Today is a day full of emotions over here in the #holmesfamilycircus! (Though we do tend to have lots of emotions on most days… but this one is something special!)

I can’t believe it’s here, but today is the day the girls are officially at the same school! Peanut is going into 1st grade (how in the WORLD did that happen already?!?!), and Pumpkin will be staring Pre-K 3. They are both SO excited to start, and I can’t tell you how thrilled Pumpkin is to finally be at “the big kid school”!

I’ll be honest… they are mostly feeling excitement (though Pumpkin may be also feeling tired… she didn’t go to bed until about 9pm and we were up bright & early today!). Me on the other hand? I thought I’d be the most excited of the bunch. And while I am excited that they’ll be at the same school, that they are happy to be starting school again, and that the fights that all the closeness that summertime brings are about to slow down in frequency… a part of me is really sad.

Honestly, friend. I didn’t expect that part. I think that maybe the big-dream chasing business side of me took over & I’ve just been so ready to have some time during the daylight hours (that isn’t just the nap that sometimes happens) to get my work done. I’ve been excited to have time to set up coffee dates with other creatives & to schedule indoor brand or newborn sessions without having to first ask someone else if their schedule is free to watch the girls. I’ve been excited to have more of a normal work day schedule so that I can just hang out with Max once the girls are in bed.

All that excitement? It helped me to not face the fact that this day means my girls are growing. It means that other than summers and spring breaks and Christmas breaks, I don’t have extended periods of time with them. And today? I’m facing it. And it’s hard on this mama’s heart!!!

So while I am excited, it’s definitely a bittersweet day as I say goodbye to a chapter of our family’s life. But that goodbye also means a hello to a new chapter. And my prayer is that this new chapter will be as sweet and challenging and satisfying and formative as the last one was.

To all the other mamas out there smiling through their tears today trying to figure out what in the world to call this emotion we’re feeling… I’m with you! When you’re done processing all this & are ready for a coffee date – you know where to find me!

And to my Peanut & my Pumpkin – I can’t wait to see all the wonderful things you’ll do & the ways you’ll learn & grow this year! I love you to Pluto & back!