Meet and Greet

Annie's kindergarten teacher sent a welcome letter that arrived last Friday along with a packet of paperwork and the complete list of students who will be in her class this year. She was pleased to see one good friend from previous dance classes as well as two little girls from this summer's Safety Town on that list. Her teacher included a photo of herself and a bio explaining that she has a 6-year-old, a 4-year-old, and 22-month-old twins (WHO IS THIS WOMAN AND HOW DOES SHE SHOWER AND ARRIVE IN A CLASSROOM BEFORE 8:00 A.M. DAILY??? I am in awe already.)

We've enjoyed perfectly perfect weather this week, with chilly nights and bright sunny days, and I've been hit by the knowledge that it's our last, last week of summertime. So we've bopped around happily, soaking up rays, biking and roller skating, painting inside and out, and going to the park. We were there Monday morning, the girls going down the same slide together over and over and shrieking with delight, when I spied a woman who looked like the picture we'd received, walking in with her four daughters in tow. Annie noticed, too, so I tried to take her hand and bring her over to say hello. There was dragging involved; there was an attempt to hide between my legs. Oh, hi, I'm the crazy mom who felt the need to involve the principal and the superintendent in my school situation before we'd even set foot in the building, and here's my daughter who is clearly TOTALLY READY FOR KINDERGARTEN.

Good grief. The teacher was great, and Annie, who spoke maybe four syllables, was instantly in love, memorizing her daughter's names and noticing what they were wearing. When we got home, she got out her crayons and got right to work on an elaborate picture of Mrs. G. plus her daughters. The next morning, while at the farmer's market, Annie was fixated on buying her a bouquet to bring to today's open house, so we did. More pictures have been drawn, watercolors have been painted, and all things Mrs. G. were brought to school this afternoon by my proud little kindergartener wearing a very heavy backpack to tote her many school supplies.

We got to look around the classroom, take some pictures, do a little scavenger hunt. Annie had a joyous reunion with said friend from dance, played with Legos, mourned the lack of dress-up clothes (Me: "But we have tons of those at home!" Annie: staring at me, not convinced.) When we said good-bye to Mrs. G., she hugged Annie and said, "See you Tuesday! Look at the door on your way out!" There, taped neatly, was the picture Annie had drawn of Mrs. G. displayed in all its glory.

As we walked out to play for a few minutes on the playground, Annie skipped a little, smiled a little, then asked, "Mom, when's Tuesday?"