First Day of Preschool! (and more)

Jane has been eagerly looking forward to preschool for quite some time. I've been looking forward to it too simply because I knew she would enjoy it so much. I didn't know what to expect, though, when it would come time to actually leave her there. She was a little nervous to walk in the door, but after a few minutes of getting her bag put away and answering the question of the day I told her I was going to go. She smiled and said, "Bye!" I said, "Can I have a hug?" We hugged, and kissed, and said I love you. I was the only one with tears in my eyes.

She loved it. She loved it the second day too. She told me she likes her teacher because "She has a good face and I like how her shirt looks like." What a girl!

Here are some pics we snapped before leaving our house to go to preschool for the first time. I would like it noted that the kids had to wear their over-sized yellow school shirt the first day of preschool completely ruining any first day of school photo shoots.





I would also like it noted that Jane does not simply have her hands in front of her face in the last picture. That is simply a visual of Jane's latest OCD characteristic. She is obsessed with smelling her hands, constantly. She is not happy when they smell in any way and usually will go wash them.

Before Jane's first day of preschool we all went as a family to an open house. Jane's stomach hadn't been feeling too during the day. She kept calling her tummy-ache "diarrhea." When evening came and we got in the car to go to the open house I asked her if she was feeling nervous. She said, "Yes." I wondered if she even knew why I asked that and said, "About what?" She said, "About my diarrhea."

After the preschool open house we talked about it for awhile. She said she liked it and was excited but then said, "But it was little. It was like this." and she held her hands about a foot apart and indicated with her fingers and thumb that the school was about the thickness of a cookie sheet.

In non-preschool matters,

I made a pudding concoction for a picnic and Jane asked what it was. I told her it was called Cookie Salad. She asked, "Is that what I'll love with Ranch?"

Matt and I can't remember what older person in our lives we were talking about but we told Jane that someone was going to be really old for his birthday. Jane gasped in shock and said, "He might get sick!"

Jane was drawing with her 5-year-old cousin Paris and Jane was concerned about the state of Paris's rainbows. A few days later she came to me concerned and said, "When I turn 5 I won't know how to draw rainbows." I said, "What do you mean?" Jane said, "Paris is 5 and she can't draw rainbows." and then continued on thinking through the problem and asked, "But I've drawn so many rainbows when I was 3 that I won't forget?"

Jane came across her first toy gun at a friends house. It was a big rifle that made a noise when you shot it. Jane picked it up and looked over it admiringly and said, "This is for killing people."

Recently I've read a couple self-help sort of books about parenting. One day I was trying out some new tactics on how to talk to Jane when she is crazy upset about something. She noticed and said, "Mom, you're talking funny."

That, of course, was much nicer than the time she asked me what book I was reading. I told her it was a book about being a better mommy. She said, "Oh, because you're a little bit mean?" I said, "Am I kind of a mean mom?" She said very sweetly, "But it's ok. You can read the book."

I've always heard about how older kids try to translate for their younger siblings. Jane likes to do it. One day I was playing with Jack and trying to get him to say "ball" by pausing before giving it to him and encouraging him to say it. Jane chimed in pleading, "He wants the ball! Give it to him! I promise he wants it!"

Jane wanted to go outside at her Aunt's house. Matt talked to her before letting her go outside and said things like, "Don't play by the water, stay in the back yard, etc." Jane said in a teenager-esque voice, "I know what I'm doing, Dad."

After trying on a new pair of shoes Jane went to show Matt and asked, "Do these look foolish?"

Matt opened up the cupboard to get some peanut butter. Jane asked Matt what he was getting. He held up the peanut butter and said, "This." Jane said, "Oh, don't eat all the cereal bars, Ok, dad?"

Our family attended a wedding reception held in a beautiful backyard. We were waiting in line on stone steps for our turn to see the bride and groom. I'm not sure what made Jane say it, but she announced excitedly, "This is a holy ghost wedding."

One night we went out as a family to use a coupon I had for a pizza place. While standing in line Jane met another 3-4 year old girl. They never spoke one word to each other. But they become good friends through a series of taps on shoulders, waves, jumping up and down, taking turns shaking their heads back and forth, etc. It was hilarious to watch.

Here's some pics of Jane enjoying pizza on another night.