Marie and Henry started (half-day) kindergarten this week…I’m still in shock. They are on the fresh side of five and have literally been by my side for five years straight – this is a huge new chapter for all of us. It’s the end of an era, which is hard to accept, and hurts my heart a bit…I think any mama can relate to that. In order to help us all prepare for the transition, we commemorated the occasion with a photo shoot the day before school started. I set my sights on a bus lot near our home: no gate, no “keep away” signage…it was begging to be featured on a blog! For the record, the doors were open: we didn’t touch or enter one (that’s unlawful). Ironically, the kids will be car riders this year, but their fascination with buses and willingness to humor me made for some pretty great photo opportunities. Not to mention, a certain little lady had her very first haircut, and it was a major one! A photo shoot was practically (hashtag) obligatory.

So…we went short with Marie’s hair. I know, collective gasp and shriek – she had, and still has – gorgeous hair. However, her beauty is not defined by her hair, and too often it’s what was focused on – by strangers, by family, by us. In addition, it was overpowering her little frame, having reached her bottom…and the tangles, tears, and maintenance had become too much for us all. We talked about doing it for two (!) years but couldn’t pull the trigger – we just didn’t want to say goodbye to her baby curls. It was her who finally made the call, and after showing her some Pinterest images of girl hairstyles, she agreed on the cut. We also had a lot of fun selecting backpacks together! If you’re not familiar with State Bags…for every bag purchased, they hand-deliver a backpack (filled with supplies) to an American child in need. This post is not sponsored, we just love both their products and their mission. So here’s to the school years…let the games begin!

outfit details: state bags backpacks | native shoes (her + him) | marie’s shirt + pants