We had a nice day today

Mommy took Jack to school; it was Friday, so Kate stays home with Daddy. And since Daddy's work is largely a Sunday through Thursday schedule, I don't always have to work so much.

We went to the grocery store to get fruit salad for Kate's Halloween parade at preschool (she doesn't go Friday, but she can come in for the parade) and dinner things. We got the pricing scanner, which she and Jack both love, and she scanned the items one by one. After each one, she said "I DID it!" And then, "I did it AGAIN! I did THREE!"

Back at home, we got her into the Supergirl costume. She posed and stuck a fist in the air and put her hands on her hips. She was into it. We drove to her school, she was happy all the way up to her classroom, walked in, saw the other kids in costumes, froze, and buried her face in my leg. First just saw shy, but then tears when I tried to talk her off the ledge. I won't go on too much about it, but it was bad. At one point all of her friends came over and circled around us. What's wrong, Kate? Kate? I said, well, I guess she's a little shy now. Them: Kate's NEVER shy!

Finally I got her to walk with me in the parade of kids. We lined up with her class. She held my hand and buried her face in her other wrist. Then, Mackenzie showed up in a dragon costume. This might be a boy she likes. She started to come out of her shell (almost literally). She talked to him. Then suddenly, the meltdown was over, and she was walking along, chattering away about her costume. "Maya, what are you? Oh, that's great! Mr. Brendan, what are you being? Oh, that's great! This is my Daddy...."

After the parade, and lunch in the classroom, we went to the party store to get a Halloween wig. Kate turned a few heads, still dressed as Supergirl. Lots of Aws and so cute! and so forth. Kate was kind of oblivious, fascinated as always by all the decorations and toys.

At home, Kate said, "can we do a project?" I don't do many projects with her, so I said sure. We dumped out her big art jar making a horrific mess, and she wanted to make a bird. So using glue and pompoms and pipe cleaners and googly eyes, we made a bird. It's the best things we've ever made together.

We got Jack at school, brought him to clay class, came home after that, made dinner, sent Jack and Mommy off to his Halloween dance. Then she drew pictures in the kitchen while I cleaned up, and we played music. The House of Pain song "Jump Around" came on, and we danced and jumped around. Kate hadn't heard the song before, and probably shouldn't again any time soon, but she laughed and jumped.

I read her stories before bed. As I was putting her to sleep she said, "We had a nice day today." It was half question, half statement, I think. I said yeah, we had a nice day. I kissed her goodnight and she went right to sleep.