And thus emerges the butterfly

This morning I snapped the obligatory first day of school pics to document the now 9th grader's return to school in the UK. Back into the uniform. Back on the bus. Back to attending classes with kids from all over the globe. 

I rifled through the picture vault and rustled up pics from the first day of school when the younger daughter was in 5th and 6th grades. She threatened to kill me if I posted them on social media. 

I think it's telling that I had trouble posting the younger daughter's 9th grade pics from this morning because it kept tagging her as her older sister, the college junior.

It seems she is looking more like her older sister these days, coming into her own and moving out of that awkward stage. With a six year age gap, they've finally reached the point where they can wear each other's clothes. Not that it's really helpful or possible with the coed in Texas and the high schooler in England, but there are always school breaks and summers. 

Best wishes for a wonderful start to an outstanding high school career. This is it for me, the baby of the two beginning her last four years in the nest. I'm praying for academic success, solid friendships, fulfilling her potential, and a teenage bedroom that doesn't look as if a bomb exploded in there.