Here's a little game we like to play at our house: Who Will Be the First to Cave and Take the Recycling and/or Trash Out Already? Who Will Hold Out the Longest before Someone Else Caves and Takes Out the Trash Already? Bonus excitement comes from the Jenga-like challenge of putting each new piece atop the heap.
Guess who always always always wins the game? (see below)
If you answered [Julie's] husband, YOU'RE RIGHT!
Another photo-intensive post! We survived the party. A clear path of birch tree seeds coats the hallway from the kitchen to the playroom and living room. All four of us (and the attendees, I'm sure) are exhausted. New friendships, toys, and art supplies. Success!
Cupcake preparation:
Same format as last year.
Bounce house.
Best friend. And marshmallow mouth.
Voted.
Today was a rare day with no school for Shmoo coinciding with a regular day off for HPR (Tues-Wed), so after doing our civic duty, we headed to the C & O Canal (Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center). You know—I never fail to have a nice time on the Potomac; I can see why George Washington was such a fan.
My favorite two marmots:
This was a first attempt at a photo for our holiday cards, but I hope we can do better:
See you tomorrow!
Earlier in the month, HPR and I presented at Shmoo's pre-K class for Peace Corps week. Well, HPR did most of the presenting, since he is the one who owns a traditional Bulgarian costume and learned how to play the gaida.
[Not pictured: All of Shmoo's classmates covering their ears. The school has a rule preventing publication of photos of the students.]
I got to hold an abbreviated-napped Roo as I tried to teach the steps to the Bulgarian hora and braid martenitsi with the kids. We love Shmooie's classmates and teachers. Shmoo beamed in pride that his parents were in his class. Once da Roo abandoned her clinginess, she had fun playing with the big kids (photo below doesn't show faces, so it goes in. Also, note the martenitsi on the wrists!). It was a great day.
[The kid in yellow later asked me whether Shmoo's beat-up water bottle is "what Bulgarians use to drink out of."]
Later in the week, we learned that Shmoo's classmates who go to Head Start were telling their bus driver all about Bulgaria. "Their flag has red, green, and white stripes!" "Look, I have a martenitsa - you wear it in spring until you see a stork! Then you tie it on a fruit tree!" "Yogurt is from Bulgaria!"
Just after I heard this, the bus driver came into the classroom and introduced herself to me. She is from Bulgaria (the rose capital) and has lived in Frederick for ten years.
I can't help imagining it. Say you're a green-card immigrant from a country that most Americans know nothing about. You drive a bus full of rambunctious 4- and 5-year-olds. Then out of nowhere the kids start telling you details about your homeland's customs and heritage. Our years of service were worth it just to have the opportunity to give someone that kind of surprise.
Peace Corps turns 50 next year. We'll probably continue to do Bulgaria presentations until the kids beg us to stop. Which will probably be just a few short years from now. Embarrassing your kid: the easiest job you'll ever love.
A few days ago I tweeted this:
When we told HPR about it that evening, Shmoo asked again whether he could have another cod liver oil capsule. I hammed it up and said "I'm sorry son, you can't have more cod liver oil until tomorrow." He registered his complaint. HPR remarked that we needed to get it on film, so he grabbed the camera and voila.
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