Through the Looking Glass...

Last Friday, after BalletandPancakes, it was time for your Kindergarten assessment test. I figured it would be good to do this now so we could work on any areas where you need help.

I tried to prepare you for it by saying we were going to play with some teachers. You asked, "Are we going to my school?"

"No."

"My kindergarten school?"

"No..."

"Well, what teachers then?"

Thanks, Molly... thanks for questioning me on this.

"We're going to play with some teachers to see if you're ready for kindergarten."

"Oh... ok."

And that was that.

So we go to the early childhood center in our school district, and wait in the lobby. Then, the teacher comes out to get Molly -- and it's our former parent educator from Parents as Teachers (a WONDERFUL organzation that all parents should take advantage of, if it's offered in their area.)! Literally, Ms. Linda had her first meeting with us before Molly was even born. And she's going to help test Molly!

We had a lovely little mini-reunion, then Ms. Linda said, "Ok, are you ready to go?" I start to pick up my Mommy Bag to head back when Ms. Linda looks at me and says, "Oh, no - you can wait here..."

"Oh, ok..." I reply casually... with my voice unusually high. "Have fun, Molly." Without me.

From the lobby, I can see Molly in the room -- listening to the teachers, throwing and catching a bean bag, writing, and learning.

Why is this making me teary? Because my little peanut is such a big girl...

After what seemed like an hour, the teachers come out to get me. Molly did a wonderful job - her only two areas to work on are catching a ball and singing the alphabet without skipping the letter N. And Molly was so proud of herself.

And I am too.

Molly-ism: "Food To Try"

So, I needed to go to the grocery store the other night. And I thought, "Well, I get Molly from school, then swing by the store, and we'll zip in and out."

There was no zipping.

I don't know if it's because you're four now, or if you were just in a mood, or if you'd mainlined sugar at school for snack, but you were en fuego. Everything you saw, you wanted -- cookies, loaves of bread, a whole chicken, any food product with any licensed character on it. (And can someone please explain to me why Spongebob Squarepants is on packs of carrots? I mean, aside from the fact that Molly now wants those specific packs of carrots...)

You also were on the hunt for "the ladies." "Mommy, where are the ladies?" you asked.

"What ladies?"

"You know, the ladies... the little old ladies with food to try? I want some food to try..."

Unfortunately, our local grocery store on a rainy Thursday at 4:30 p.m. doesn't compare to the throngs of samplers at Costco on a Saturday morning.

Halloween Costume - 2008 Debut

Molly went to her first Halloween party on Sunday. Luckily, it was a beautiful day and the party was outside. All the kids and parents had a fun time hunting for pumpkins and visiting... so it was a delightful time for all.

Most importantly, Molly got to debut her Cinderella outfit, complete with glass slippers (thanks, Target!) and homemade choker (or "choke," as Molly calls it).

Happy Halloween, princess!

So, This Is What Daddies Think About...

"Honey, we need to talk..."

This is how my husband starts a conversation on a recent car trip home from visiting his parents. Molly's in the back of the van... peacefully drifting off to sleep. And Aaron hits me with the "we need to talk" line.

Oh, crap - what's wrong??? I think. "Um, yes?" I say in my calmest voice, wondering what's about to happen...

"It's about Molly's number," he continues.

Huh? I think. So I cleverly respond, "Huh?"

"You know, Molly's number... on her jersey."

Again, I reply, "Huh?"

"You know, when she plays sports - the number on her jersey. Seeing that decal on the back of that car made me think of it."

"Ok, but... Molly doesn't play any sports right now."

And that's when he explains it all to me: "Well, we need to talk about what numbers are acceptable to wear, and which aren't. You know, like 5. That one's great - it's George Brett and Albert Pujols. And 9 - that's Ted Williams, so that's a given."

My head is spinning, trying to process the conversation -- let alone figuring out how we got here.

Aaron continues as I nod along. "But not 13."

Ok, I need a clarification. "Why not 13? Because of Kurt Warner? (Because I thought we liked Kurt Warner.) Or not 13 because it's unlucky?"

"Good question - not 13 because of the silly reverse psychology of it: it's an unlucky number so I'll pick it to be bad and make it lucky for me."

Ok, that clears that up...

"Oh, and not 1. Ozzie Smith was no. 1 and he's arrogant. And 25 was McGwire - so that's debateable... And 99 is Manny Ramirez, so definitely not..."

Again, a clarification: "But wasn't Wayne Gretzky 99? And he's the Great One, right?" And shouldn't I get like 1,000 cool wife points for knowing this?

"Yeah, good point."

"Well how about this, can you make me a wallet card of what numbers are and aren't acceptable, so I don't bring home something like 10..."

"Oh, no," Aaron gasps. "That's Chipper Jones... we can't have that."

"Ok, not 10," I reply. "So if I bring home 18..."

"Oh, lord no - that's Johnny Damon.... traitor. We can't have that."

"Well then how about this," I begin. "When the time comes to sign up Molly for any sporting activity, you are hearby nominated to be in charge."

Aaron looks at me, puzzled. "What?" he asks.

"Congratulations!" I reply, proud that I've found a way to get out of the Number Conundrum. "And good luck to you."

Now, it's Aaron who's wearing the puzzled "how did we get here?" look...

So, next time I wonder what daddies are thinking about - I'm going to guess it's related to sports.

Future Job: Veterinarian

Do I Make You Proud?

(Nothing like a little Taylor Hicks reference to kick off our post...)

Your teachers in your new pre-K room at school do a fantastic job of writing at least one comment a day on your daily sheet about a little something you did or said. The very first comment on your first day was, "Molly is so polite." I teared up at this. (But, as Daddy says, getting me to cry isn't all that hard.)

Other comments that we've enjoyed:

"Molly likes to help her friends."

"Molly has an infectious laugh."

"Molly really enjoys taking care of the babies."

"Molly LOVES to paint on the easel."

Ms. Sofi also writes, "Molly ate all her lunch." This then became, "Molly ate all her lunch - twice." Then, "Molly ate two lunches." Well - I guess we hit a growth spurt, because you were bellying up for seconds all week. (We were afraid of a meal surcharge - but the owner told us that doesn't kick in until you ask for thirds!)

The one comment that we hear over and over -- and that gets Daddy and me every time -- is how polite you are. All of your teachers tell us this, grandmas and grandpas tell us this, and our friends and the parents of your friends tell us this too. Nothing could make me P R O U D E R as your mommy than to hear this. I only hope this is one trait that never changes.

Love you, Peanut.

Fun at the Pumpkin Patch

We visited our first pumpkin patch of the season over the weekend with Grandma and Aunt Lois. Despite the weather being a little on the warm side, we had a great time.























The cutest thing there was the tractor carousel. Little antique tractors hooked up that you rode around and around and around. Grandma kept telling me, "Make sure you get her picture on the M tractor."

"What's the big deal with the M tractor?"

"That was the tractor Grandpa had as a boy."

So Grandpa, this one's for you!