First day of school down, and I have to say: both mom and mini didn't do half bad. Actually, if we're being honest, she did better than the former.

I carried her into her classroom, yes; and while she played shy for 15 seconds, as soon as her little pink sneaker hit that floor she was off. And she never looked back. There's something funny about having a child that is so different from you in certain regards- when I had my first day at that very same preschool some thirty years ago, I cried. A lot. And I looked for my mom endlessly. Likely for weeks. But we want our children to be better versions of ourselves;  so while someday I may struggle with how fiercely independent this little girl of ours is, yesterday I was utterly thankful for it. And proud, even though I know she didn't get an ounce of it from me.

And while there were no tears from our MM, this mama shed a few. And as expected, they were happy ones.

As a stay-at-home mom I've spent more time with this tiny human over the past two-plus years than I have with most other people I've known for much longer. She's been my buddy. My pal. A living, breathing extension of me. Always by my side.

And yesterday was one of those days that I was grateful for all the sleepless nights- the ones that I refused to take her from my tired arms. For early mornings that started before the sun came out- the ones that required a few extra cups of coffee. For every time I said no to a friend because I had a newborn, and then a toddler, to mind. Because yesterday, as I watched the little girl that was once my five-pound newborn become a student, I was reminded that time is a thief- and that the past two-plus years- the ones that were just her and I- have flown by in a beautiful instant. And while we can't change how quickly it all goes by, we surely can do all we can to savor every second- even on the hard days, the ones that need the extra caffeine.

And because this little girl of ours wanted muffins as an afternoon snack, we spent the rest of the afternoon in the kitchen whipping up these Apple Crisp Muffins {recipe found here}. Even though I catch a lot of heat for jumping into fall, I felt as though the first official day of school meant a festive apple-cinnamon treat was in order. Plus, I had all with ingredients I had on hand, which is always a plus. They were super easy, and hit the spot- perfect for an after school treat.