The Mudroom

Today Bryn and I went to the Mudroom in Ardmore, a paint-your-own pottery studio. We had the place to ourselves, and Bryn was very diligent in her work. Even thought to paint the inside of her mug. She asked to paint a second piece, so we found something small -- a plaque to put on her bedroom door. She's excited to go back in a week to see her pottery after it's been fired in the kiln. We then went to lunch, then home to paint her nails in front of 10 minutes of the Olympic trials for swimming and another 10 minutes of the gymnastics trials.

When we went to pick Luke up at school, he and his classmates were being served a special treat for the upcoming Fourth of July holiday -- red, white and blue rocket popsicles. Just as he does when he eats ice cream, Luke was meticulous in eating his popsicle -- didn't get a single drop on his clothes. (In coming with me to get Luke, Bryn got a popsicle, too.)
Teacher Amallah said Luke had a great day, but she said he absolutely didn't want to take his clothes off for water play. Last week the teachers didn't force the issue, and Luke was the only kid in his class to play in the troughs of water while fully clothed; apparently he was very careful not to get himself wet, poor guy. But today, despite his resistance, Teacher Amallah put Luke in a swimmy diaper and swim trunks, and she said that once he got outside, he had a great time playing in the water with all of the toys. I forgot to tell Amallah that I battle Luke almost every day when it's time to get dressed either for play or for the pool, so in this instance, Luke's behavior at school wasn't any different than it is at home!

During circle time, Teacher Amallah read a book that we have on Bryn's bookshelf but haven't thought to transfer to Luke's room -- Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, in which the letters of the alphabet come to life and climb a tree. It's great that Luke's program is introducing letters and numbers as it's not something we've talked about at home, but as I think back, I believe Bryn, at two years of age, recognized the letters of the alphabet and the numbers one through nine.

Luke still doesn't transition easily from one activity to the next at school, but overall he's doing really well, and I feel comfortable in leaving the area next Wednesday when Bryn and I are scheduled to visit the Crayola Factory, which is about 70 miles away, with some friends.

In one last Lukey update, his latest trick is his ability to jump with both feet off the ground. Tonight, when I got back from the gym, he gave me a greeting reminiscent of Jack's, complete with three big jumps.