Avery's First Day and The Baking Center

Sorry for the randomness but I am highlighting two unrelated topics in this post. You know I can't just sit around and blog all day long!! Anyway one of my favorite parts of my new kitchen is this area. The realtor called it the "appliance garage". We call it the baking center. Everything I need to bake is right there and then when I am done I can close it all! Love it!! And then we have this exciting day. Avery started Preschool! Most of you know that I am not really into sending the girls to preschool except for the year before school starts. Not because I think there is anything wrong with it but because I didn't see much of a need for it. We do tons of social stuff, story-time, crafts, etc. And plus it costs money! Always the bargain shopper I am it was hard for me to justify. Well last year Scott and I started talking about having Avery start preschool for a variety of reasons. She is sooo introverted that she was constantly clinging to me during every social situation. This gets very wearing. She also is a very determined and persistent little girl which leads to lots of crying and fit-throwing during this toddler stage. Also very wearing!

So after talking to lots of people who know her well we decided this would be a good thing for her. I felt horribly guilty considering she's not even 3 (although she will be in 17 days) but my friend Kate gave me a good perspective. She said since she has a September Birthday she will be home a year longer before going to college than most children so therefore really we get extra time with her not less! Thanks Kate!!

I dropped her off this morning. She is going to a little preschool that a neighbor runs out of her home. Only 5 kids total so it is a perfect set up for her. And the teacher is really well trained. She has her masters in Early Childhood Psychology and Development or something like that. And the things she does with the kids are amazing. She puts a lot of work into it. I was so nervous to drop Avery off but she did great. She was very, very quiet and sucked her thumb- that's the only picture I could get but the teacher said she did well. She said she talked when she spoke to her and did all of the activities. And she was impressed with her fine-motor skills and sorting abilities. That's our little detail-oriented girl for sure! I feel really good about this for her and she has talked about it all day and seems to love having her own big-girl thing to do! Next week Karis starts at a different school and then I will be a free woman from 9-11:30 each Tuesday and Thursday!!

She was so excited to pack her Dora back pack. And here is why she needs preschool- a very shy child indeed.