The first week of in-person learning is finished and we are embarking on another week of at-home learning….followed by a week in school, then another week out, etc. Eli woke up Tuesday morning slightly excited to go back to school, but with some reservations. Got his lunch all packed – chicken nuggets in his thermos to stay warm (yes, I had him practice opening it at breakfast! Ha!), bag of chips, animal cookies, water bottle, and of course a sweet little note from Mama 🙂 We hopped in the car and as we were pulling out of the driveway, Eli says, “Hey Mama, remember that time I was so scared in preschool and you brought me back home?” I actually did remember this, but played it cool, “No, I don’t remember that.” Eli, “Yea, I was really scared and didn’t want to stay and you brought me back home.” How can this kid not remember where he puts his glasses every day but remembers this incident from 4 years ago?! “Oh, yea I do remember that a little bit, but that was when you were a super little guy and just starting preschool. Good thing you’re 7 years old now and know the school you are going to.” Eli, “Hmmm, yea I guess I was little…” Silence the rest of the way to school. We pull into the parking lot, say a little prayer, and I walk him up to the front door. We are 2 feet away from the door when Eli puts his brakes on. I’m now pushing his back like a stubborn donkey! I told the teacher standing at the door that Eli might need a little help getting to his classroom, give my buddy a kiss and hug, and give him a “gentle” shove the rest of the way in the door. Then, I walked back to my car and teared up. *sigh*

Back at home, Ava is positively radiating with excitement at having a “girls only” day! Haha! She has everything planned – yoga in the basement, Kohl’s, Hobby Lobby, snuggling on the couch, reading her Sophie book, and icing the bus cake and pouring sprinkles on it. I glance at the basket of laundry I was going to do and pile of dishes, then quickly decide to go with Ava’s version of the day 🙂 We made it through everything except Hobby Lobby, so we’ll save that for tomorrow!

Ava and I picked a smiling Eli up from school and he declared it a boring but good day 🙂 Woohoo! 1 day down….hopefully a lot more AT school to go!