Motorcycles

Stephen loves motorcycles. Every time he sees one he wants to stop and look at it and touch it. It makes no difference if it is running or parked.

This kid is going to be a lover of adventure.

Stickers

This afternoon at In-N-Out:

Mama: Who wants stickers?

Sarah: Me!

Stephen (smiling, pointing to self)

First Week of Head Start

Well after her first week of Head Start preschool, Sarah is still loving every second of it. She seemed especially happy all week. (Sarah AND Mama. Although it was extra work for Mama all week since Papa was recovering from his back injury, Mama gets a breather in the afternoon that is helping her a lot.)

It is helping us as a family to get a more regular routine, too:

Get up, breakfast, YMCA in the morning, come home, get ready, school, mama breathes & gets caught up at home, pick Sarah up, go to the park or play outside, dinner, story, in bed at 8pm. This week we will be instituting a brief, after-school nap, too.

Now, if we could just get Stephen to sleep all night again like he was doing before!

Good Friends

Sarah wanted her friend Molly, 4 years old, to share some of her books with her, but Molly didn't want to.

Sarah: You're not being a good friend!

Molly (crying)

(Mama: Oh no!)

The Cat

Papa: Stephen, do you remember Grandma and Grandpa's cat?

Stephen: Hhhhsssstt! (Swipes hand and makes anguished face)

Papa: Oh, you do remember!

(The cat swatted him in the face a few months ago on our visit.)

School (!)

Yesterday one of Sarah's dreams came true - she started going to school. A Head Start preschool, to be precise. It's a couple of hours a day, four days a week. She has been on a waiting list for 6 months. It did not look like she was going to get in until she and Mama visited the classroom a couple of weeks ago and inquired about volunteering. That seems like it may have helped her get chosen from the pool of applicants. She was so eager to get in that she cried and cried that day when she had to leave. Since then she always referred to it as "my school". "Papa can I go to my skowol?" But she is happy - should I say - ecstatic, to be in school.

Ready To Go!

Owie Papa

So Papa was exercising, without warming up, and threw out his back.

While taking a hot bath to try to feel better, Stephen immediately knew what to do - bring over the bath toys and dump them in the water.

Papa: Thanks, Stephen! No, no, that's enough. Thank you!