School started for three of the four of us

 School started. Me, Eloise, and Conley. With Conley being apart from me six hours a day, a few things happen that are even more meaningful than they might be if I were with him all day:

• He wants me to snuggle with him at night. When I do, he sits up as I crawl up his loft bed ladder and waits for me with his arms outstretched. He wraps his arms around my neck and holds me so close.
• When we read a funny book or watch a funny movie and something just strikes him as funny, he giggles as though you just tickled him in the ribs. It's so cute. It just bubbles out of him like he can't control it. I love it so much. His face, which is usually somewhat serious, just look so happy and his smile is so big.
• Most recently, we were reading a Little Critter joke book. Darn. I just looked for it around the house so that I could type in the one that made him laugh. I think it was a pun. It was so cute, because he'd been pretty even-tempered at all the jokes, until that one. And then he just lost it in giggles.
• I walk him to school and home every day, and I love it so much. I walk him all the way to the gate and watch him walk down the walkway between buildings and then enter the doors. Sometimes, he holds the doors open for other kids. He always kisses me and hugs me before he goes in there, and when he comes back out.
• He's not crazy about school. (I went and did library time and then a story with his class yesterday, and I can understand why. It's just so chaotic; and much of the time doesn't seem purposeful or well spent.) Often, his sour for the day is "school," and his sweet is "coming home from school." He feels like school is too long. I agree; I wish there were other options.
• When I (and Eloise) read a book to his classroom, all the kids were sitting on a rug in the middle of the room. I told Eloise she could go sit by him. She did, and he put his arm around her for a bit. And then he scratched her back. Just kills me.
• Tonight at an Isotopes game, we noticed how one of the runners was super fast. He said, "Speaking of fast, that reminds me. I need to get in shape!" I laughed and asked him what for. He said, "For running!" Just running in general, not for t-ball or anything in specific. 
• He told me in the car yesterday (and believe me, I was hanging on his every word) that he's been passing notes back and forth with a (super sweet and adorable!) girl named Kahli. I said, "Oh! How exciting. What does the note say?" (Because he doesn't write much, and I'm not sure how much he can write, to be honest, because he doesn't really like it, so I don't force him to do it.) He said, "It says 'XOXOXO.'" He was kind of laughing too, and I couldn't hide my delight at the conversation and was laughing too. I said, "What makes you want to write that?" after he'd told me that he know what it meant, from stuff he'd seen me write. He said, "I don't know, I just wanted to." It was so funny and cute. And appropriate, like the situation: a cute, sweet girl in his class; they're assigned to sit next to each other; he feels like the natural next step is to write her a hugs and kisses note. I'm laughing. Gosh, he's cute.