Hooray – the last day of school! We were all excited for the day, and now as the kids sleep in, I am taking some time to reflect a bit.  But first, the pictures – here’s my daughter on the first day back in September, and the last day in June.

first and last days of school
My big girl, now finished with 4K!

I love the first day of school picture: she’s grinning ear to ear, with a big, hot pink sticker on her shirt with her name & teacher’s name, backpack on, and ready to go!

Compared with the last day, she’s a little less excited, not as eager nor fast at getting ready in the morning, no sticker to identify who she is & where she needs to be, and a fancy outfit (of course)! Her expression says, “Mom, I got this.”

I am so proud of this little lady for how much she has grown and learned this year. Friends and family have noticed her come out of her shell more, and share more of her sweet, caring, and silly personality.

To quote a line from an awesome blogger, Deborah from The Monster in the Closet, slightly modified from her quote about her son:

My child “is not walking away from me,
but toward who she is meant to be.”

These words so beautifully summarize how I feel as a parent right now.  While there’s a wistfulness, there’s also a lot of excitement and joy to see what lies ahead for us.