School Supplies

Margot will be starting pre-K at a new school in the fall. While we're very happy with her current (soon-to-be-former) school, its distance from our house makes morning and evening commutes trying on the best of days (and downright painful on the worst of days).

So M is a little apprehensive about this upcoming change, but I am trying to ease her transition. This weekend we had a playdate with a new friend in the neighborhood who will be in her school. We also made a trip to Target to purchase some new school supplies.

Margot oohed and ahhed over the backpacks for no fewer than 20 minutes. She tried them all on, and finally settled on a blue Tinkerbell backpack that is almost as big as she is. (This was after I said no way to a Hanna Montana backpack; she didn't need much convincing though. She's never actually watched Hanna Montana.) I told myself she'd grow into it. Then, we moved to the lunchbox aisle. Once there, she immediately latched onto a pink Disney princess lunchbox. Yuck. But that's what she wanted, and I want her to feel as if I support her choices (at least the benign ones). So we bought the princess lunchbox and I swallowed my disdain of the princesses.

Margot's adoration of the princess lunchbox reminded me of my favorite lunchbox - the red, plastic, Ewok lunchbox I used during first grade. It looked just like this one. I don't know if M will reminisce as fondly about this soft, pink lunchbox as I do over my Wicket lunchbox. I wish there was way to know exactly which items are making a life-long impression on her! In 28 years, will she be writing a smiliar post?

Lake Anna

Margot spent the weekend at Lake Anna in Virginia with her paternal grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Brodie and I were there, too, of course.

Four is a really fantastic age - at least for Margot. She played nicely with her cousins with no intervention needed from the adults. She happily swam, boated, ate s'mores, dug in the sand, kicked the soccer ball around, and was even agreeable to regular applications of sunscreen.

She's not quite ready to swim on her own yet, though. She took a spill off a raft that left her gasping, and so if she's in water deeper than she can reach she clung to me and Brodie tightly. When she could stand, she happily went chest deep but was not interested in trying to take her feet off the ground. But, that said, if someone was waiting to catch her, she jumped off the dock over and over again.



Oh, and did I mention Portia had a lovely time as well?

New Pet

We've had a chipmunk in our yard (at least one, probably more) since we moved in last year. S/he is pretty darn cute, and has a series of entrances and exits to his/her den right near our back door.

This evening Margot said, "I've been meaning to tell you, Mama, that I've been leaving presents for my chipmunk and he's been taking them. Sometimes I leave him some moss, sometimes a little nut that I find in the yard, sometimes a little stick. The next morning, my presents are always gone. He must take them down into the nest."

This made me smile - the notion of Margot having a secret pet. It also makes me happy that she enjoys animals as much as I do.

That said, her chipmunk(s) must be astounded at their good fortune of late! Free bedding, free food, free...well, I'm not sure what they use the twigs for. Bracing their tunnels?

Friday Night Picnic

Each Friday that we're home, we picnic. Usually this means we pick up Italian subs from Vace and a slice of pizza for Margot. I often forget to bring my camera to these picnics, but this past Friday I remembered it.

And this was our best picnic spot yet, so I am glad I remembered it. We ate at Gravelly Point, which is right on the edge of Reagan National Airport and the Potomac River. While we ate our sandwiches, the planes landed almost directly overhead. Margot loved it. I did, too.

After dinner, we played Margot's favorite game of the week: "Tush Tag." This involves tapping someone on the bum and yelling "Tush Tag" and then running away. It's a riot.

The Green-Eyed Patriot

Since the 4th of July falls on a Saturday this year, and since tomorrow is the official Federal holiday, Margot's school celebrated "America's birthday" today. She dressed in red, white and blue for the occasion, came home knowing all the words to "God Bless America," and reported that she was in a parade, ate red and blue jell-o, and had her face painted. (No need to report that one, as you can see!)