Thankful for a Kindergarten Field Trip

It has been a really stressful month. My workload has been intense. The whole looking for a new house and trying to sell our house thing has been less than fun. I ordered two Mario costumes instead of one Mario and one Luigi. I fell down the steps trying to carry a Little Tikes fire truck down to the playroom, simultaneously stubbing my toe and bruising both knees.

In short: I’ve been a mess.

But today I got to go on the Kindergarten field trip with BigBrother to a pumpkin patch north of our city. These are the moments that I treasure. I have worked hard to land where I am career wise so that I can take a morning off and go on a field trip.

I am just so thankful this afternoon. I’m even thankful that I got to experience:

• A 40 minute bus ride in a really, really warm bus;
• Forgetting my memory card at home, feeling stupid and being forced to take all photos with my iPhone;
• Hot dogs;
• 64+ five and six year olds and the volume they create;
• Wind that made the attempt I took on doing my hair today completely moot;
• Porta potties!
• Another 40 minute bus ride (I get motion sick, by the way).

I say all of that tongue in cheek, but it was really a great day for so many reasons. I watched my son ask another helper for mustard while all the other kids asked for ketchup — and my heart kind of warmed and grew three sizes and I thought, “Ah, he’s such a part of our family.” I watched him giggle with his friends. I also watched almost every single girl in his class yell his name and fawn over him — which is interesting.

While we were hunting for the perfect pumpkin, we came across a butterfly. He yelled, “A monarch butterfly!” and ran off after it. When it landed, he said, “Mommy, will you take a picture of it since I didn’t think to bring my camera?”

And I did.

He asked to use my phone to take a picture of me when we got back on the wagon. I melted and handed it right over.

He looked at it, pondered for a moment and said, “Mommy, this photo would look better in black and white? Can you do that?” I melted some more and told him I would edit it. I swear, he’s such a photographer.

And we sat together on the bus on the way home, sharing a secret snack, a few giggles and just time together.

This was the most one-on-one time I’ve had with BigBrother since he started Kindergarten, and I cherished the snot out of it.

Today was a beautiful — and loud — day with my oldest son. I am thankful for the opportunity to tag along and experience something special with him. And I’m just so thankful for him. He’s really kinda awesome.