Bus Racing

This photo clearly wasn't taken today. (Oh, I long for shorts/short sleeve shirt weather! Though we are having a beautiful winter. It's been wonderful).

Anyway, I just saw Andrew off on the bus, as I do each weekday afternoon.

And every day he does the same thing.

He goes down the hill to the "grassy line" in the sidewalk (by the big trees on the left in the photo behind him).
Whoever sees the bus first yells, "BUS!!!"
Andrew then turns to face me (I'm standing at the top of the hill) and watches over his shoulder for the bus.
As it reaches him I yell, "RUN!!!"

And then he starts running as fast as he can up the hill racing the bus to the stop.
The bus driver is SO sweet (we had the grumpiest one last year and this year we have the nicest!) ~ she slows down and lets Andrew beat her. The little kids all have their faces to the window watching this daily tradition and they are all smiling. It's so cute.

Andrew makes it to me ~ always with a big smile on his face and the bus driver opens her door and says, "Andrew! You beat me AGAIN!" He'll turn to give me a hug and a kiss and then climbs on to the bus.

Today, I watched him climb on board and watched a little boy in the back and as Andrew made his way down the aisle the little boy waved him in to sit next to him. Doesn't every mother love to see that? A welcoming friend....

Today, Andrew sat down and looked back out at me as he always does, and I blew him a kiss, as I always do. And today, he blew me a little kiss and then I saw his eyes quickly glance to his friend to see if he notice or reacted to Andrew's kiss....(he didn't).

Then the bus pulled away, and even though my little man is starting to notice what others think he still popped his head up over the back of the seat so that he could watch me as long as he could, as he pulled away, off to start his day at school.

I came inside to record the memory, and I still haven't stopped smiling.