Where Did the Time Go?!?!

Where did the time go???

It seems like yesterday was the first day of school. 

How did September to June pass so quickly?

How is the year complete?

This mama is struggling with trying to figure out where the time went and how my baby is finished ...FINISHED...Kindergarten. 

I think this might be harder then wondering where the preschool years went...

...or even how she was turning five years old....

 because this last year she has just grown in so many ways. 

My baby headed off to school in September and now she is leaving as a little girl. 

(but she will ALWAYS be my baby girl)

She learned to read and write...addition and subtraction.

She learned about the solar system and holiday traditions. 

She lost her first tooth. 

Participated in her first Cheer showcase. 

Went to her first wedding. 

Q + U FOREVER

She participated in her first show. 

Arbor Day!!! 

And received her first "earned" school award. 

Which she gracefully walked across the stage and proudly displayed. 

 She completed her first year as a Daisy. 

Confidently walked the runway in a Career Day Fashion Show. 

She became so much more confident. 

She got taller too. 

I am so blessed to have been there for all of her milestones. So blessed to have been invited into class to share Chinese New Year traditions and celebrate parties and do crafts with the kids. 

I loved picking out spirit week attire and working on Star Student projects. I loved being one of her troops Daisy leaders and loved all that there was to celebrate. 

I couldn't think of a better place for Zoey to go to school then the PLC. 

I am so proud of how she has grown during her time there. 

I am so proud of her. 

She worked incredibly hard this year. Not just on the academics, which so far have come fairly easy to her, but on so many other things. She worked hard in Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy - for most of the year doing 5-6 hours a week of just therapies alone. She met her goals and physically has started to get stronger. 

She worked hard in speech as well. It is so hard to believe that just a few years ago we were working with early intervention because at almost three she had very limited verbal communication and now she uses her robust vocabulary words in everyday conversation. 

She overcame so many of her anxieties. She got on stage numerous times and enjoyed it. She learned to read her body and communicate to me that her heart was beating so fast but she liked it and wanted to keep trying it again. She learned to separate easily from me and really loved going to school - every . single . day. 

She has taught me so much this year. 

I worried so much about her from the moment she was born. 

I would stroke her tiny arm through the porthole of her incubator wondering what kind of road we were looking at. I worried about how being born premature would affect her. I worried about immunizations and why she needed to wear an Apnea monitor for 8 long months because sometimes she needed to be reminded to breathe. I worried about her anxiety and her speech and her allergies. I just worried. 

This year she taught me that she is going to be just fine. 

Better then fine. 

Its easy to be proud of the things that come easy to your children. 

Its easy for me to be proud that Zoey excels in math and that she is reading at a higher then expected level.  

Its so much harder to find beauty in the small successes but those surely are the most Beautiful successes. 

This year I found beauty in watching my daughter go to more birthday parties then I can count. 

I was one proud mama seeing her hold the invitations while asking if she could go to xyz's party.

I was proud because I remembered the time when my baby was too scared to 

go to a party with so many people.  

I found beauty is watching the excitement of my little girl happily get on the bus each morning because she was happy and excited to go to school. 

I was so proud that she wanted to try new activities because there was a time when she would have much rather spend her time in her safe place - her home. 

I found beauty in her enthusiasm to make new friends and have play dates. 

This year I am just incredibly proud for all that she has overcome and for all that she has grown. 

I am proud to have a daughter with such a kind heart. 

A daughter who tries her best to be caring and considerate. 

A daughter who has brought me more joy then I could have ever imagined.