Thursday was back-to-school night for Andrew. The Early Childhood Center had an open house for an hour in the evening, so we had the opportunity to explore Andrew’s room with him, meet his teachers, and mingle with the other families.
An easel sat near the front of the room, and we quickly discovered that it contained a daily report from Andrew, and Andrew only. His teacher told us that Andrew was the reporter for the week. His tools include a plastic fedora and microphone (which he of course refused to model for us), and his job was to get up in front of class each morning and report something that had happened to him that day. The other kids then get to ask questions.

Friday’s report remains a mystery, since this isn’t the sort of thing that Andrew likes to talk about at home.

So I’ve finally processed the pictures, and there’s two new albums up in the gallery: One from our vacation in Denver, and the other from Sarah’s wedding. The wedding was an all-too-rare extended family event for us, and I’m very happy we were able to introduce Maggie to her great-grandparents and all the other extended family. I’m also very grateful for Elise’s parents and brother joining us and giving us a little time to talk grownup talk to the other grownups.
Speaking of Mags, she surprised us with her passion for dancing at the reception. As soon as the adults cleared out, she found herself a square of parquet and proceeded to jackhammer it with her delicate little feet. She did that for four or five songs straight, and we almost had to drag her away.
I tell you now: we are in deep, deep trouble.

That’s right, he’s left the sleepy world of pre-school behind for the neon-drenched, leopard-print-spandex-clad world of Kindergarten. As you can see, he’s already tired of the paparazzi.

Make no mistake: Andrew is a shy kid. We all gathered in the auditorium for the principal’s welcoming address, but Andrew wouldn’t let go of me when it was time for him to go off with his class, even though he’s friends with two of his eighteen classmates. But when we parents wandered over to the classroom half an hour later, he was shouting out answers to questions. So I guess all the emotional stuff is just for my benefit.

Andrew is definitely ready for the real deal. He’s reading a few words, and I think he’ll benefit from a little more structure. We’re very enthusiastic about the school, even though we’re now outsiders in a Catholic setting. I’m certain we’ll have a lot of ‘splaining to do in the first few months, but I’m confident that Andrew will do well there, and that they’ll help form the whole kid. Now all I have to do is figure out how to handle the transportation will still finding time to squeeze in a little work…