7th Grader

While waiting for the bus this morning, wearing his vintage Southview High School jacket in the 54°F weather, Connor assured me, “There’s probably gonna be kids wearing shorts.”

Connor has eschewed shorts all summer, opting instead for joggers and jeans. Some of those pants have become high-waters over the past few months — the tiny hole he tore in the knee of one pair of athletic pants during skateboard camp back in late May has migrated at least an inch northward since.

He didn’t request any new clothes for the new school year, although I did buy him new shoes and a couple new pairs of jeans. Interesting how his style changes over the years… In elementary school, he always wanted to dress up for the first day of school, and that became what he was known for. Nowadays, he’s leaning toward graphic tees with gaming themes, topped with a dapper hat (although the hat will have to stay in his locker for the day).

Connor’s summer has been uneventful overall, so while he’s not exactly glad to be back at school, he’s looking forward to getting back to the usual routine.

Me, too, dude. Me, too.

Seven Years Later

In August 2017, when Connor was about to start first grade, he and I spent a few days in Dayton to visit my late grandparents and my BFF, Amy.

This past week, he and Aaron and I all spent a few days in Dayton to visit Amy. Of course, I took the opportunity to capture a then-and-now photo at JD’s Custard.

Footprints in the Snow

I had just flashed my usual I Love You 🤟🏻 to Connor as the school bus pulled away. When I turned to walk back up the driveway, our matching sets of footprints stood out to me in the morning snow. We wear the same size shoe now: his men’s size 8 tread-marks are on the left, and my women’s size 10 slide-prints are on the right.

This school year is the first that Connor has taken the bus in the mornings since Kindergarten, since the elementary bus pickup conflicted with my work schedule. During those elementary years, I drove him to school — either for Extended Time in the mornings before school, or directly to school on days when I worked from home. Those short drives to school were some of the best one-on-one times I’ve had with Connor, and I had mixed feelings about losing that time with him.

Luckily for me, he still likes having me wait with him for the bus — and not just because I have the iPhone app that shows where the bus is on her route.