The End of the School Year

Amiya has been very, very busy with everything going on at school to wrap things up. Her teacher has been phenomenal and she did a great project with the students wherein each child studied an animal and then completed a research project on said animal. When the research was completed, each child wrote a book and created artwork. As a class, they created graphs comparing the animals and learned a song and a poem. Then parents and siblings were invited to attend their Zoo Museum at school.

Amiya was very excited about the Zoo Museum. She loves any sort of show in which she has a starring role, but she's never had any lines to speak so far, so this was all well and beyond her previous experiences.

Amiya, along with a very nice classmate, got to introduce various parts of the Museum. She was extremely poised - I was actually surprised a bit by it. No nerves, no bumbles. Very clear, metered speaking. We got many comments afterwards about how nicely she did.

And then she was off to be the "expert" on white tigers (never mind that it's an orange tiger stuffed behind her - Kev, amazingly enough, does not have a white stuffed tiger). She stood next to her report and her artwork and was ready to answer any and all questions that you might have about white tigers.

Each book had a cover, title page, table of contents, text, index and author's biography. Amiya's reads:

"Amiya Gupta was born in Illinois. She lives with her mom, dad and younger brother, Kev. She ha a pet fish, Indagowa (In-da-go-wa.) When Amiya is not writing, she enjoys playing, reading and going on the computer.

Amiya has written ten other books."

(I'm not sure what the ten other books are, but I'm sure that if I dug to the depths of the debris in her closet, I'd find them.)

As if all of that wasn't enough to swell up our hearts with pride for this little chick, she was also Citizen of the Month for her class. Each teacher at her school selects one student who exemplifies all of the things that fall in line with what a student should be and Amiya got that award for her class in May.

Cute, right? Right. Please don't grow up too fast, Peanut. Please.

Getting her ribbon and her award. See? Her chest is all puffed up with pride, too!

All the first graders who got the award.

On a sort of funny note, one of the remarks that the Principal said while introducing the event was that they saved the best for last as these kids are the last to be given the awards this year. Not understanding that it's a common expression, Amiya has taken it quite literally and is feeling especially honored that she got this award last. I'm not going to burst her bubble, but someday she'll blush.

However, to keep things real, Amiya did get her second agenda note of the year recently. Her teacher doesn't call home when a student gets in trouble, but writes a simple note in the student's agenda. Three guesses what both of Amiya's agenda notes have said this year. It won't even take you three.

That's right. Excessive talking.

I love that it's so simple and so direct. Not anything emotional, a plain statement of facts. And here's why it can't be emotional.

Because it is d.e.v.a.s.t.a.t.i.n.g. to Amiya. Absolute devastation. She got off the bus when she had this note and she sobbed the whole way home. And then she sobbed at home, so hard that I actually called the teacher to find out if there was more than just talking that happened because I didn't understand the reaction. In the end, it was just talking (albeit not a paltry amount) and Amiya had been given plenty of chances to fix her behavior. So, she lost all TV, computer and fun stuff for four days. And she had to write a note to her teacher:

Dear Ms. [Fantastic Teacher],

I am very sorry for what happend yesterday. I have always been a talker. I've been able to control it most of the time. But this time I must have been to excited to ->

control it. Sorry again and again and again.

love your student
Amiya

I love the line "I have always been a talker." She is nothing if not self-aware, right?

So there you have it. The highs and low of Amiya's last bit of school. 3.5 more days of first grade and then off to second! Can. not. believe. it!

It's very hard to drive...

...with two elephants, a hippo and a tiger in the back of the car.

Washington DC

So we surprised Amiya with a trip to DC for the weekend. She thought we were going to IKEA. For three days. To sleep over. (Don't you love how gullible they are?) Anyway, she thought we were leaving our house at 4:45 Saturday AM to get in line to be able to spend Mother's Day weekend at IKEA. She didn't really catch on to the whole flying somewhere thing until the check-in counter at the airport and then she only figured out we were off to DC when she opened her bag at security to find all the DC and presidential biographies that we packed.
The kids thought the Metro was the most fun ever. Until Kev hit his head. And then it all calmed down. Amiya thought she was hot stuff for being able to do her own ticket and being able to stand by herself on the escalators. (Until we got to the escalator at the Zoo station - it's about three stories tall - that was scary for her.)

We thought she'd be really into the Air and Space Museum but that was so last year it seems. She did like touching the moon, but that was about it.Kev had had it by this point - so we threw him a bone and checked out the Natural History museum. Huge success, animals everywhere with this huge elephant as soon as you get through security. He was in love.

Amiya was very intrigued by the Morganucodon and the video that was being shown nearby. It was the clearest, most concise explanation of the evolution of mammals that we've seen.

Kev wasn't really all that interested in evolution. Bobo the chimp was enough for him.After the museum, we forced the kids on a march through the entire mall. No small feat for such small feet. I'd be lying if I said they didn't complain because they did. And how. But it was worth it. Amiya could not get over the size of the Washington Monument and she got several stamps in her national park passport, so all was well. Kev wanted to go back and see Bobo again.

From the Washington Monument we headed to the Lincoln Memorial via the World War II Memorial. It was VE Day and so World War II Veterans were everywhere. We gave up our bench for a group of Vets and tried to explain to Amiya why certain groups of people get extra courtesy and accommodation. I just hope they were able to unstick themselves from all the popsicle juice these two left behind.

Amiya is reading a biography of Lincoln right now and is full of information. We definitely need to go back - we were not able to spend nearly enough time at the Smithsonian Museum of American History - she could have spent all three days checking out the Presidential memorabilia.

Day 2. Kev had had enough and we were just getting going. Both kids (and Mom) were asleep by 6:45 PM the night before - a 4 AM start will do that to you! But Kev never seemed to recharge. Witness, Day 2. 8:30 AM

We thought a few hours at the National Zoo would do good things for Kev. And they did. For those few hours.

He was trying out for a spot in the monkey exhibit, but we couldn't part with him.
After his stirring monkey rendition, we had high hopes that he was going to perk up. Alas, no.

Amiya was still going strong. She got to meet both President Obama and Ms. Michelle, as she calls the First Lady.

I was caffeine deprived the entire weekend. Can you believe it? This is how things looked the entire time.
As seen on Pennsylvania Avenue as we walked away from the Treasury. Maybe Kev is a fiscal conservative?

Embassy Suites is the only place we can stay from now on. The kids thought the elevator was the best and they each ate their weight in Fruit Loops (get 'em while you can kids, 'cuz they don't come in the house) and waffles.

You think I'm kidding about how much they ate? Nope. Every morning. Waffles, Fruit Loops, potatoes for Amiya, yogurt and fruit for Kev.

And, in perhaps not unrelated news, Kev had issues with both poop and vomit this weekend, thus making it a full and complete family vacation.

And finally - a foreshadowing of days to come. It's Madame President who campaigned on a platform of "no smoking and no littering." That's right. By the time she reaches 35, the only problems in the world will be smoking and littering. If only it were true!

We Survived the Dentist

Kev had his first dental cleaning this week - he's been to several of Amiya's, but I wasn't making any assumptions that he was going to take it all in stride like she does.

Practicing opening nice and big in the waiting room:

I was feeling so good, so confident. We brush his teeth at home, he was excited to be at the dentist, it was all going to be g.r.e.a.t!

The super patient and very-good-with-kids hygienist buzzed his little fingers with the spinny toothbrush so he could see how it would feel. Then she buzzed his nose, his ears, his noggin and his fingers again.

Ah, sweet victory, you are so close.

This is how he sat while the hygienist was getting the toothpaste ready.

I'd like to show you more of the appointment, but once she got near his teeth with that buzzing beast, I had to hold him down. This is where your story ends. But really, it was just the beginning of mine. Let's just say I have a few good bruises and an abnormally strong 3 year old. But, no digits were severed, no fancy, expensive dental chairs ruined. There's always a silver lining, right?