I love getting to hang out with Ethan and do "bro" things. That's a good thing too because the two of us are together pretty much every day. Between all of the rounds of 'Candy Land' we play, the books we read, the Matchbox car race, and the wrestling matches we have with each other, our days are pretty full.
That being said, there are definitely times that I miss being around Ellie and find myself pining for some of her attention. It probably doesn't help that at nights before bed, she primarily wants time with Bethany. That's ok though. The two of them definitely have a special bond. However, it's no shocker that I find myself occasionally missing those times that it was just Ellie and I, day in and day out. Lucky for me though, Ellie feels the same way and makes certain to carve out special things for the two of us to do together. One of those things recently happened when Ellie asked me to escort her to the Fox Hill Hoedown which took place on Friday.
The Fox Hill Hoedown was actually Ellie's first-ever school dance. Understandable when one remembers that her Kindergarten year mostly took place behind masks. Ellie had actually spent several days leading up to the dance picking out the perfect "country" outfit for the occasion before settling on a pair of black leggings, a gray-floral print dress, her cowboy boots, and a jean jacket. I told her that she could dress me in whatever fit the Hoedown theme. Therefore, she picked me out a pair of jeans and a red flannel shirt. I went ahead and added an old cowboy hat I have for pool days just to further fit the theme.
6:00 finally rolled around and it was time for us to head to Fox Hill Elementary for the Hoedown. After parking the car, we headed inside and worked our way down to the gym. Almost immediately, I noticed that most parents were sitting on the sides of the gym while letting their kids do their own thing. Ever the thoughtful parent, I asked Ellie if she wanted to find some of her friends to hang out with or if she wanted to be with me. Ellie resounded emphatically that she wanted to hang out with me. With that, the two of us found a place on the gym floor and started dancing the night away.
Every so often, we would have to leave the dance floor behind as the DJ would occasionally play songs meant for one specific grades. However, that gave us plenty of time to do fun things like check out the photo booth or the merch table where we got a light-up ring shaped like a rose for Ellie to enjoy. As the night went on, Ellie collected multiple pieces of glowing apparel from various friends who decided to share with her.
I'm aware that Ellie probably won't always want me to accompany her to a school dance. However, I'm really happy that we got to have such a fun evening dancing and singing together. It certainly is a cool memory. It's also one that I'll proudly hold over her head someday when she emphatically tells me how embarrassing I am and that she'd never want to be seen in public with me like that.
