Twas' the Night Before School Started...

It's been a busy week. Obviously, I haven't been blogging much. The kids and I landed 7 days ago. Since then, I, along with my children, have attempted to overcome jet lag with bravery, unpacked and sorted and stored the contents of our 11 enormous duffel bags, cleaned out closets to get them ready with school clothes, cleaned our house from top to bottom, slept each night until about 4am when our local drummer man comes banging to wake us up to prepare the middle of the night meal (that's another post itself), re-stocked our home with groceries, sorted out all problems with our school textbook deliveries this summer, met with each staff member about textbook issues, sat up with one child who had a stomach flu, and tried to keep a generally positive attitude about re adaptation to the culture, time zone, and changes that back-to-school times bring. We've been busy.

And so we've come to the night before school starts. And this little baby starts school for the first time. Didn't I just take this picture? How could this be 2 years ago?

She's ready. The other night her Papa wore an Ole Miss Law School t-shirt. I asked her to find the "E" since it is her first name's first letter. She found it, then proceeded to tell me all the letters on the t-shirt. She just turned 4, she'll be the youngest in her class, but I let her go because it is time.

Her Papa and I, without prior discussion with each other, gave her last minute quizzes on what to do. While taking her to the potty today, I asked her, "Now what will you do when you go potty at school?"

She thought, then said, "H-uuh..." (Wish you could actually hear it, it is a sort of Sherlock Holmes pondering...), "I'll call out, "Aaaallll Doooone!"

"No, honey, remember, you don't call 'All done.' for a teacher. They don't wipe."

"Oh yea, I'll wipe."

"And then what will you do?" No answer. I added, "You'll wash your..."

"Hands!"

Right.

Later that night Campbell Clansman asked her what she was NOT going to do at school and she replied, "Huuuhhh, (thinking) ...bite... and ask my teacher to wipe me." Right. We've worked hard these 4 years and accomplished much, haven't we?

I also explained her lunch to her...main dish, salty, fruit, sweet, then I ventured to ask her which part of her lunch she would eat FIRST. "Oh, my sweet."

Just like that. My sweet.

I've tried.