next stop: harlem globetrotters

"Hey Mom, today at the special school-wide event in the gym, there was a man. I forget his name, but he did all sorts of amazing tricks with basketballs. He was spinning the basketballs on his fingers, and get this! I walked up to him and he spinned the basketball on! my! finger! too! Like in front of the whole school, even in front of the 6th graders! It was totally the highlight of my life!"

yes, drill sergeant

We were at Sylvie's preschool family picnic, and Caroline was enjoying the company of her former classmates... and also enjoying the swings. Chuck was pushing her, but she wanted to go as high as the friend swinging to her left.

We were all there gently pushing our kids, making polite chitchat, when Caroline hollers, "Dad! Push me like you mean it!"

the emo cowboy

Caroline was in character as a rough 'n tumble cowboy. She leaned against the wall with her head down and hat pulled forward. She looked up, pushed the hat up just enough to give us a steely look.

In a perfect macho cowboy drawl, she said, "Howdy pardners. Be careful of the varmints 'round here. It's hard to find people to relate to."

let's hope

Caroline has been battling carsickness and noise overload on the school bus, so I have been picking her up at school when it's feasible. Today was the 3rd day I picked her up, and it was the 3rd consecutive day she's forgotten her jacket in her locker. This never happened when she rode the bus home.

So in the car, I suggested she remind herself to get her jacket and put it in her backpack if she didn't want to wear it. And I said I couldn't figure out why she could always remember it on bus days, but she always forgets it on pickup days.

"Oh Mom, I know. I forget. But it's just a phase."

sportif

We were trying to psych her up for her 2nd soccer game this morning. It was pretty much useless.

"I am not a soccer star. I'm not even much of a soccer player."

Soon after, I was adjusting the knee high red socks that cover her shin guards and she said:

"The best thing about soccer is the outfit. Make it look cute, Mom."

baseline indicates doom

We've been having conversations about the school bus. Today, she revealed that a 7 year old girl named Leah convinced her to leave her assigned seat and "sneak over" to her seat and chat with her, but she had to "sneak back" to get her lunch box before disembarking.

This started a conversation about friends who try to convince you to do things you really shouldn't do.

I said to her, "Hm. What do you think about that? Do you think a good friend would ask you to break the rules?"

She sat, brow furrowed, thinking carefully before answering, "Well, it was breaking a rule, yes."

She was solemn. I was high fiving myself mentally. My first "good friends" speech worked!

She perked up and continued, "But it was not breaking the law, so the police wouldn't be involved or anything..."

i never would have guessed... in either case

She sat on the coffee table eating an apple.

"Hey Mom, guess what 'spaghettily' means."

Spaghettily??

"It means 'better than anything else, ever.'"

I chuckled a bit.

"Yeah. [chomp] I made it up."

random, but yeah

She walked into the room, sighed, and threw herself on the couch.

I asked what was wrong.

"I wish we didn't have gravity."

K is OK

Yesterday was Caroline's first day of kindergarten. She rode the bus to and from school (she insisted!). She was in charge of a lot of her own belongings. She was in a totally different environment with no preschool friends, new rules, a new teacher, and new everything. She was not nervous in the morning, but I was. I could barely wait until she hopped off the bus in the afternoon.

I saw her feet on the steps of the bus, then her knees. They were covered with 4 bandages. I gasped and immediately assumed that she had been traumatized at school. She was happy enough, but I assumed it was because she was home.

I faked a confident smile and asked, "So how was that first day?!" I held my breath as I waited for the run down on tragedies and traumas.

She busted out with, "Well, I'd say it was pretty much your standard awesome day!"