When this week started and the "A Group" (the Tuesday/Thursday group) returned to school on Tuesday, I actually sat down and read through all of the information and watched the videos that Ella's school had provided. Tuesday afternoon, we packed up all of Ella's supplies and belongings (which was a lot because it included things like a laptop, text books, and a math kit on top of her regular school supplies) that she would need to take with her on Wednesday morning. We also picked out Ella's outfit and she laid it out on the floor. Needless to say, Ella was so excited! She didn't have a single nervous bone in her body. I tucked her into bed on Tuesday night with all sorts of well wishes for a good night's sleep before her big day the next morning.
And then the storm came in. Yes, that's right. A massive rain and wind storm blew in on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, knocking out our power and internet around midnight. Although we woke up to power on Wednesday morning, school was cancelled due to how many houses and schools in our district were still without it. I just couldn't believe it. We had been waiting TEN MONTHS TO THE DAY since our kids' last day of school on March 13th for one of them to return to school, and when the day finally arrived, school was cancelled due to a storm. Oh, 2021. You certainly are not starting off on a good note.
So, with a heavy heart, I broke the sad news to Ella on Wednesday morning after she woke up. After a few minutes, she bounced back and all of us enjoyed a homeschool-free morning and took advantage of a sunny, yet cold, morning to go on a bike ride on the Orting bike path with some friends of ours. After completing another day of homeschool on Thursday, I tucked Ella into bed last night with the hopes that she would really get to return to school today...and she did. Ella woke up so excited again this morning. She was as cool as a cucumber which I just couldn't believe since she wouldn't have her brother or sister to be with her like she did every day last year. She was nothing but a bunch of smiles and enthusiasm as she got ready, ate breakfast, and headed out the door with me. After leaving Emmett home with Logan to watch him (since his online classes were cancelled last minute by his teacher which freed him up to watch Emmett which was a huge help to me), Ella and I drove to her school and parked along the side gate. Right after we parked, one of her good friends pulled up in front of us which was such a fun coincidence as the number of kids going to school right now is minimal compared to a "normal" year. We all walked the long route from the car to the back door where 1st graders are expected to enter. After a quick picture and a quick goodbye, Ella got a squirt of hand sanitizer and walked into the school completely unconcerned that she didn't know where her classroom is located! After I asked the P.E. teacher to please direct her to her classroom, Ella waved goodbye over her shoulder and headed off down the hallway to her class where her teacher and only five other students would be waiting. Ella is supposed to attend school twice a week on Wednesdays and Fridays for the next two weeks before returning to school four days a week (Tuesday through Friday) with her entire class of 13 students the week of January 26th. We shall see if this actually happens. If it does, it will be a miracle that will bless both Ella and me in numerous ways!
Ella taking her 1st day of school picture on our front porch with a Valentine's wreath hanging on the door behind her. How bizarre is that?
A close-up of the cutest, 1st grader around.
Ella giving me a smile after we got out of the car.
Ella posing with her friend, Elise, who pulled up right next to us on the side street.
Ella getting ready to enter the school through the back door designated for the 1st graders.
And, she's off! Ella walking into her school for the first time in ten months and two days! Who would have ever thought that it would be this long before she returned to school when it was first cancelled on March 13th.
Since today was scheduled to be a half day before the holiday weekend, Ella only got to go to school for four hours this week. Oh well, it's better than nothing. I thought about her all morning long and wondered how she was doing in her tiny class of six kids. I was also a little nervous about her riding our friend's bus home as she had two siblings and three friends from their family ride with her every day last year. After making sure that both she and her teacher knew which bus she was to catch, Emmett and I made sure to get to her bus stop about 15 minutes early as I did not want her to miss getting off at the right stop. When her bus pulled up, Ella said that she was glad that she had seen us as she had no idea that this was the correct stop. Ella jumped off and came running over to us smiling from ear to ear (behind her face mask). She apparently had had a wonderful day and enjoyed everything that they did. She was simply just so happy to be back in school. There are two girls in her class and she enjoyed making friends with one of them at recess and participating in all of the classroom activities. I can't even begin to explain how grateful I am to have Ella back in a classroom two days a week. She had been my most challenging and needy child of my three that I homeschool (simply due to her age and inability to read proficiently) and it is such a blessing to have her education taken care of two days a week by someone else who is trained to teacher 1st graders. Ella is also so grateful to be out of our house around some other children her age and NOT staring at a computer screen multiple hours a day.
Ella running across the street to us.
Ella posing next to Emmett after the bus pulled away. What a relief to have the first day done!
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