IS Bethany, I knew she also needed to be challenged and presented with new material to think and learn about. She needed to be introduced into the social aspect of school without it being an anxious experience for her. She needed teachers who she could look up to and feel comfortable with, who would build her confidence in the same way I strive to. She needed a place where there were just enough boundaries but limitless room for her imagination to run and her intellect to stretch and get all its wiggles out.
Then, I was blessed to get a recommendation from my sweet friend, Lindsay, for Evergreen Cottage Preschool. (Does it not just SOUND like a delicious place?) After speaking with her, I did some research and found that their philosophy and approach to aiding these little minds in their first academic endeavors matched up with mine in a phenomenal way. I contacted the school, keeping my fingers crossed they had room for her this year. And they did!
On September 2nd, we had a very excited little girl on our hands....

Beautiful Bethany, all ready for her first day!

James hugs her goodbye at the door (though he was coming with me to drop her off, of course.)

We drove up to the cutest little house in a historical district in Mesa. A residential neighborhood, but this house is used strictly for the preschool.

A little "Welcome" sign in a patch of sunflowers

Bethany, begging me to stop taking pictures so we can hurry and get inside!
She felt right at home, right away. She ran around the room, looking at all the things it had to offer. It was glorious...colors everywhere, toys strategically placed, bins full of interesting objects and sweet, friendly teachers who seemed about as excited as we were! Here she is, playing with a little school bus as the boys and I left her to her first day...

She has been going two days a week for two weeks now and she is loving it more every time. There has not been a hint of separation anxiety or hesitancy. She is excited to be learning, meeting friends and having new experiences. I am so happy with the experience she is having! And we are so proud of her.

(Now if I could only get James to give up throwing fits every time we drop her off and pick her up because he wants to go too! Just another year, James, just one more year!)