the new world

This week, there was a seismic shift in our family life: Sadie started school. Sure, it's only Junior Kindergarten, but it's still school. And as long as we live in this house, this is the school she will be attending. So, as I walked away from leaving her there on the first day, all I could think about was how she would grow up in that building, and that we wouldn't be there to see any of it. Oh - and I also thought really, really hard about not crying.

In a few short weeks she will be 4. She understands everything I say and her logic astounds me. Like every parent before me, I think her drawing is frameworthy. Case in point, during this profound week she drew a family portrait. Basically all the sizes are accurate, as is the amount of hair we each have, but the most important detail is the glasses she drew on Jay. Glasses! Oh, and that would be a pear shape for me. Of course.

I'll say it each and every year that I don't know how Sadie got to be so grown up. The baby cheeks are gone and the girl is breaking through. Long curls even cover the tell-tale backpack straps on this "first day of school" photo. It's been a seismic shift for sure, and all I can hope for is to keep my balance and a dry eye as we journey along.