Preschooler in the hiz-ouse!

Yay for preschool!

   Wow the time has come where I'm sending my first born off to school! I remember the first 3 days of his life vividly as if they occurred yesterday and now he's 3 years old and I have another little one on the way and due in just a few short weeks. **mind=boggled**.   

   Well believe it or not, I didn't shed a tear. I was and am, super excited for him to experience this next chapter in his life. I suppose if he was extremely shy and/or was scared to leave my side I might have handled things differently but if you know anything about Eli, being shy is not something he knows! He didn't hesitate one bit to jump right into friend making and toy exploring. He's nosey (like his momma) and an extrovert (like his daddy) so I feel other kiddos may be more overwhelmed with him than him with them. I realize kids can be down right cruel and that I can't control other parent's brats offspring so as a mother I'm focusing on teaching/guiding my child to be a leader, not a follower. I can't put him in a bubble but I can help build his confidence. I can't stop bullies but I can encourage my kid to stand up for other people. I have to just stay focused on the things I can do and let God handle the rest. Sigh. Easier said than done I know.

  

Stealing kisses while he's too young to protest.

  I almost didn't sign him up for preschool this fall because I was too lazy to fill out the stack of paperwork almost missed the deadline and luckily got my butt in gear and snagged the last slot for his age group. I heavily debated even doing it because of this new baby on its way but then got to thinking how nice it would be to have a nice 2 hour chunk of time in the mornings, 3 days a week to just have with Andrew or to squeeze in a nap while Eli is entertained and surrounded by friends...AND he'd come home for his OWN 2 hour nap after that for a total of 4hrs of "me time"! I started to get lightheaded from all the giddiness inside me! "Me time" again? I seriously heard angels singing!

  Then the reality sank in and my bubble of bliss deflated. Yes I'd get "me time" again, and yes Eli would be in a super awesome learning environment right down the street, BUT now he'll be among the other kids bringing home every germ known to man and I'd have a vulnerable newborn at home. Ugh. Right decision, or was I being selfish??? I sure hope Breastfeeding and the school's huge emphasize on hand washing will save us. So if you're the praying kind, put us on your list please and thank you.

He'll alway be my baby

     After his first day, I of course grilled him for details and laughed when he started with "well my ladies took my handprint and we made a craft project!" Ha ha ha ha. His "ladies" would be his 2 teachers. He seems to really like them and school in general so far after only 2 days of attendance so I'm excited.

  Anywho, did you notice his snazzy new backpack?? I'm super proud of this creation. I absolutely love his Planes movie backpack that we use for everything but when I got his supplies list required for school I realized it wouldn't fit a binder (come to find out, the binder was only needed the first day and his Planes one would have sufficed but I had already made this new one.) I followed a few different tutorials to get the look I wanted. This was the tutorial that got me started, but I didn't like the strap placement in the middle of the back of the bag so I changed that up and then just used my previous bag making experience to finish it. This bag tutorial was another excellent resource if you're interested in making one for the little person in your life.

Here are some more detailed pics:

I added a simple velcro closure to the front pocket

   Best part is it's fully lined! I loathe raw edges. For the lining you just repeat the same construction steps as the outside of the bag but instead of doing the zipper part again, you just fold over those edges and either sew over the outside zipper stitches or hand sew in place. I chose to hand sew it so that it would look more finished. I lucked out having all the supplies on hand including the little plastic adjustable strap pieces! (shhhh, don't tell my hubby but he had a bag that they were a part of that I swear were on there just for decorative purposes so I seam-ripped those puppies off and stole them. You'd never notice they were gone so don't tell him!) Thrifty thrifty sir.

    I get a stupid grin on my face every time I see him wearing it. I just love that kid. Here's to a successful first year of school bud! Mmmmmuah!

-Linds