Callie as a Kindergartener

Each year our elementary kids write a young authors book and in each class they are awarded for the best book, honorable mention 1 & 2, best cover and best illustrator.  Callie got honorable mention.  I had not planned to go to the assembly and did not have my camera.  This is a picture from the school web site.  I did barrow a friend/coworkers camera but have not transferred those pics yet.  Since I had skipped a meeting to go to the assembly I had not figured out lunch so I ate in the cafeteria with Callie that day too.  She was excited to have won but sad that Catherine didn't win.  So we had some conversations about that - always a learning opportunity I guess.  I just hope I am saying the right things - there really should be a manual to this.  And I thought that I felt unprepared when she was a newborn.  I'm not sure that compares to what is ahead anymore.  The oldest really does break you in so much, huh?

Last weekend we went to Chuck E Cheese but I forgot my camera so no pics of that.  Chase didn't really enjoy it too much but Callie of course had a blast.  Chase was happy if he could stay in the one where you sat staring at a screen pretending to steer a car.  He didn't get the whole let others have a turn thing.

Callie got her name on the board in class for the first time so that was another learning experience.   She had a sub that day and I (never go into her classroom but did that day cause she had been home the day before sick and I wanted to see if she was ok and remind her that it was the church afterschool program that day since I knew it was a sub teacher) walked in right after it happened.  I hated that timing.  I think she handled it OK.  I had a meeting so Shannon picked the kids up but later on the way to gymnastics I asked her about it and she said will you be mad if I was following someone else and did what they did?  Later on in the conversation I asked if she knew she wasn't supposed to put water in the sand and she said will you be mad if I did know that I wasn't supposed to?  Oh I hope I am teaching the points that need to be taught.  Such a little thing that is nothing but I have to at least try to use it to teach not following, accepting the punishment if you knowingly do wrong, etc don't I?  I am way to much of a softy (OK for Callie I think but not so sure on Chase :-)

I forget how we all see things from our own perspective.  One day this week Callie asked about a photo I have of Connor in my office (nothing new has been there all year while she has been coming into my office).  She asked some of the questions we have to go over from time to time like how do you get to heaven, etc.  But this time she went on to ask about details of when/where it happened, how we knew, etc.  I don't ask so I was kinda surprised that she doesn't remember anything.  It makes sense since she was not even 3 yet but I guess cause the details are forever burnt into my mind I thought she would remember some of it.  Then that night at the dinner table she looks at me and asks if 2 year olds can die too (she had asked a couple times lately how old Connor was when he died - she is really into how old babies and kids are).  I am actually better at answering these questions than some cause from time to time she asks these things.  So my first response was simply I hope not and that usually you are old when you die but only God knows when you will die and her reply was along the lines of well I hope Chase won't die cause he has gotten older now and I would miss him/he is my friend something like that.  I said yes you have fun together and she said do you think Connor would have been as crazy/fun as Chase is?   Yes he would have been just as great as Chase and you are.  And then she was off to the next subject just like we had been discussing the weather.  I guess I just wanted to record it cause while the conversations are hard, especially for Shannon, in a way I like that she talks about it and remembers him in our family.

She sure is growing up!