Daycare

This is our second school year in Michigan and it has gotten tougher on all of us.  Gina is working full-time again at a great school, but she is away from home far more than she likes to be.  My classes actually are a little easier, but Eli is still finding himself in daycare more than last year.  His daycare is fantastic (Morningstar)....they really take good care of him and keep a low kid to teach ratio.  But we still feel horrible sending him there all day.  I hope that can change next year.

His teachers are Miss Audrey, Miss Jenny, Miss Stacey and Miss Chris.  He talks about all of them profusely when he gets home.  He also talks about his frends: Parker, Caleb, Vincent, Nathan, Lola.  And he tells me about all of the fun they have in the tot lot (their playground).

The best part of my day is when I go to pick him up.  Typcially, I walk into the daycare center and no one's there; they're all outside in the tot lot.  I try to get out there as inconspicuously as possible and watch Eli playing for a few minutes.  He usually is on a toy car and likes to ride it over a small hill they have set up for the toddlers.  The other day I went and he was running around the lot with a mass of other kids.  After about two minutes he saw me and his reaction was enough to bring a smile to any Dad's face. His eyes got real big, he was smiling from ear to ear and he took off and ran with all his might, Spiderman sneakers lighting up the whole way over to the fence where I was standing with his arms outstretched towards me the whole time.  As he got closer I could hear him saying "coming, coming!" which is his way of asking me to pick him up.  As soon as I pick him up he waves to everyone and says bye.  It doesn't get any better than that.