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Remembering the FIRST of many LAST days...

On May 21st we celebrated Samantha's FIRST last day of school... OK, well she didn't celebrate, more like I did!! I'm so excited to finally have her all to myself, and even more selfishly, I'm so glad to be able to sleep in this summer and not have to wake her up each day and take and pick her up from school. This is going to be a great summer!!

Can you believe my baby went from this... (first day of school photo)


... to this (the last day of school photo)!!!


It was quite an emotional day for Samantha that completely caught me off guard. Since day one she has been practically counting down the days 'til summer, but I just don't think she realized how well she had bonded to her teacher until the very last day of school. Sam loves Mrs. Haynie; I love Mrs. Haynie!

I debated blogging about this only because it's more of a reflection of the blubbering fool I've become since having kids. Tough on the outside, a complete mess on the inside...

So the day really was just like any other day. I went to her class room to pick her up (all the while Alice Cooper's song 'Schools Out' is blasting in my head) and as I arrive I see Sam and the teacher hugging and talking. As I look closer Sam is full of tears and just keeps hugging Mrs. Haynie while her little chin quivers. Once I saw that she was crying and completely taken back with sadness I just lost it. My eyes immediately swelled with tears and Sam came to me and started hugging me... now we're both crying and we look to her teacher and she starts crying. It really was some kind of chain reaction and for some reason once I saw Sam so emotional I began to feel every thing she was feeling - loss, sadness, emptiness, heartbreak and most of all confusion. I so often assume she is the tough one and that this all makes sense - I forget to pause and remind myself that she is only 6 and things like leaving your favorite teacher whom you have seen for 280 days straight won't make sense to you emotionally.

So, the tears and hugs and sadness continued on to the car, and in the car and at home laying on the couch. It was a rough day!! But the rough part was all the comments and concern reactions I got from friends who had heard about the Herrick girls crying fit in the middle of the school on the last day... that was humiliating!!

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