Extracurriculars

Showing off his moves at Maya's birthday party in June.

Outside her trial ballet class in August.

We've settled on fall activities for both kids.

Guillermo will take Aikido. He will learn, among other things, how to "go from fast action to stillness quickly and respectfully when they 'sit like a rock' or 'stand like a tree.'" The class is once a week. No soccer. Maybe in the spring?

Maya will take ballet class once a week. Ballet? Yeah, I know. But she wants to and I'm not interested in signing her up for soccer yet. I'll wait another year or two. She took a trial ballet class last weekend and seemed to have a great time, but then had a breakdown on the way home. For the past two days, she's been asking to take a ballet class again. We'll try it for a month.

That's it. No overload. No pressure. Just enough as they ease into their new schools.

Lots of Kindergarten Prep Around Here

Guillermo starts kindergarten in less than two weeks and this week was filled with several events to get him ready.

On Tuesday, we went to storytime with the principal, where she read "The Principal from the Black Lagoon," and then took the kids on a tour of her office. Her office has an old Pac Man video game and she used to have a PlayStation. It broke and now she says she is either going to get another one or buy a Wii. Guillermo was pretty interested in that, and with the dolphin cookie jar that contained treats that she gave each of the kids.

On Thursday, we went to a kindergarten playgroup and Guillermo met another boy he played with for awhile. Later that night, we went to "Popsicles with the Principal" in the elementary school gym. Someone had set out balls, jump ropes and scooters for the kids to play with. Guillermo's eyes lit up when he saw a few small trampolines and he skipped out on the popsicle line so he could go jump. He hung pretty close to me most of the night even though he knew some kids from our neighborhood or from preschool, but toward the end of the evening he found the boy from playgroup and they were running around the gym.

As for whether he's ready, well, he's interested in kindergarten, but also seems rather indifferent. He's like Will that way. Maya, on the other hand, can't wait for preschool, and tells everyone she meets that she'll be going soon. She gets that from me.

"When Can I be a boy?"

Very girly at the kids museum last weekend.

Two days in a row now, Maya has asked the same question.

"When will I be a boy?"

And she asks in the same place, the bathroom, as she is going potty. Today, we were in the bathroom at the pool.

"You won't become a boy, Maya," I say each time.

"But I want to be a boy," she whines.

I already know the answer but I ask why anyway.

"So I can do this," she says and circles her arm to her back. "So I can go potty like Guillermo and Papa."

"Boys can go potty standing up, but girls can't," I say and am met with a pout.

But today, I whispered to her: "You are so lucky you are a girl. Girls are as strong as boys and as smart as boys, but girls get to wear twirly dresses and boys don't," I say.

She didn't answer, but she must have heard me.

We finished up and I walked a little ahead of her to the door. When I turned around I saw her admiring the skirt on the bottom half of her bikini. And, she was grinning.

Fortresses and Butterflies

Today on an early morning hike, Guillermo and Maya and I discovered a secret fortress. Well, it sort of looked like a hideout made out of sticks and vines. Guillermo was ecstatic, but insisted that bad guys lived there so we had to block all entrances to the cave. That meant we put up sticks between trees to sort of make a fence around the front of the cave. Guillermo can't wait to go back to build the fence even stronger.

Maya had fun with the fortress but grew tired as we neared the end of our 1.5 hour hike. Luckily at that time, a few butterflies flew by and one nearly flew into her eye. She brushed it away and then scratched at her eye as the butterfly landed in her hair and stayed for a few seconds. She had no idea the butterfly had made her head a temporary resting spot, but was delighted to learn it. It gave her the energy boast she needed to make it back home.

Later today, at the pool, I told her that her new preschool teacher sent out a letter and wanted to know some of the things she really liked. "Butterflies. I really like butterflies. I like to catch them," she said.

Chicken Nuggets

Maya and I went school shopping today. We bought the cutest backpack and matching lunch box and she is thrilled. And she is over the moon about going to preschool next month. She tells everyone she sees : "I go to preschool next month. Guillermo is going to kindergarten."

I'm pretty excited for them to go, too. I loved school and I hope they will, too. I'm eager for them to meet new friends and learn new things and explore on their own a little bit more. Of course, a part of me is sad. The past three years have been incredible for me and, hopefully, for them. And that is what I was thinking about today, while happily Maya ate a subway sandwich at the mall food court.

I started to get a little teary and I knew I shouldn't have said it, but I couldn't help myself.

"I'm going to miss you when you are at preschool," I said.

She smiled, at least I think she did.

I couldn't stop myself. Gratuitously, I asked: "Are you going to miss me?"

Her response: "I think I smell chicken nuggets."

I don't think she heard me, which is good. Or, if she did, I think she gave a fine answer.

Week with Grandpa and Ya Ya

Maya and Ya Ya

My parents came to take care of Guillermo and Maya last week while I recovered from surgery and I bet my kids wished I had surgery more often (or at least left them in the care of my parents more often).

My parents arrived a few days before my big day so we spent a day at Jordan Lake, where they helped calm Maya's fears of the ocean. Of course, we weren't at the ocean, but Maya thought we were and they persuaded her to put a foot in the water, and then walk in the water up to her knees and soon enough, she was in all the way to her belly and then we were helping her swim. Guillermo had a great time and he and Maya built an elaborate sand castle.

During the week, my parents made sure the kids were busy each day. On Monday, after Guillermo's swim lessons, they took the kids to the Lego Store and to Build-A-Bear, where Maya bought a bikini for her bear. The set is complete with a beach ball, googles, towel and flip flops. During the week, they also saw the movie "G-Force," and went swimming a lot. Guillermo is doing so well now. He jumps in and swims back to the ladder himself. He even swam underwater through my parents legs! I'm so glad a summer of lessons is paying off. Maya really loves swimming now and is more confident in the water. We'll start lessons for her this winter.

I have only a few pictures of that fun week. We took so many just the week prior at my parents' house that we barely picked up the camera last week. Now, I wish I had a few more.

Little Farmers Camp

Guillermo went to his first day of camp today. I signed him up for one week of camp at The Farm, the UNC club where we swim. He seemed to have a good time, but was pretty tired this afternoon. He was nervous last night because he wouldn't know anyone but today when I asked if he had made any friends, he said that one kid, a boy, wanted to be Guillermo's friend and Guillermo wanted friends with that kid too. So, there you have it. Guillermo doesn't know the kids' name, of course.

I did like picking him up this afternoon. He was waiting with his backpack on, his lunch box in one hand and a red and black drawing of a battle scene he made in the other and a new blue foam visor in his head. And he was smiling.