Thursday, October 30, 2008
Genesis, according to Lucas
"You know that God made people out of clay. He first made a boy and a girl. And he gave them hearts and brains."
Monday, October 27, 2008
Lucas' thoughts on women
I don't remember what we were talking about prior to this, but all of a sudden this came out of left field.
Lucas: You know that women are like infinity.
Me: How are women like infinity?
Lucas: Because women have babies, and their babies have babies, and their babies have babies.
Me: Yeah, I guess so. Who told you about that?
Lucas: I just thought of it myself because I have a good imagination.
Lucas: You know that women are like infinity.
Me: How are women like infinity?
Lucas: Because women have babies, and their babies have babies, and their babies have babies.
Me: Yeah, I guess so. Who told you about that?
Lucas: I just thought of it myself because I have a good imagination.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Reno for Obama!
Lucas, Rocky and I roadtripped to Reno a couple weekends ago -- to visit with my cousin Cathy and her family, and to help the Obama campaign out there.
I was somewhat dismayed when we drove up to the Obama campaign office in Reno. It was pretty desolate - depressing actually -- an old storefront in a two-store, rundown strip mall. We walked in and there were just two people there. The woman asked if we were from California, I told her yes. She said, "Oh, all the California people are down the street." She gave us directions and we drove over.
That's when things started to look up. There was a woman directing traffic, she let us know that the parking lot was full and to look for parking on the street. We parked a few blocks away and walked over to the building. There was a line out the door and around the building, volunteers from California waiting to spread the word of Obama to the good people of Reno.
Rocky and I made friends in line with folks who were from Berkeley and El Cerrito, the two towns bordering my own. Some of these folks have done this before, in 2000 and 2004, driven to Reno to campaign for the Democratic candidates at the time. But they said they have never seen anything like what they were seeing this time for Obama - the enthusiasm and numbers of people were unparalleled.
There were so many volunteers, other people who had come from all over California, wanting to make sure they could do everything in their power to get Obama elected. It was inspiring to say the least. 
During the training, they covered hot topics with Nevadans. Regarding guns, the campaign manager said, "We love our guns. Don't tell them that Obama wants to take their guns away, tell them Obama will let people keep their guns, he just wants to keep guns out of the hands of criminals."
(Meanwhile, Lucas is at a grand opening of a new ultra sporting good store. This is the photo Cathy sent to me of Lucas and his cousin Connor on the day we learned about guns in Nevada. You know what they say, when in Rome...)
After our training we went off to our assigned precinct. I've never done this kind of work before, but I have to say that it was pretty well organized. The systems they have in place and type of knowledge volunteers get about the doors they are knocking on is very helpful and well thought out.
I don't know if this was every Californians' experience, but the people Rocky and I were assigned to were identified as either definitely (OB1) or probably (OB2) going to vote for Obama. For these folks, we just had to make sure they planned on voting, and to inform them about early voting.
I didn't know about the importance of early voting until Reno:
Over the course of two days, we hit all sorts of different neighborhoods close to downtown Reno (the self-proclaimed "biggest little city in the world") - beautiful tree-lined streets with old traditional homes filled with families, little apartment complexes with young 20-somethings or elderly folks.) I silently thanked the campaign organizers for not sending us two Asians into any rural trailer parks. They probably save those for the native Nevadans.
Did I mostly knock on doors with no one home. Yes.
Did I persuade anyone from the McCain camp to Obama? No.
But did I feel like I made a difference? YES.
You can see below, if you squint carefully, just how divided it is in Washoe County , Nevada. This was a common sight - a McCain sign sandwiched between two Obama yard signs. It was amazing how split this county is.
And since our trip to Reno, I've been reading so much about the battle for this state.
It was written up in the NY Times, and this from a 10/24 article on the UK's Telegraph online news source:
In other Reno news, aside from guns, Lucas was also introduced to the Wii. He had a lot of fun playing some Star Wars game with Connor.
And then of course, sharing a monster brownie with Connor and Cassidy at dinner one night.
It was such a great trip on all fronts. I'm continuing to watch Nevada closely in the polls, and keeping my fingers crossed.
I was somewhat dismayed when we drove up to the Obama campaign office in Reno. It was pretty desolate - depressing actually -- an old storefront in a two-store, rundown strip mall. We walked in and there were just two people there. The woman asked if we were from California, I told her yes. She said, "Oh, all the California people are down the street." She gave us directions and we drove over.That's when things started to look up. There was a woman directing traffic, she let us know that the parking lot was full and to look for parking on the street. We parked a few blocks away and walked over to the building. There was a line out the door and around the building, volunteers from California waiting to spread the word of Obama to the good people of Reno.
Rocky and I made friends in line with folks who were from Berkeley and El Cerrito, the two towns bordering my own. Some of these folks have done this before, in 2000 and 2004, driven to Reno to campaign for the Democratic candidates at the time. But they said they have never seen anything like what they were seeing this time for Obama - the enthusiasm and numbers of people were unparalleled.
There were so many volunteers, other people who had come from all over California, wanting to make sure they could do everything in their power to get Obama elected. It was inspiring to say the least. 
During the training, they covered hot topics with Nevadans. Regarding guns, the campaign manager said, "We love our guns. Don't tell them that Obama wants to take their guns away, tell them Obama will let people keep their guns, he just wants to keep guns out of the hands of criminals."
(Meanwhile, Lucas is at a grand opening of a new ultra sporting good store. This is the photo Cathy sent to me of Lucas and his cousin Connor on the day we learned about guns in Nevada. You know what they say, when in Rome...)
After our training we went off to our assigned precinct. I've never done this kind of work before, but I have to say that it was pretty well organized. The systems they have in place and type of knowledge volunteers get about the doors they are knocking on is very helpful and well thought out.I don't know if this was every Californians' experience, but the people Rocky and I were assigned to were identified as either definitely (OB1) or probably (OB2) going to vote for Obama. For these folks, we just had to make sure they planned on voting, and to inform them about early voting.
I didn't know about the importance of early voting until Reno:
- Voters are sometimes dismayed by long lines on election day, and will walk away thinking, "What's the difference if I vote or not". But in a place like Nevada, every vote really does count.
- Voters are sometimes swayed by the onslaught of negative ads in the final days before e-day.
- Voters sometimes get to the polls on e-day, only to find that there was something wrong with their voter registration. If you vote early, you can find this out and have time to get it cleared so you can vote.
Over the course of two days, we hit all sorts of different neighborhoods close to downtown Reno (the self-proclaimed "biggest little city in the world") - beautiful tree-lined streets with old traditional homes filled with families, little apartment complexes with young 20-somethings or elderly folks.) I silently thanked the campaign organizers for not sending us two Asians into any rural trailer parks. They probably save those for the native Nevadans.
Did I mostly knock on doors with no one home. Yes.Did I persuade anyone from the McCain camp to Obama? No.
But did I feel like I made a difference? YES.
You can see below, if you squint carefully, just how divided it is in Washoe County , Nevada. This was a common sight - a McCain sign sandwiched between two Obama yard signs. It was amazing how split this county is.
And since our trip to Reno, I've been reading so much about the battle for this state.It was written up in the NY Times, and this from a 10/24 article on the UK's Telegraph online news source:
This month, for the first time in 30 years, the number of registered Democratic voters in Washoe has inched ahead of Republicans.Nevada has backed the winner in all but one general election - Jimmy Carter in 1976 - in almost a century and is viewed as critical territory by both sides.
Republicans have won Nevada in eight of the 10 past presidential election. In 2004, Mr Bush beat John Kerry by 21,000 votes. But the latest polls show Mr Obama with a four-point lead over Mr McCain.
And it seems like Obama's campaign and presence is definitely outweighing McCain.
Many in Reno say they have witnessed unprecedented levels of campaign activity and passion this election. The Obama campaign, which has been working furiously in Nevada since before the state's winter caucuses, has 15 field offices (the McCain operation has nine), hundreds of staff and has flooded Nevada with thousands of volunteers, many from California, who have ventured into every corner of the state.
"Obama's just out-campaigning McCain at the moment," said Eric Herzik, political science professor at University of Nevada-Reno. "He has more people on the ground, he's more visible and he's running more ads on television. At an anecdotal level, the last three weekends, I have had Obama people at my door - and mine is a mixed household of registered Republicans and Democrats. I haven't seen a McCain person."
I wish I could have gone for more than one weekend, it was such an awesome experience.
In other Reno news, aside from guns, Lucas was also introduced to the Wii. He had a lot of fun playing some Star Wars game with Connor.
And then of course, sharing a monster brownie with Connor and Cassidy at dinner one night.
It was such a great trip on all fronts. I'm continuing to watch Nevada closely in the polls, and keeping my fingers crossed.
Thursday, October 09, 2008
20 years ago
Twenty years ago I graduated from Campolindo High School in Moraga. I lived in Moraga from when I was in Kindergarten till I graduated high school.
Here I am pre-graduation ceremony with Jeanne and Ruth (June 1988).
And here I am with Jennifer, who I've been good friends with since 6th grade. Caps off, we just finished the graduation ceremony (June 1988).
Our graduating class had a 5-year and a 10-year reunion. And for more than the past year I've been on the committee to make our 20 year reunion a reality. I didn't do much except read the emails from the committee and give my two cents, but it was fun to be part of it just the same.
This past weekend was the big reunion and it was more fun than I thought.
Friday night was the "alumni only" event, out at a brewery in Walnut Creek. Here's a "now" photo of me and Jennifer. She lives less than a mile away from me and our kids went to the same preschool. We still see each other at least once a week for walks and what-not.
It was a little weird at first to see people, who for the most part were different versions of their former selves. Even with name tags, some people would come right up to me and say, "Hi Sunny." I would look at their name tags, look at their faces, and still have absolutely no idea who it was.
But there were a lot of people who I was really glad to see, people who I'd lost touch with over the years. Chris and I have known each other since kindergarten. He and Jennifer were boyfriend/girlfriend for a couple years in high school.
I've known John since 1st grade. And we both ended up at USC, where we became better friends.
And here's Michael Fisher, one of my favorite people, who I didn't really get to know until after college when we both lived in SF. It was good to catch up with him too.
Like I said, it was an amazing night, so good to reconnect with all of these people from my past. And because Moraga is such a small town, a lot of people I've known since elementary school.
Saturday night was the fancy dinner/drinks/dancing at the Orinda Country Club. It was so interesting to meet people's spouses. I was the unofficial photographer, which gave me a good excuse to walk around and talk to people to take their pictures. And some people who didn't make it on Friday night, turned out for the Saturday night event.
While I would love to write about each of these people, I just want to post this and catch up on my other posts. Maybe I'll come back and write captions later.
So, here's me with a bunch of people you don't know.
Here I am pre-graduation ceremony with Jeanne and Ruth (June 1988).
And here I am with Jennifer, who I've been good friends with since 6th grade. Caps off, we just finished the graduation ceremony (June 1988).
This past weekend was the big reunion and it was more fun than I thought.
Friday night was the "alumni only" event, out at a brewery in Walnut Creek. Here's a "now" photo of me and Jennifer. She lives less than a mile away from me and our kids went to the same preschool. We still see each other at least once a week for walks and what-not.
It was a little weird at first to see people, who for the most part were different versions of their former selves. Even with name tags, some people would come right up to me and say, "Hi Sunny." I would look at their name tags, look at their faces, and still have absolutely no idea who it was.But there were a lot of people who I was really glad to see, people who I'd lost touch with over the years. Chris and I have known each other since kindergarten. He and Jennifer were boyfriend/girlfriend for a couple years in high school.
I've known John since 1st grade. And we both ended up at USC, where we became better friends.
And here's Michael Fisher, one of my favorite people, who I didn't really get to know until after college when we both lived in SF. It was good to catch up with him too.
Like I said, it was an amazing night, so good to reconnect with all of these people from my past. And because Moraga is such a small town, a lot of people I've known since elementary school.Saturday night was the fancy dinner/drinks/dancing at the Orinda Country Club. It was so interesting to meet people's spouses. I was the unofficial photographer, which gave me a good excuse to walk around and talk to people to take their pictures. And some people who didn't make it on Friday night, turned out for the Saturday night event.
While I would love to write about each of these people, I just want to post this and catch up on my other posts. Maybe I'll come back and write captions later.
So, here's me with a bunch of people you don't know.
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Kids Q&A
I learn a lot toting the carpool kids back and forth from school. In the morning when I drive the two first grade girls, I definitely learn a lot more…their conversations go way beyond Star Wars and bathroom humor of Lucas and his friend in the afternoon.
This morning the girls were talking about the questions they were batting around in class earlier in the week. Every kid in their class got an opportunity to ask a question and give their own answers. I asked the girls to repeat some of the questions while we drove so we could all weigh in:
- What’s your favorite time of the year – summer or winter? 3 for summer, winter for me.
- Would you rather have two noses or three eyes? 1 for two noses so she could smell cookies better, the rest of us said 3 eyes, as long as the 3rd one is on the back of our heads
- Would you rather talk to animals or live forever? 3 for talking to animals, 1 for living forever.
- Would you rather fly or see through walls? Everyone wanted to fly.
- Would you rather be able to jump high or run really fast? Two for two.
- Would you rather have no hair or no shoes? The girls freaked and said of course they would give up anything before losing their hair. Lucas would rather have his shoes so he could kick soccer balls.
- Would you rather be a princess or Hannah Montana? 2 for HM, Lucas and I said, “WTF?”
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Lucas' storytime
We were at my mom's over the weekend. I was in the kitchen and looked over and saw this.
Lucas was reading one of his chapter books to Milan, and baby Jack (not pictured, but laying close by on the blanket). It was one of the cutest sights ever.
Lucas was reading one of his chapter books to Milan, and baby Jack (not pictured, but laying close by on the blanket). It was one of the cutest sights ever.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Lucas' book group
We are involved in carpools up the wazzoo to get Lucas to and from school. Even though it seems complex, with four different people driving him during the week, including myself, it's been a lifesaver. Plus, when I drive Lucas and his friends I get to overhear their conversations.
On the way home the other day, Lucas and his buddy were talking about their day's trip to the school library.
They were talking back and forth about different books, their conversation going something like this:
"Have you read the Magic Treehouse book 'Pirates Past Noon'?"
"That was a good one. How about the one about polar bears?"
"Oh, Polar Bears Past Bedtime, yeah I liked that one too"
And so on and so on.
After dropping off his friend, I said to Lucas, "You know how you and Linden were talking about books, that's like what I do in my book group. You and Linden were having your own little book group."
Lucas, not impressed, said, "Yeah, but we didn't get to have dessert like you." I guess not all book groups are created equal.
On the way home the other day, Lucas and his buddy were talking about their day's trip to the school library.
They were talking back and forth about different books, their conversation going something like this:
"Have you read the Magic Treehouse book 'Pirates Past Noon'?"
"That was a good one. How about the one about polar bears?"
"Oh, Polar Bears Past Bedtime, yeah I liked that one too"
And so on and so on.After dropping off his friend, I said to Lucas, "You know how you and Linden were talking about books, that's like what I do in my book group. You and Linden were having your own little book group."
Lucas, not impressed, said, "Yeah, but we didn't get to have dessert like you." I guess not all book groups are created equal.
Monday, September 08, 2008
A conversation I overheard
So I admit, I'm addicted to Facebook. I use it more than email now to communicate to my friends. And the best part is, just like at a dinner party, I can overhear snippets of conversations, which I can jump in on or not, as the case may be.
Here is my friend Julie's status update:
Julie forced her vacationing mom to watch all 5 hours of the DNC and has just introduced her to the comedic genius of John Stewart. Lewis Black is next. 8:30pm - 11 Comments
And the following exchange that ensued...
Timothy at 5:37am August 29 - enough of the liberal tear jerking. dont you have Texas roots? reach deep into those roots and see the light.
Julie at 7:23am August 29 - Where do I live, Tim? Where. Do. I. Live? [she lives in Berkeley]
Timothy at 7:26am August 29 - hilarious. but in private i know you will be GOP.
Timothy at 9:21am August 29 - sarah palin baby. thats all i can say
Julie at 9:34am September 7 - The more I learn about her, the more despicable I find her. If you had daughters, you might feel differently...I think of the world I'm leaving my daughter, and I shudder at what the GOP assholes want to do to her.
Timothy at 10:37am September 7 - oh shit, its just a VP. lighten up. mccain wont rock the boat socially either. hes a border line liberal. what you get with mccain is an effective tax reduction supporter and small business hero.
Julie at 1:35pm September 7 - He's just another meat puppet of Rove's. I swear I saw the strings during his acceptance speech.
Sunny McKay at 2:29pm September 7 - julie, you're not crazy. i saw those strings too. and i agree, it's not just a vp, mccain is not going to last in office - he's 72, but being a pow, his real age is probably pushing 80. then we'll all be truly fucked!
Timothy at 9:16am September 8 - you know i have a county gop meeting on thur and we may well adopt that slogan
Monday, September 01, 2008
My heart is full of what?
Lucas and I play this game where he's usually appointed the big tiger, and I'm reduced to playing a baby mouse, or baby owl, or some other infantile creature. Oh, and no matter what creature I am, he always says, "And your name is Chubby."
Anyway, we were playing this the other morning (me playing Chubby the baby mouse) and Lucas is ready to go off and hunt for food. I said to him, "Are you sure I'll be okay here? I'm just a baby mouse." Lucas looks at me to assure me that he will be back soon after he hunts for food for us. Then he says, "You will be strong if you need to be, because your heart is full of secrets."
WHAT? Yep, I asked him to repeat it and he said, "Your heart is full of secrets." I asked him later about it and he denied that he ever said anything like that.
Anyway, we were playing this the other morning (me playing Chubby the baby mouse) and Lucas is ready to go off and hunt for food. I said to him, "Are you sure I'll be okay here? I'm just a baby mouse." Lucas looks at me to assure me that he will be back soon after he hunts for food for us. Then he says, "You will be strong if you need to be, because your heart is full of secrets."
WHAT? Yep, I asked him to repeat it and he said, "Your heart is full of secrets." I asked him later about it and he denied that he ever said anything like that.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Kindergarten - days 2 and 3
I don't plan on chronicling every single day of Lucas' school life, but bear with me...
Lucas continues to love his school. This has been such a huge relief for us, as we remember how it used to take Lucas a long time to warm up to new things, and the going was never easy.
I think back to the school tours, open houses, and other pre-admissions events for all these schools, and the one thing that stood out about this school was that they really emphasized how from day one they foster and promote a shared sense of community and respect. And it really shows, even with just 3 days under our belt.
- I was waiting for Lucas after school and a few of the older kids were walking by. One boy said to the other, "It's pretty fun to have a whole new group of kindergarteners here." And one of the girls said, "Yeah, did you see how cute they are?" It was really nice to hear that. I'm sure there will be issues, but at least on day three, they felt a sense of responsibility toward the littler ones.
- When Lucas' friend was on one of the Flying Turtles and fell off face first, immediately one of the school plans went into effect. The older kids with him shot up their arms and yelled, "He's hurt! I don't know his name, but he's hurt!" And two of the after school teachers went over to see how he was (he survived the Flying Turtle incident with just a few scrapes).
- The one hard part about this school is that it's hard to drag Lucas away. When I went to pick him up the other day he just kept playing. The after school director went up to him and essentially said, "We all manage this program together. One of the biggest rules is that you need to listen to other kids, the teachers, and your parents. That's why the after school program works so well and that's why we get to have fun here." Then he asked Lucas repeat it back to him and we were on our way.
- Aside from the Flying Turtles, the other most-coveted items are the bottom boards. They're
little skateboards that they ride on, sitting on their bottoms. They can ride down this little ramp (see above), or tie ropes to them and pull each other around on the black-top. One of the other things about after school is that the older kids teach the younger kids how to do things, instead of the teachers doing it. Lucas tried the b-board on day one, but was very cautious and mostly kind of scooted down the ramp. But by day 3, he had mastered it with the help of his coach, who's standing off to the side.
On Friday morning parents were invited to stay for the morning all-school assembly to raise the flags. The 4th graders are in charge of raising the flags every day, but this was the first time this year. The 4th grade teacher talked about the flags, but what I thought was nice, was that she started with a world view, with a school alum singing the "World Anthem", she had an amazing voice and I got the chills. Fresh from watching a lot of the speeches from the Democratic National Convention, I was feeling especially patriotic. Then all the kids sang "This Land is Your Land" and I got downright weepy.
Then when I picked up Lucas yesterday afternoon, I saw pieces of paper taped up along the main corridor. Here's one of the signs.
The rest were more general, "Go Obama", "Vote for Obama", "Obama for Change". You gotta love living in the Bay Area.
Lucas continues to love his school. This has been such a huge relief for us, as we remember how it used to take Lucas a long time to warm up to new things, and the going was never easy.
I think back to the school tours, open houses, and other pre-admissions events for all these schools, and the one thing that stood out about this school was that they really emphasized how from day one they foster and promote a shared sense of community and respect. And it really shows, even with just 3 days under our belt.
- I was waiting for Lucas after school and a few of the older kids were walking by. One boy said to the other, "It's pretty fun to have a whole new group of kindergarteners here." And one of the girls said, "Yeah, did you see how cute they are?" It was really nice to hear that. I'm sure there will be issues, but at least on day three, they felt a sense of responsibility toward the littler ones.
- When Lucas' friend was on one of the Flying Turtles and fell off face first, immediately one of the school plans went into effect. The older kids with him shot up their arms and yelled, "He's hurt! I don't know his name, but he's hurt!" And two of the after school teachers went over to see how he was (he survived the Flying Turtle incident with just a few scrapes).
- The one hard part about this school is that it's hard to drag Lucas away. When I went to pick him up the other day he just kept playing. The after school director went up to him and essentially said, "We all manage this program together. One of the biggest rules is that you need to listen to other kids, the teachers, and your parents. That's why the after school program works so well and that's why we get to have fun here." Then he asked Lucas repeat it back to him and we were on our way.
- Aside from the Flying Turtles, the other most-coveted items are the bottom boards. They're
little skateboards that they ride on, sitting on their bottoms. They can ride down this little ramp (see above), or tie ropes to them and pull each other around on the black-top. One of the other things about after school is that the older kids teach the younger kids how to do things, instead of the teachers doing it. Lucas tried the b-board on day one, but was very cautious and mostly kind of scooted down the ramp. But by day 3, he had mastered it with the help of his coach, who's standing off to the side.On Friday morning parents were invited to stay for the morning all-school assembly to raise the flags. The 4th graders are in charge of raising the flags every day, but this was the first time this year. The 4th grade teacher talked about the flags, but what I thought was nice, was that she started with a world view, with a school alum singing the "World Anthem", she had an amazing voice and I got the chills. Fresh from watching a lot of the speeches from the Democratic National Convention, I was feeling especially patriotic. Then all the kids sang "This Land is Your Land" and I got downright weepy.
Then when I picked up Lucas yesterday afternoon, I saw pieces of paper taped up along the main corridor. Here's one of the signs.
The rest were more general, "Go Obama", "Vote for Obama", "Obama for Change". You gotta love living in the Bay Area.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
1st day of kindergarten!!!
(This is a long post, so if you just want the synopsis - Lucas loved everything about school! Yay)
I'll start with the day before K, which was Tuesday.
We went to a kindergarten get-together at a local park the day before school with his future classmates and their teachers. Even on the drive over there, thoughts were bent toward the first day of school, "Will I have fun at my new school? What if I don't like the teachers?" Once we got there we introduced Lucas to his teachers. And we all, parents included, sat down in a big circle time. Kevin and I were surprised when Lucas raised his hand during circle time to ask a question. "Will we have circle time at school?" The teachers assured him that they would have not one, but two circle times a day. At the end of circle time the teachers gathered the kids around to read a book about a kid who is getting ready to go to kindergarten (surprise!).
After the book, the kids went running wild throughout the park. I introduced Lucas to a boy who, rumor had it, loves LEGOS and Star Wars as much as Lucas. And immediately they were off and running. Lucas' new buddy invited us (actually he really invited Lucas) to dinner with him. So we hit Rubio's with Lucas' new found buddy and his family, plus another incoming kindergarten family.
It was hard for Lucas to tear himself away from his new buddy, but we finally tore those two apart. Lucas talking on the way home about organizing a play date, etc.
Lucas awoke the next morning with some extra energy, which I account for as nervous energy. He got dressed in his school t-shirt and expressed his energy with a long string of potty talk. We told him to get his jollies out before he got into that classroom because it would end there. During the drive, he again expressed some concern about his new school, "I think one of my teachers is a vampire."
But once we got to school, he was all business. He was too busy to pose in front of the school sign, like the kid in the upper left, he wanted to get to the playground and start playing.
We also tried posing for a family photo at the playground, but it was hard to contain Lucas, so this is the best one we got. 
Lucas immediately sought out his new buddy. They found each other and started to do what any crazy 5-year olds would do on the first day of school...
Actually, they weren't trying to escape, they just wanted to get up to that tree and swing from the branches.
At 8:40, the kids lined up and filed inside their new classroom, found their cubbies and hung up their goods.
The class starts each day with a morning "meeting", this time the parents were invited to stay. The teachers, Liz and Diep, introduced themselves and asked all the kids to introduce themselves and tell everyone their favorite animals. Lucas of course said his was a tiger.
The first order of business was the calendar and weather chart. Lucas looked at me with a smile because they did the same thing at his old school. And Lucas, like most kids, loves routine and familiarity.
They talked about bathroom etiquette (they taught them to use the sign language sign for bathroom, which surprisingly, is not holding your crotch) and directed them to the bathroom which is in the classroom (another source of concern for Lucas, "What if I can't find the bathroom?"). Then they went through the rest of the day's schedule and took roll call.
The the teachers said, "Now it's time to say goodbye to your parents." The kids turned around and waved and we were ushered to the music room with the other kindergarten parents. At this parent coffee, I signed our lives away to eScrip, joined probably one too many committees and chatted it up with the other parents. Even Kevin was unusually social, the parents seemed relaxed and relieved that the first drop off was over.
Back at the office, it was hard not to think about Lucas and how he was getting along on his first day of school. I left work early so I could pick him up just a little bit after the afterschool program started.
I got there and he was still in his fencing class. I peeked in and saw him, with some of the kids from his class. He was having a great time. Aside from fencing with these foam swords (not much difference than the light saber wars we have at home), they had lots of jumping exercises.
After fencing we walked down to the afterschool area. And once we got down there he didn't want to leave. He and one of the kids from his class were playing LEGOs, then some older girls taught him the finer points of the flying turtle.
After about an hour, Lucas was finally ready to leave. He was talking to me about all the things they did that day, nonstop, and could not stop smiling.
I'll start with the day before K, which was Tuesday.
We went to a kindergarten get-together at a local park the day before school with his future classmates and their teachers. Even on the drive over there, thoughts were bent toward the first day of school, "Will I have fun at my new school? What if I don't like the teachers?" Once we got there we introduced Lucas to his teachers. And we all, parents included, sat down in a big circle time. Kevin and I were surprised when Lucas raised his hand during circle time to ask a question. "Will we have circle time at school?" The teachers assured him that they would have not one, but two circle times a day. At the end of circle time the teachers gathered the kids around to read a book about a kid who is getting ready to go to kindergarten (surprise!).
After the book, the kids went running wild throughout the park. I introduced Lucas to a boy who, rumor had it, loves LEGOS and Star Wars as much as Lucas. And immediately they were off and running. Lucas' new buddy invited us (actually he really invited Lucas) to dinner with him. So we hit Rubio's with Lucas' new found buddy and his family, plus another incoming kindergarten family.
It was hard for Lucas to tear himself away from his new buddy, but we finally tore those two apart. Lucas talking on the way home about organizing a play date, etc.
Lucas awoke the next morning with some extra energy, which I account for as nervous energy. He got dressed in his school t-shirt and expressed his energy with a long string of potty talk. We told him to get his jollies out before he got into that classroom because it would end there. During the drive, he again expressed some concern about his new school, "I think one of my teachers is a vampire."
But once we got to school, he was all business. He was too busy to pose in front of the school sign, like the kid in the upper left, he wanted to get to the playground and start playing.
We also tried posing for a family photo at the playground, but it was hard to contain Lucas, so this is the best one we got. 
Lucas immediately sought out his new buddy. They found each other and started to do what any crazy 5-year olds would do on the first day of school...
Actually, they weren't trying to escape, they just wanted to get up to that tree and swing from the branches.
At 8:40, the kids lined up and filed inside their new classroom, found their cubbies and hung up their goods.
The class starts each day with a morning "meeting", this time the parents were invited to stay. The teachers, Liz and Diep, introduced themselves and asked all the kids to introduce themselves and tell everyone their favorite animals. Lucas of course said his was a tiger.
The first order of business was the calendar and weather chart. Lucas looked at me with a smile because they did the same thing at his old school. And Lucas, like most kids, loves routine and familiarity.
They talked about bathroom etiquette (they taught them to use the sign language sign for bathroom, which surprisingly, is not holding your crotch) and directed them to the bathroom which is in the classroom (another source of concern for Lucas, "What if I can't find the bathroom?"). Then they went through the rest of the day's schedule and took roll call.
The the teachers said, "Now it's time to say goodbye to your parents." The kids turned around and waved and we were ushered to the music room with the other kindergarten parents. At this parent coffee, I signed our lives away to eScrip, joined probably one too many committees and chatted it up with the other parents. Even Kevin was unusually social, the parents seemed relaxed and relieved that the first drop off was over.
Back at the office, it was hard not to think about Lucas and how he was getting along on his first day of school. I left work early so I could pick him up just a little bit after the afterschool program started.
I got there and he was still in his fencing class. I peeked in and saw him, with some of the kids from his class. He was having a great time. Aside from fencing with these foam swords (not much difference than the light saber wars we have at home), they had lots of jumping exercises.
After fencing we walked down to the afterschool area. And once we got down there he didn't want to leave. He and one of the kids from his class were playing LEGOs, then some older girls taught him the finer points of the flying turtle.
After about an hour, Lucas was finally ready to leave. He was talking to me about all the things they did that day, nonstop, and could not stop smiling.
- We have recess and lunch outside, and recess is the same as playtime at my old school, but recess is for bigger kids.
- I played LEGOs and there are all sorts of different LEGO pieces at school, like windshields.
- So-and-so also had a Speed Racer snack box, just like mine.
- We did a scavenger hunt, but not to find treasures, to find things in the classroom, like tissues, glue, paper...
- I got to do fencing with some of the older kids (I think his class is K-2) and I did really good.
I think this photo as we left school sums up Lucas' experience on his first day of kindergarten. 
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Yet another day at the office
I have pictures of all of Lucas’ big events, except for what happened today at work. He was at work with me all day. Chris, one of the guys in our warehouse told me that when I bring Lucas in, he will give him a ride in the forklift.
Of course, this was huge news for Lucas and he looked forward to it all day.
Post-lunch we headed over to the warehouse. Not only did he get to ride in the forklift, but Chris let him DRIVE the forklift…yes, drive.
Lucas got to control the gas and brake, steer (though after a couple minutes Chris took over the steering), and he also got to do some real work. Chris had him go over to a pallet of Clif products, pull the lever to lift it up onto the lift, and drove it over to the other side of the warehouse.
Lucas’ mouth was wide open the whole time. I thought he was going to start drooling any minute. I, on the other hand, was sweating. Lucas couldn’t believe it. And frankly, neither could I.
Of course, this was huge news for Lucas and he looked forward to it all day.
Post-lunch we headed over to the warehouse. Not only did he get to ride in the forklift, but Chris let him DRIVE the forklift…yes, drive.
Lucas got to control the gas and brake, steer (though after a couple minutes Chris took over the steering), and he also got to do some real work. Chris had him go over to a pallet of Clif products, pull the lever to lift it up onto the lift, and drove it over to the other side of the warehouse.
Lucas’ mouth was wide open the whole time. I thought he was going to start drooling any minute. I, on the other hand, was sweating. Lucas couldn’t believe it. And frankly, neither could I.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Another day at the office
I'm fortunate enough to have found a job working at ClifBar, yes the company that makes those little bars that you eat when you go for a hike, or in our case, when you're sitting in traffic with a hungry 5-year old.
On Tuesday we had a party at work. Lucas and Kevin came by to check out my new office. Clif has all sorts of fun things for big and little kids to do.
Lucas got to sit in the forklift in our warehouse.
And they both had fun on the climbing wall in the office.
As far as my job goes, it's been great so far. My title is "Women's Experience Manager" for the LUNA brand. And specifically, I market LUNA to pregnant women, moms, and other folks who we call "Mavens", who are ambassadors to the LUNA brand and go out in their community and hand out LUNA samples and tell people all the great things about LUNA bars.
Clif has tons of employee perks, which I immediately started taking advantage of:
- on site gym with free personal trainers
- 30+ fitness classes a week, also free
- on site nutritionist, free
- subsidized massages ($30 for an hour, half that for half hour)
- $5 organic lunches on site a couple days a week
- dog-friendly office (Maggie has enjoyed coming into the office with me a few times already)
- on site hair cut appointments
- on site car wash and detailing (I've washed my car more times in the past month than in the last three years)
- and of course, as many Clif products as I can eat (I'm currently trying to wean myself down to 1/2 a bar a day)
- beginning mid-October, I'll be able to take half days on Friday.
Anyway, that's where I am during the day. Not too shabby for a full-time gig.
On Tuesday we had a party at work. Lucas and Kevin came by to check out my new office. Clif has all sorts of fun things for big and little kids to do.
Lucas got to sit in the forklift in our warehouse.
And they both had fun on the climbing wall in the office.
As far as my job goes, it's been great so far. My title is "Women's Experience Manager" for the LUNA brand. And specifically, I market LUNA to pregnant women, moms, and other folks who we call "Mavens", who are ambassadors to the LUNA brand and go out in their community and hand out LUNA samples and tell people all the great things about LUNA bars.Clif has tons of employee perks, which I immediately started taking advantage of:
- on site gym with free personal trainers
- 30+ fitness classes a week, also free
- on site nutritionist, free
- subsidized massages ($30 for an hour, half that for half hour)
- $5 organic lunches on site a couple days a week
- dog-friendly office (Maggie has enjoyed coming into the office with me a few times already)
- on site hair cut appointments
- on site car wash and detailing (I've washed my car more times in the past month than in the last three years)
- and of course, as many Clif products as I can eat (I'm currently trying to wean myself down to 1/2 a bar a day)
- beginning mid-October, I'll be able to take half days on Friday.
Anyway, that's where I am during the day. Not too shabby for a full-time gig.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Kindergarten jitters
With kindergarten starting up this Wednesday, Lucas has been dealing with leaving his friends and teachers who he loves behind and starting up at a brand new school with all new kids. Unfortunately, none of his friends will be going to his school.
A couple weeks ago we had a informal picnic at his new school with other incoming kindergarten kids. There were about 10 kids there, all girls, but a couple in his class. He had a great time and on the way home asked, "Mommy, when can I go back to that school?" I assured him that in a few weeks he would be going Monday-Friday and seeing those same kids plus many more.
Then last week I made the fatal error of having one of his preschool teachers babysit. They had a wonderful time, but the next day he said, "I'm never going to see Catherine again!" And it kind of went down hill from there.
On the outside I reassure him that no one he knows is dying or has plans to die anytime soon. But on the inside I'm thinking, "Dude, no one's dying, it's just kindergarten!"
A couple weeks ago we had a informal picnic at his new school with other incoming kindergarten kids. There were about 10 kids there, all girls, but a couple in his class. He had a great time and on the way home asked, "Mommy, when can I go back to that school?" I assured him that in a few weeks he would be going Monday-Friday and seeing those same kids plus many more.
Then last week I made the fatal error of having one of his preschool teachers babysit. They had a wonderful time, but the next day he said, "I'm never going to see Catherine again!" And it kind of went down hill from there.
- When he said, "I want to go back to Growing Light," I told him that all his friends are moving on to different schools so we went through his class photo and talked about where all the kids are going. I assured him that we would still do play dates with his friends and continue to meet up on Sundays with a few of them for baseball/soccer/sport du jour.
- He asks me at least once a day, "Will I have fun at my new school?" I ask him what types of things he likes to do at school, and for the most part, I can assure him that he will be able to do those same things at his new school.
- I also remind him of the other fun things that he will do at his new school that they didn't have at his old school - fencing and playing in the loft in his classroom, both of which he is very excited about.
On the outside I reassure him that no one he knows is dying or has plans to die anytime soon. But on the inside I'm thinking, "Dude, no one's dying, it's just kindergarten!"
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Playdate from hell
This past week Lucas was home with Kevin. Kevin had some work to do so we set up a couple kids to come over to play with Lucas.
The first one went swimmingly. Lucas and his friend mostly made mud pies in the backyard. Kevin fixed them a lunch of yogurt and chips and guacamole (!!). According to Kevin, "They were really good. I peeked in on them a couple times but they were just having a great time." Lucas' friend went home happy, albeit muddy.
Then we had the second play date a couple days later. Throughout the day I checked in with Kevin, these are the reports I got back:
- they were making mud pies using Maggie's pooh
- Lucas' friend picked up Maggie's pooh by hand
- they cut a hole in the screen so they could climb out onto the roof (luckily, they only cut the screen and Kevin caught them before they went AWOL)
We were both anxious for Lucas' friend's dad to come back and get this little urchin out of our house.
When I got home, I asked Lucas how his play date went. He told me most of what happened. Then he also added in this tasty tidbit, "And my friend ate Maggie's dog pooh." Some other things this wild child did:
- climbed to the top of Lucas' closet and opened up all my new cans of tennis balls and left those sharp little lids everywhere
- ripped photos out of a book
- ripped some pages out of a book
- smudged the walls along the staircase
Granted, it could have been Lucas who had done these things, but I highly doubt it.
The first one went swimmingly. Lucas and his friend mostly made mud pies in the backyard. Kevin fixed them a lunch of yogurt and chips and guacamole (!!). According to Kevin, "They were really good. I peeked in on them a couple times but they were just having a great time." Lucas' friend went home happy, albeit muddy.
Then we had the second play date a couple days later. Throughout the day I checked in with Kevin, these are the reports I got back:
- they were making mud pies using Maggie's pooh
- Lucas' friend picked up Maggie's pooh by hand
- they cut a hole in the screen so they could climb out onto the roof (luckily, they only cut the screen and Kevin caught them before they went AWOL)
We were both anxious for Lucas' friend's dad to come back and get this little urchin out of our house.
When I got home, I asked Lucas how his play date went. He told me most of what happened. Then he also added in this tasty tidbit, "And my friend ate Maggie's dog pooh." Some other things this wild child did:
- climbed to the top of Lucas' closet and opened up all my new cans of tennis balls and left those sharp little lids everywhere
- ripped photos out of a book
- ripped some pages out of a book
- smudged the walls along the staircase
Granted, it could have been Lucas who had done these things, but I highly doubt it.
Friday, August 15, 2008
He did it!
Lucas graduated from his preschool today. There was a big celebration, each of the 4 classes took their turn on stage to perform.
Lucas' class sang a song, which was hard to hear because it was really loud in the room (everyone, including kids, had already been sitting for almost an hour and were restless) and the kids, while I'm sure they sang their hearts out, had masks on, which covered their mouths.
The best moment was when they called Lucas' name to get his diploma and he went up and got it. (Last year when they called his name, he refused to go up and get his diploma.) There was no bowing, posing for the camera, or other theatrics on his part. He just went up and took it from the teacher, but that was fine by us.
I wonder if Lucas is thinking, "Yay, I graduated!!!"
Afterward Lucas and his friends had a great time running around and engaging in general 5-year old rowdiness.
Lucas' class sang a song, which was hard to hear because it was really loud in the room (everyone, including kids, had already been sitting for almost an hour and were restless) and the kids, while I'm sure they sang their hearts out, had masks on, which covered their mouths.
The best moment was when they called Lucas' name to get his diploma and he went up and got it. (Last year when they called his name, he refused to go up and get his diploma.) There was no bowing, posing for the camera, or other theatrics on his part. He just went up and took it from the teacher, but that was fine by us.
I wonder if Lucas is thinking, "Yay, I graduated!!!"
Afterward Lucas and his friends had a great time running around and engaging in general 5-year old rowdiness.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Talking politics
Lucas and I walked to the store tonight to pick up a few groceries. On our walk we passed by multiple Obama signs in people's windows or in their yards.
Lucas: Who are you going to vote for? Barack Obama or John McCain?
Me: Barack Obama.
Lucas: Why, is John McCain a bad man?
Me: He's not a bad man, but I don't agree with some things he says.
Lucas: Does he say bad things?
Me: I think some of the things he wants to do aren't good for the country or the world.
Lucas: Is it because he's so old and forgets things? You know, his hair is all white. He's very very old.
Lucas: Who are you going to vote for? Barack Obama or John McCain?
Me: Barack Obama.
Lucas: Why, is John McCain a bad man?
Me: He's not a bad man, but I don't agree with some things he says.
Lucas: Does he say bad things?
Me: I think some of the things he wants to do aren't good for the country or the world.
Lucas: Is it because he's so old and forgets things? You know, his hair is all white. He's very very old.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Cute as a ...
As of today at 12:25 pm, I have a brand new nephew named Jack. I know his parents don't like me to post photos of their kids, but believe me, he's a cutie!
Friday, August 08, 2008
Thursday, August 07, 2008
"What's for dinner?"
For years I've fantasized about meal planning...yes, meal planning. The idea that you would sit down on Sunday night and plan out each and every meal for the week: to shop more efficiently, to diversify the menu, and to mitigate any dramas at meal time (Lucas, not Kevin). I think Mrs. Cunningham and June Cleaver probably did this with their families, and look how easy their lives looked!!!
So three weeks ago, the weekend before I started working again, Lucas and I sat down and mapped out what he would eat for breakfast each weekday morning. We started with breakfast because Lucas is not a morning person, so our weekday mornings can be the most challenging time of the week. It went surprisingly well that week, and he ended up eating something different every morning.
The next week, I was just planning on doing breakfast again, but Lucas suggested we do all our meals. So we did. We had a couple incidents when our plans changed and we had to move things, but overall, it went well. It was the first week without a single quesadilla for dinner, and only one peanut butter sandwich for lunch!
I can't believe I never did this before, but it makes so much sense. Tuesday dinner is chicken, that means Wednesday lunch he gets chicken noodle soup, of course!
And of course, the shopping is so much easier. We just look at the list, assess what we have in house, and go to the store. No more meandering the aisles, lost in a daze about what I should buy. It's very liberating actually.
So this past weekend, Lucas said to me, "We have to make our menu for the week!" (Success!) I think this has worked so well for us because Lucas knows he has a voice in the process and gets to make a lot of the choices. We also have a couple standards...Friday night is macaroni and cheese, and every Sunday morning we have waffles.
My ultimate goal is to get to at least 10 weeks of menus so we can just rotate them in and out.
So three weeks ago, the weekend before I started working again, Lucas and I sat down and mapped out what he would eat for breakfast each weekday morning. We started with breakfast because Lucas is not a morning person, so our weekday mornings can be the most challenging time of the week. It went surprisingly well that week, and he ended up eating something different every morning.
The next week, I was just planning on doing breakfast again, but Lucas suggested we do all our meals. So we did. We had a couple incidents when our plans changed and we had to move things, but overall, it went well. It was the first week without a single quesadilla for dinner, and only one peanut butter sandwich for lunch!I can't believe I never did this before, but it makes so much sense. Tuesday dinner is chicken, that means Wednesday lunch he gets chicken noodle soup, of course!
And of course, the shopping is so much easier. We just look at the list, assess what we have in house, and go to the store. No more meandering the aisles, lost in a daze about what I should buy. It's very liberating actually.
So this past weekend, Lucas said to me, "We have to make our menu for the week!" (Success!) I think this has worked so well for us because Lucas knows he has a voice in the process and gets to make a lot of the choices. We also have a couple standards...Friday night is macaroni and cheese, and every Sunday morning we have waffles.
My ultimate goal is to get to at least 10 weeks of menus so we can just rotate them in and out.
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