Further Dispatches from Preschool

Dear Sam,

I love you and think you have many talents. However, you may want to step it up in the art department. For an example of the level of work being produced by your peers, please see the lovely picture created by the young lady across the table from you. Also, please note, it would seem the rest of the children find it more relaxing to sit (rather than stand) at the table while they draw.

All joking aside, please do continue to color outside the lines (and in earth tones only). Your father and I totally see your vision and celebrate your work.

Love,
Mom

P.S.  Ignore that drawing you might find in the recycling bin today -- that was a mistake. Your father's mistake.

Healthy Weekend Roundup

I know I'm jinxing myself by putting this in writing, but this weekend was the first in three weeks that everyone in the household was relatively healthy. The funniest part was (re)discovering how Sam behaves when he's 100% (well, maybe 99%, due to a lingering cough). We have been commenting on how perky Sam is when he is sick, and he really is. He has pretty much soldiered through a stomach virus and tonsillitis without acting that sick -- a bit short-tempered perhaps -- but now that he's almost completely healthy, I realize that he really hasn't been himself for a few weeks. Sam spent this weekend running at full-speed everywhere he went, and then running in circles once he got there. And when he wasn't running he was talking. A lot. And loudly. He's exhausting, but it's so fun to see him on his game. We attribute some of his enthusiasm to the fact that his grandmother (Bruce's mom) was visiting.

We kicked off the weekend early on Thursday with a little outdoor dining, at Sam's request.



We capped off the weekend with another visit to the Museum of Life and Science.





It took a lot of convincing for Sam to accept that the bears wouldn't escape and eat him. In fact, they were so cute and playful (and seemingly innocuous) on Sunday that my new fear is that Sam will not act appropriately should he encounter one in the wild.

Monday we bade farewell to Grandma. And headed back to school and work.



Sam's teachers report that he did a great job counting rocks and recognizing his numbers 1-9.

Chocolate Chip Cookies: They're What's For Breakfast!

On Easter morning, despite being under the weather, Sam wanted to help me make scones. Chocolate chip scones. After they were baked and gobbled up, Bruce asked -- innocently enough -- if the scones weren't similar to the chocolate chip cookies that I make. And, yes, upon review of the ingredients, Sam and I essentially made giant chocolate chip cookies. Which I have been unapologetically eating for breakfast the rest of the week.

Thank You, Easter Bunny!

With my apologies for the low light and poor quality, here is a video of Sam's indoor, rainy-time, pre-dawn Easter Egg Hunt! Throw in a stomach virus (which meant he couldn't eat any of the candy inside the eggs), and you've got the makings for a rousing good time.

#PreschoolProblems

Sam is still doing well at his new school. He's brave with Bruce at drop-off, but still gives me fits. The daily reports from the teachers still show him participating, attentive, happy (and, as an added bonus today showed him picking his nose in almost every shot). The teachers say he is a little apprehensive to join the gang of "big boys" who play a little rough on the playground (they ARE big! some of them will be starting kindergarten in the fall), but that he's happy to play with them one-on-one.

When he is telling me about the new friends he is making in school, he does it in the quirkiest way, like we are two friends chatting at a cocktail party. He'll ask, "Do you know Chloe?" "Do you know Jack Cleveland or Jack Lau?" His world is still small enough that I'm imagining he thinks there is a finite number of people to be known. Here's a shot of him today with his new friend Chloe.

He is not without his share of concerns, however. He confided in me upon pick-up last Friday that he had cried a little bit on the playground that afternoon.

"You did?" I asked. "Why?"

"I was worried about you," Sam said.

What a sweetheart, right? Already showing so much empathy. My heart swelled.

"Aw, honey. What were you worried about?"

"I was worried that when you came to pick me up you weren't going to bring my snack and my water in my own cup."

....Well, at least he's not too sensitive. Life is hard on the poets. And yes I am refining my "children in the third world are lucky to have any snack at all after preschool" speech, but I don't think he's mature enough for it yet.

(He is referring, if you must know, to the fact that his dad alwayseverydaywithoutfail brings him the same snack in the same cup and water in the same Sam-approved cup. I often bring him a bag of something I got out of the vending machine at work and the dregs of whatever I happen to be drinking at the time. It upsets him. Apparently.)

Weekend Roundup

We decorated our chalkboard (about the only nod to the green holiday, except for our yummy Irish beef stew on Sunday, which Sam refused to eat).



Played soccer again....


Too busy for water, Dad!!


We went to a cool Lego exhibit!


And tried to make our own masterpiece.


Went out to breakfast. Sam said, "Take a picture of me drinking my milk!"


Dressed up like the Easter bunny.


And had a play date.

PHEW.

Futbol

Sam loves soccer! He got off on the wrong foot, so to speak, as his first day of practice was last Monday, which was also his first full day at his new school. He was exhausted, and the last thing he wanted to do was start a new activity with a new group of strangers. It was OK, though -- we watched for a while, and then we went home. Judging from his Monday practice, I had low expectations for his participation on Saturday, but he surprised me! I did bribe him with hot chocolate (which it turns out he doesn't like), but that was an unnecessary move on my part.


They didn't have a jersey that fit him, so we had to make do.


Just hanging with the team. A team called The Crackerjacks.


Hey mom!


Sam has the ball and is being pursued by the other team (The Chickadees).


Such fun.


Sam's turn to kick in the ball.


Sam scored his team's first goal! It was really sweet. The coach asked all the kids to give Sam a high five. He was beaming. Given the capricious nature of three-year-olds, we'll see if he plays with such enthusiasm this Saturday. I know hot chocolate is not the way to encourage his performance this time, though.