Day off

Today the kids were off. I had to work. There were ups and downs.

In the morning, while I worked, they played a game called wanderers. They put together backpacks and filled them with play food, books, blankets, and sleeping toys. Then they spread everything out and ate, read, and slept. We might call it camping without the tent.

We went to Burger King for lunch. They looked around for the toys they would get, which weren't on display. We got our food, relaxed in a booth, ate. The burgers are better than McDonalds, the fries aren't as good. They ate everything, and we heard We Are Young on the way home.

We played in the backyard. They briefly climbed into the treehouse to play with the BK toys, then Jack and I played football. We have been working on our timing on pass routes - shed, bush, swing set, tree. I think that in a movie, one day we would need these skills to defuse a bomb or something. "Jack, shed!" I would say, and he would run the correct route. Anyway. We have been practicing.

They drew colorful pumpkins on printouts Kate had brought home. They were similar and I am not sure who copied whom, or if it was just coincidence. Kate also drew a family of cats.

Jack and I watched an Avengers cartoon. To my surprise, he got out his ukulele and played it for the first time in months.

We went out for pizza.

Kate cut her thumb on something. Jack ran to tell me about it "gushing blood." There was a drop, yes. Emily told me at bedtime Kate lamented having not cut her other thumb instead, because the bandaged one is the one she sucks when she goes to sleep. Sad but also funny.

I wrote this blog, and went to bed.

Birthday girl

Putting Kate to bed last night, I said goodnight, my four-year-old daughter. She said, "daddy, I'm 5!" and I said, no, you will be, and this is the last night I can call you that.

She said, "tomorrow, you all need to hide and then jump out and say, Happy Birthday!"  and I said, well, maybe. She came downstairs before me, of course.

She had Fruit loops, cause it was her birthday. Went to school with ice pops for her class. I ran around getting balloons and presents. Picked her up, and she was happy.

At home she saw the balloons, a big 5 and a princess castle with 5 Disney princesses. And she loved it. Her eyes got wide and she pulled at the strings. And then she clobbered me at "playground" and "walk the Plank", a couple of board games she plays not entirely correctly.

We had pizza, opened her presents, she oohed and aahed. Loved her cards, delighted to get the princess and the pea game,mwhich I am sure she will crush me at tomorrow.

Highlight was her opening the card jack made for her. On the front was a carriage like Cinderella's .. "Is that for us going to the ball?" she asked Jack. Then she opened it up and saw the picture inside. "is that ME? As a princess? And is that YOU? You're a knight? jack, I LOVE it!" jack was pretty proud I think.

It was an awesome card. And a happy 5th birthday.

First week of school

Kids started school this week. Some stuff:

- Kate had her first day of school on Wednesday. We sat in the auditorium with her, just as we did with Jack two years ago, and then she got called to join Mrs. Glockenberg. She hugged Emily goodbye and walked off to join her teacher. Brief tension, afraid she would turn back, but she kept on. Emily said she saw her smiling.

- at pickup, she waved happily, smiled, hugged her teacher, ran to us. Happy.

- Jack, an old pro at this, was fine. But at pickup, he wanted to look for his friends, all of whom ended up in a different second grade class. He's funny, he speaks about it philosophically, saying he talked to them too much anyway. But then I see he wrote in his journal, "got Miss Bernstein. None of my friends in my class." And I know he is sad about it. So today we signed him up for soccer each Saturday morning. With all of his friends.

They did great in Week 1. Probably better than we did worrying about them.