Rainbow snuggle

Every night when I put Maya to bed we snuggle up before I kiss her goodnight. And every night we say the same thing:

"Let's snuggle before I leave," I say and wrap my arm around her.

"OK, a rainbow snuggle, like this," she says and draws a rainbow in the air with her finger.

"OK, a rainbow snuggle," I say and I give her a squeeze.

And then she fidgets and turns and chats and wiggles and usually complains that my arm is in the wrong place or that my head is on her pillow or too close to hers.

And then I kiss her goodnight, usually shaking my head. But, I wouldn't change a thing.

"Hey, you have ballet shoes on ..."

Maya had her first dance and creative movement class today and boy is she a ham ... and that's the nice way of saying it.

The kids sat in a circle at the beginning of the class and the teacher asked them to say their names and ages. The first girl was too shy to speak. Maya, who was next, wasn't: "MAYA. I'm Free!"

After the introduction, the teacher asked the kids whether any of them wanted to show off their favorite dance move. Maya's hand flew up first. "Me!" She stood up and twirled in a circle several times. After a few kids showed off their favorite moves, she offered up another one, this one a twirl with one leg in the air for about half of the turn.

Next up, stretches. Maya to the teacher: "Hey, you have ballet shoes on. ... The other kids don't."

During another move, the teacher asked the kids to sit down and hold their ankles and flap their knees like a butterfly. Maya: "Guillermo climbed on a rock one day and hurt his ankle."

During a game, the kids were standing side by side in a line and the teacher stood in front of them. They were playing mirror, mimicking the teacher. The teacher then asked who wanted to be the first leader. Maya was first again. "ME!" She stood in front of the group and then suddenly turned shy. Don't worry though, after a few kids took turns being the mirror, Maya managed to be the mirror three more times.

She loved the class and can't wait to go back.

Music Festival

Today was the annual Carrboro Music Festival. How amazing is it that a town with about 17,000 people can host a day-long music festival that has more than 160 performances at 24 venues?

Unfortunately, I saw only about three performances and of those, heard only about two songs from each. Guillermo and Maya love the music festival for its giant bouncy castle slide and caterpillar-shaped tunnel, it's crazy train and its freshly-squeezed lemonade. Maya likes the music, but only some of it, and Guillermo could care less.

Still, we had fun. Lots of fun. Will was sick in bed (a bad cold, I think) so I took the kids. The highlight for Maya was riding the train, three times! The highlight for Guillermo was seeing his teacher walking on the street while we rode the train. When we ended that ride, we chased her down, Guillermo on her tail for about a half a block before he finally caught up to her. He was so pleased!

A Butterfly and an Alien

Maya and Guillermo had their faces painted today at the N.C. Literary Festival. Maya wanted to become a butterfly. She also wants to be a butterfly for Halloween, but she wants to be a Bad Butterfly. Guillermo is an alien, a surprise choice when he could have been Darth Maul.

So sweet...

So scary...

Even scarier!

A Song for Preschool

Each morning as we head to the car to go to preschool, Maya likes to sing this song.

"I'm on my way to go to preschool."

"It's a beautiful day to go to preschool."

"Hmmhm, hmmhm."

"It's a beautiful day for preschool."

"Yes it is. Yes it is."

She made it up. She varies up the song every so often, but mostly these are the words. By the way, she loves her school.

Maya's First Day

Before school

Maya had a great first day of preschool and can't wait to go back tomorrow.

We pulled into the parking lot today and she was giddy.

"Am I going to preschool?" she asked.

"Yes," I replied.

"And my teacher will be there?" she asked.

"Yes."

"And she will teach me a lot of things?" she asked.

"Yes, Maya."

The director said Maya was very busy at preschool, moving from activity to activity, and her teacher said she made friends quickly with another girl in her class. She left school with two of her own paintings in her hands and she was so proud to show them off to me.

And on our way to pick up Guillermo from school, she fell asleep in the stroller and took a nap that lasted two hours.

After school, showing off her painting.

When I'm 3, I go to Preschool

Dancing and dress up, two of her favorite things.

Maya heads to preschool for her first day tomorrow. Finally! (her words, not mine, though I am happy to be getting some time to myself!)

She is so excited, and has been for months, telling everyone '"When I'm 3, I go to preschool." We made a calendar a few weeks ago to count down the days until Guillermo started kindergarten and she started preschool. She was so disappointed to see that she had to wait an extra week.

I love her new preschool. She'll go for three hours, three mornings a week. Her teacher sent an e-mail to parents a few weeks ago asking us to tell her about anything special in our children's lives, any likes, dislikes, etc. I told Maya this and then asked what I should tell her teacher she liked.

Maya thought it over a bit and then said "I like lunch and snacks."

That's my girl.

(My e-mail to the teacher said Maya likes butterflies, she has an older brother, Guillermo, and wants to be Super Girl when she grows up.)