School Days

Last week I got the pleasure of attending J's school for "Muffins with Mom". They were celebrating Mother's day early due to busy times in school. The day included food, circle time, songs, and getting to know the other kids and moms.

J was very excited to share his day with me. And I must admit, I was rather curious to see how his interactions with the other kids go. He often fills us in on random portions of his day, with play by plays of who sat in timeout and what was served for snack. It's fun to hear about it all through a 3 year old's words. He loves to tell us the names of the kids in his class. It goes something like this: Connor, Mallory, Claudia, Kaylee, and....that other pink one. He has taken to calling people by the color of their shirts when he doesn't know/can't remember their name. Yes, I'm aware this could cause problems if someone is wearing the wrong color shirt. But for now, there's something just so....innocent about it. In his eyes people aren't different. And the only discernible way to tell them apart is shirt color. I hope he holds onto that innocence for as long as possible.

But I digress.

When I arrived at school, the kids were all playing in the large indoor playground right next door to his classroom. He didn't know I was in his class until he walked through that door. His eyes lit up and he ran to me with a huge smile on his face. "Mommy! You came. Mommy always comes back!"

The tables were set with apple juice and plates of muffins. The centerpieces were meant to look like flowers and were "made" by the children. We found ours and sat down.

It brings me such joy to see the art projects that J comes home with. I love that he has the chance to explore his creative side. And the thing I love most is that every day it's a surprise. I never know what I'm going to get when I open his backpack. For obvious reasons, this art project was extra special and I'll treasure it forever.

I was fortunate enough that Matt was working from home that day and graciously offered to keep O at home with him. I know he got zero work done while I was gone. In fact, O somehow turned the conference call off mute and screeched into the phone, causing a bit of embarrassment for Matt. But J and I were both exceptionally grateful for the one-on-one time. Time with just J is hard to come by lately and I know he craves that time just as much as I do. I love giving him my undivided attention and it was a real treat to spend an hour completely devoted to him.

When we got home, I told him he melts my heart. Yes mama, I do melt your heart.