No worries...

Said with fingers-crossed, Riley is adjusting well to preschool. She has not cried once... unlike her sister... who cried almost every time I dropped her off when she was 3 AND 4 AND even 6...

I was enjoying a high-stakes game of Go, Fish! this morning with this charming preschooler... if you haven't spent time with a 3-year old lately, I highly encourage it.

The stakes were set with these parameters:

You win: I get to pay a horribly overpriced tuition and room/board package to the 4-year University of your choice.

I win: You agree to house me in a clean and well-respected Assisted Living Facility of my choice.

It's only fair... I tell her, her little doe-eyes drinking in all that I'm saying to her with trust and affection. And then she says: "Best 2 out of 3?"

What ARE they teaching them at preschool these days?

Circa 1987...

So - in about 10 days - we've been able to whittle the MIA list down to 130. We're already half-way home. Remarkable...

So thankful for help - Kelly, Karol, Christie, Susan, Dan, Kyle, Peter, Brian, Pat, Jamie, Stephanie & Jeanne... every little bit helps! Even if I'm still a stress-case. Baby steps.

We have our reunion date: July 14, 2007. Canterwood. Excellent!

Listening to I Am Sam soundtrack... Beatles covers... of course a favorite.

Tomorrow will be first attempt leaving Riley at preschool... fingers crossed for painless separation. Update to follow.

The Great American Pastime

A friend gave us 5 tickets to the Mariners game today... we gleefully partook in the Great American Pastime: Eating junk food.

Blech! I hate having a sugar hangover...

The game was fun - the boys rallied a couple of times - but the Rangers still outscored us 4 to 2. Taryn has an interest in baseball, which is cool. She can follow the game, even though she wouldn't want to play the game at this point in her life. Her little friend, Noelle, was entertained with the kettle corn, licorice, peanuts, Skittles, and lemonade... and all the vendors walking the stairs bringing enticing them with their forbidden delicacies like cotton candy and fondue skewers.

Yes, you read correctly. Fondue skewers. Strawberries and banana slices on a stick, covered in chocolate. The concessions are strictly upscale in Seattle.

Thomas, of course, had to get a heart attack special: Chili cheese fries. Ugh! I am very weary of what the evening will bring forth after those chili cheese fries...

Noelle scanned the crowd, did some quick calculations, and proclaimed "There are a trillion people here - or maybe even a billion." Seems about right... Riley wanted to know how many points the black team scored - the black team was the umpires. And Taryn's highlight was the 7th Inning Stretch. She just loves that song. And she was quick to tell Riley not to plan a potty break when Ichiro might be batting - because "he's actually good". How quickly they learn!
I kept myself amused by watching people with copious amounts of junk food scale the stairways in varying conditions of sobriety and motor function. A good time was had by all!

First Day Jitters

Taryn woke up this morning and said "Mommy - it feels like there are butterflies and frogs jumping in my tummy" I could have told her honestly... me, too.

The first day of school for me was always filled with anxiety, anticipation, excitement, and fear. I was trying to minimize those feelings for Taryn. We had the outfit picked out - for 2 weeks - so that was a no-brainer. She got her sassy new haircut last Friday. We've had her backpack and school supplies for nearly a month. We were prepared!

But our best-laid plans went quickly awry when I discovered that I had underestimated the chaos of the school parking lot on the First Day. Add to that the fact that the exact starting time of school was never clearly obtained... they apparently assumed that all of us former Afternoon Kindergarten parents would automatically know that school started promptly at 9:00 AM - and not 9:08 like we had thought. Oops.

Talk about a train wreck. Instead of gleefully skipping to the playground like she had planned, she opened the door and 24 seemingly strange faces were staring at her. She knew a lot of the kids - but at that moment, she wouldn't have recognized her own sister. She did what I would have done (and still long to do at times) she bolted across the schoolyard, screaming "I want to be homeschooled."

What can a mother do at that point? I reasoned with her. I pleaded with her. I tried the COUNTDOWN (you know... "You will comply with my request in 5-4-3-2..." you get the picture) But my best parenting tricks were falling as flat as feathered hair in a Mississippi rainstorm. Suddenly my brain kicked in and I went to the classroom to get her best friend. Emily was able to talk her off the ledge and in they marched - Taryn subtly pushing Em in front as they entered the classroom to minimize the peering eyes. Crisis averted. Phew.

I wasn't expecting the freak out. But it wasn't too bad. And I take total responsibility for arriving late. Tomorrow morning - we're walking - 35 minutes before school starts. It's destined to be a better day.

First things first...

We visited First Grade today! Taryn put her supplies in her desk and got the 411 on the first day... where to put her backpack... how to order milk... etc. I cannot even believe that she's going to be a big First Grader on Tuesday! That seems very old.

Had some great chats with old friends today gathering info for my 20 Year Reunion! This is the fun part, being able to reconnect. 32 people updated... only 198 to go. *sigh*

But I was able to enlist a little moral support - if not exactly a whole crew of eager beaver party planners - moral support is good.

Another recent layout to share, too...