Photo Round-up

Earlier this week, Emily went on a field trip with her kindergarten class. I got to drive in my van, a privilege which is highly overrated. If two 5-6-year-olds are noisy, then five of them are up there with, I don't know, someone cutting down a tree with an electric saw next door at 6 am. (This seems to happen fairly regularly in our neighborhood, peopled with retired gentlemen who can't sleep and are obsessed with their lawns.)

At any rate, the field trip was fun. It was Slim Goodbody. Yes, the same guy you might remember from PBS when you were a kid. He looks pretty good for 60, keeps it short, and even lets kids from the audience get a chance to come up on the stage. Of course, that also presents the developmental issue that children this age don't understand odds and all think they should get picked if anyone get picked. At least that's what Emily seemed to be saying when she briefly broke down after not being picked.

So here are photos from outside the building and in their seats before the show started (no flash photography or video cameras permitted during the show, natch). Emily and her cousin making silly faces.






I have to say, though, that I really do reconsider this private school thing when I hear behind me, one kid say to another, as another school files down the aisle to their seats, "Hey, look at the brown kids!" I can talk to her about how we all have different skin colors, and read books to her about slavery and discrimination and immigration, but if every day at school she's surrounded by white people . . .

And I don't blame the kid behind me, who was probably only 6 or 7 himself. He's just saying what he observes. It's not his fault that white people tend to whisper about race, as if it's impolite to acknowledge or might embarrass a minority who may not be aware that his skin is so dark. I think there are some things that can only be learned by actual association and conversation with children of other races, teachers of other races. Of course, there are lots of good things about her school, or else she wouldn't be going there. But it does make me think, and I will probably keep thinking.

Next up was Emily's Thanksgiving program, which substitutes for the annual Christmas program this year due to the difficulty of renting church space during the Christmas season. Seems that churches like to do Christmas shows, too. The program was cute, but only a few pictures of Emily made the cut. Turns out my camera doesn't do distance too well. Guess I knew that.





Huh. In that middle photo, it looks like she's wearing make-up, but SHE IS NOT. No way, no how.

Missing are today's soccer pictures from her second-to-last soccer game. Daddy had the camera (thanks to me) but forgot to use it. I can't blame him because I didn't remember for the first 6 games and 8 practices either. We get to keep the uniforms, so I guess we could even stage it later.

This week we've also been mired in snotty noses, sneezing, coughing, and the occasional upchuck by the smallest member of the family (not including the cat) who apparently responds to all viruses by throwing up. Also, the cat got fixed, and we had the carpet treated for the fleas with which we are apparently infested. (So that's what those little red bites on my ankles were!)

And Carlyle turned 33! Happy Birthday! We're going out to dinner tonight, sans kids. Yay!