First Day of Preschool

Today was Sanjay's first day of the last year of preschool. He'll be going Mon/Wed/Fri mornings and this year he'll have the opportunity to eat lunch at school with his friends. He is really looking forward to it. He met some new friends with some of his old friend's names, like Matthew and Alex. And, he told me about the 2 kids that are "a little bit chubby". He came home singing the school welcome song and informed us of all the day's activities. It seems the school playground even has bikes, which he was particularly excited about. It should be a fun school year.

First Day of School - 2nd Grade

Today was Priya's first day of school. With the new puppy at home and her usual case of the this-is-something-new-jitters, when I was tucking her in last night she admitted that she didn't want to go to school. However, this morning she awoke on her own and got ready quickly and with a great attitude. She was happy about it after all. While driving to school, she started to get nervous about not remembering all the rules from last year. She said there were too many and she was afraid she would mess up and disobey a rule without knowing it, landing her in trouble. Caboose went with us to school and I think that helped ease the transition this morning as her mind was focused elsewhere.

When I picked her up from school she told me that she missed me a lot today and wanted to come home during lunch. Tonight when I tucked her in she told me she was worried about tomorrow and if the same thing would happen to her. She asked me what she should do. These are the tough times as a Mom, because what I wanted to say was... "Well, honey, how about tomorrow you just stay home with us?", but that's not possible. So I encouraged her to be strong and promised that I wouldn't pack her a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The rules don't seem clear on the peanuts in school. It seems as though some teachers allow it and others don't... I need to do some research. Anyway, she wasn't permitted to eat her peanut butter sandwich today so she was hungry which contributed to her stomach ache; the one that started because she missed me. So, those things, plus the reminder that this was only a 3 day week of school alleviated her concerns, at least for tonight. I suspect that within days, she'll be excited about waking up and going to spend more time with her new friends.

As usual, I snapped lots of photos this morning however in many of the pictures Priya's smile was forced and uneasy. This one was by far the best and from what she's holding in her arms, you can probably see why her smile is so natural.

Our New Baby

We went yesterday morning to pick out Caboose, a fitting name for his position in the family as the "last one". I think we probably over-analyzed this picking-a-puppy thing and we were possibly too prepared for the decision we were about to make. We had a list of tests to perform, characteristics to look for, things to avoid and yet it still took us more than an hour to decide which puppy to make part of our family. By the end, we had narrowed it down to 2 and from there it was really like flipping a coin. We ended up leaving this guy behind which oddly enough is making me more sad now that I've downloaded the pictures from my camera than it did that morning. If only we had the room and the patience for two puppies... we would have surely ended up with him as well.



But, alas, our Caboose is the one with the not-so-perfect markings, the curly hair, and the "gay" tail. All of which make this little puppy less of a Berner according to the breed standards. But, for us, he was a perfect match for a family pet. Here he is on the car ride home, taking very well all the oohing and aahing from the kids in the back seat. They can't get enough of him.



This is one of the first pictures of him at home. He got a little homesick by the time the sun went down last night. We could tell by his occasional whining and his inability to get relaxed. It was as if he was conveying these thoughts: "Ok, this has been fun but can you take me home now?".



However, today... relaxation was not a problem at all. Here he is enjoying the cool tile on the kitchen floor; his favorite spot for an afternoon nap.

On 2 Wheels

Sanjay's training wheels back home are broken, so I decided that he would learn to ride a 2-wheeler while we were in Maryland. I worked with him a bit in the grass the other day and he got the hang of it, but would only pedal like 2 revolutions after I let go of the seat. Although he figured out quickly how to put his feet down to stop from falling when the bike started tipping, he lacked confidence for some reason and was ready to stop soon after we began.

Today we went back out to show Pappy and this time things just clicked. We went to the pavement which he found easier than the grass. He mastered going down the driveway and coming back in a straight line with me giving him a push start. Then, he threw me to the curb and wanted to start by himself. It took about 3 tries and he mastered that. So, then he added turning to his repertoire. It was like every new trick was coming easily to him. He tried riding on the narrow sidewalk and he even started doing "wheelies". No kidding... they were tiny, but he was indeed getting the front wheel off the ground.

Here's a small video of the action:


Sanjay is a great learner for many reasons... and I love being his teacher. He almost always has a fantastic attitude. He isn't shy about trying new things and doesn't give up easily. Once he picks up a skill he will challenge himself to something a bit harder, to do it a little faster, to be a tad stronger. Whatever it is, he tries to do it better. I'm looking forward to seeing how this plays out as he grows up.

Family Reunion

We try to hook up with the family on our annual trip home. This year I left my camera inside. Can you believe it? I have personally taken no pictures of the event. Fortunately, my cousin Dana had her digital camera and she was snapping shots like crazy because after two years of ownership, she finally learned that the camera has a zoom function. :) Before she left, I snagged all of her pictures and here are the highlights...

She got a really cute picture of Sanjay and Sam (my youngest cousin, starting 9th grade this year). It's rare that you get either one of these boys looking at the camera, much less with a smile on their face.



You're more likely to end up with a photo like this when these two are your subjects.



She also got this lovely one of Priya... can you tell she just loves having her picture taken?



Among all the photos, I found a LOT of blurry ones and some great candids where no one is looking at the camera and some people are even picking their noses. Just kidding, but Dana is kind of known for walking around with the camera and just snapping away. You have to be careful. This has to be the best one from today... I cracked up when I saw it. What the heck is my Dad doing with that bungee cord? :)



Actually, I did have my camera out when our first guests arrived. Here they are: Cuteness Squared.



Let's do it all over again next year!

Deep Creek Lake

We spent a couple of days this week with my Aunt Weezie and her family on the lake in Western Maryland. Great weather, great company and great fun. We took the boat out every day and although the anchor didn't do a great job of holding us in place, after cruising around a bit on the lake, we'd look for a cove to go swimming and just cut the engine and enjoy being out there. Neither Sanjay nor Priya much enjoyed their tubing rides at a snail's pace (you can see the fear on Sanjay's face), but they did have a fun time overall. Here are the promised pictures of the tubing, my cousin water skiing and the extremely hot firepit where we roasted marshmallows at night. :)

Four Days...

at Nana and Pappy's house will do this to a little boy in the late afternoon.



We've been picnicing with old friends, biking, swinging, pony-riding and swimming in between all that. Tomorrow we're heading to western Maryland with Aunt Weezie and family to bask in the sun some more and maybe do some tubing behind her motorboat. Come back for photos of those adventures.