i should have known it would take less than the first week for Ellis to come out of school beaming like this. here she is on her first day at pick up, and she informed me she only cried for "10 minutes" at the start of her first day.

i am so inspired by her spirit and her bravery! she is such an amazing person- and already proving to be the natural born (boss)- ahem- leader that she is. i ran into her teacher when i was out today who informed me that she had all the kids in class in front of her during recess and was asking who was 6, 7, and 8 years old respectively and requesting each age group "raise your hand" after each inquiry. when she was finished, she informed certain members of the gathering that they "may have to leave". i was laughing so hard but quickly followed with "please nip this in the bud for me!"... Mrs. S said, "we'll trim a little but it will serve her well in life". i agree but since this is a behavior we never see at home (cuz girl knows the parents are boss i guess), i worry about her intelligence and her keen ability to manipulate like a pro!

watch out people. she has a smile that will melt hearts and a mind that will rule the world. she did tell me tonight, out of the blue, that 9+9 makes 18 after all.