Preschooler Eliot

Eliot is in HEAVEN!! He started preschool at the end of August, and it has been such a blessing ... for both of us! The timing was perfect -- I was at my breaking point with sleep deprivation, and Eliot was in definite need of more attention and opportunities to learn and play. So Miss Konni (a wonderful woman in our ward) & her amazing preschool have been just what we've needed! These are pictures of Eliot on his first day of school. His little bag is one that Miss Konni made for him. She makes a different patterned bag for each child and puts their name on it. Adorable.

Eliot is a little sponge soaking up all the new things he's learning. He loves spotting sight words, he gets so excited for Show & Tell, and he sings us all kinds of silly songs about pickle trees and three little witches flying over haystacks and ditches. Because he's stubborn like his mama, he gets very easily frustrated about how to properly hold his crayon and pencil (and being a lefty has made it all the more frustrating) ... but he's learning. He loves using scissors and glue. He loves getting to play outside, even if he struggles with waiting for his turn to swing or hit the T-ball.

I just can't believe how much he has grown, and I've been surprised by how much this little experience tugs at my heartstrings. As much as we have both needed those 2 1/2 hours apart three days a week, the first few times I dropped him off, I got a little lump in my throat. And I don't know who was more nervous about his first field trip -- him, or me! It has been SO good for him, and I honestly think his teacher is an angel. She loves him and is so patient and understanding of my "busy" boy (that's her term -- and I think it's just right).