It’s been way too long since I’ve posted. Aargh. Sorry about that folks! I know you readers are just dying to know what’s going on in our lives.

So here goes!

I’m going to go backwards because well, I can. This week is parent helper week at Claire’s school. Since her school is connected to a university, the students go home on fall break and the parents get to come in and help out. Yesterday morning was our day and since Jonathan had to be in court, I got to spend 3 hours in preschool. I can’t tell you how much fun and how totally exhausting it was. I really have a huge appreciation for people who teach preschool and kindergarten. My sister who is a teacher always says that it takes a really special person to teach kindergarten…those kids are just wired differently than older ones. Well she’s so right. I do have to say though, wow…3 year olds can be so much fun. One little boy, Leo came up to me, tugged on my shirt and had two tractor books and said “Claire’s Mommy, can you read these to me?” Claire was watching cautiously in case my undivided attention to her got usurped, but she was a little too busy doing the lacing cards to care that Leo got a turn. Anyway, he climbed into my lap and we read his tractor books. By the time I was finished there were 4 little kids trying to squish up against me as close as possible to read. I think we read 19 stories before Mrs. Lewis informed me “Mrs. Watson, it is now time for the children to do their activity. Please stand up and have them put their toys away.” Yes Ma’am. I heard a lot of “Mrs. Watson, please do not sit on the children’s chairs…Mrs. Watson, please help Marco get his shoes back on….Mrs. Watson, please stand in the hallway until all the children get back from the bathroom.” Hopefully next semester I’ll have a little better idea what the protocol is for the 3 year old room! It was so fun though. It’s nice to interact with the kids that Claire considers her friends…..and she told me that “Wyatt and Claire are best friends” so I of course had to check him out. Ha! She did really well when I left and had a good happy afternoon.

I could really see the difference between Claire and some of the “older” 3’s. Some of the children are 6 months or more older than her and the differences in vocabulary were staggering. I was surprised to find my outgoing and excitable child a little timid at school, but I was pleased to see how polite she is to the other children and her teachers. I’m happy to see that it’s not an act — a couple of the college students have told me that she is VERY polite when I’m not around.

Madeline has another ear infection. Yucky. Jonathan took her to urgent care on Sunday night and the nurses were impressed that a Daddy was there with his little girl. Awww. He took her during my birthday party with my family because I didn’t want her to be miserable all night.

Oh yeah. It was my birthday and my dad’s birthday on Saturday. We celebrated by watching Notre Dame get shut out at home by U$C. Ugh. You know, I think I need to take a break from Notre Dame Stadium. They are 1-4 in the last 5 games that I’ve seen there, 3 of those losses being shutouts. I’m starting to think I’m bad luck. Luckily it was a GORGEOUS day at the stadium, so I wanted to share some of the great pictures.

My Dad & I outside of Howard Hall….

The team wore these HIDEOUS throwback 1977 uniforms. Too bad they didn’t wake up any echoes.

My Dad and I — celebrating the 30th anniversary of my birth. No mocking my sunglasses!! I should have taken a picture of the fantastic haircut that I got….That’s the front…the back is a LOT shorter.