Jillian's First Day of Pre-K

Today was a bittersweet day.  Our last first day of Fielder Road ECC.  We have loved this school - such great teachers and friends.  

This year, Jillian will be a Bumble Bee and have Mrs. Cooner and Mrs. Tinkle.  We are so excited because Mrs. Cooner was a mom of one of Meredith's friends, so she already knows and loves our little girl!  What a blessing.  We are so excited to see what this year holds for Miss Jillian.

So, of course, we had to do the regular routine of before school pics.  One thing I am learning this year, is that as laid back as Jillian is, she can put up a fight at the least expected times.  So, during this photo shoot she decided she wanted to have nothing to do with the pictures, her dress, her shoes (those up-down/up-down ones that she was so excited about less than a month ago!), everything!  So, we started with this....

...tears and me so patiently pleading with her to cooperate and smile for the love! It is your first day and you look adorable, so SMILE!

I eventually had to separate myself from my sweet, sweet, little baby girl so that I did not totally lose my ever-loving mind.  I had to laugh and snap this because she was still obediently holding her sign as she balled her head off, even though I was no longer in view.

We had some conversations, possibly a bribe or two, and we finally got a smile.  Take notice of the folded, tear-stained sign.  So, no fooling that this was not the picture-perfect day you typically see.  But I love these pictures even more than those boring-old ones.  This goes down with the one in which she inadvertently flipped my the bird in her first day shots.  

Luckily, Jillian was all smiles when she got to her classroom with all of her friends and her sweet teachers!