Brown and Peach

Last week, while waiting in the parking lot of a grocery store for a friend, Andie says to me, "Mom - some people are brown." I said, "Yes, they are! Probably a lot of kids in your pre-k class will be brown too!" Andie said, "Yeah, but there might be some peach!"

On Monday, Andie started Pre-k. It is a state-funded program, in the elementary schools. She goes all day, everyday and absolutely LOVES it!! This year is the first year that the elementary schools required uniforms. So, she can only wear navy, black or tan bottoms and then a solid polo shirt on top. We're one of the lucky schools that aren't restricted to the color of shirt - so, of course, Andie was decked out from head to toe in HOT PINK!! She looked so cute!!

She picked out her backpack - and then a friend in our ward does embroidery, so we had her name put on it!  She also picked out her lunch bag.  It is huge, but usually is the only thing in her backpack, so it works!

Day 1  The first day was great.  She had the biggest smile on her face and talked non-stop the whole ride home and about 30 minutes afterward, telling of all the fun things they did - giving me the play-by-play!  I asked her if there was anything that she didn't like and she said, "Mom, I didn't get to ride the bus."  I also asked her, "Did you make any new friends?"  Andie, "YES!  Lot's of them?"  I asked, "Do you know any of their names?"  She said, "No - there were too many!"  That night, when Shawn asked her what her favorite thing about school was, she said, "playing on the playground"  (recess - of course!!)

Day 2  We decided to let Andie ride the bus home on the second day of school.  The girls and I were out waiting, and waiting and waiting.  Finally, the cell phone rang, "Ms. Broderick?"  "Yes" "Are you coming to pick up Andie?"  "No, she was supposed to ride the bus home."  OOPS!  The school forgot to put her on the bus.  We load up in the car and headed up to the school, go into the office and Andie comes in with her teacher.  She runs to me and then loses it, and has a big meltdown - alligator tears and all.  Her teacher looks at her, then at me and says, "I don't know what's wrong, she's been completely fine."  Here, I am thinking, "Poor Andie, she thought I was never coming to get her, school has been out for about 50 minutes now."  I give her a big hug, tell her everything is going to be ok.

We leave and she is crying all the way out to the car.  I get the girls in and finally have a chance to get on Andie's level and look at her.  I say, "Andie, sweetie - what is wrong?  I'm here, you are ok."  Crying in between words, she manages to say, "I......didn't.....get.....to......ride.....the.....bus.....home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  I had to control myself from laughing.  Here, I thought my daughter was all sad because she was stuck at school - WRONG!  She is sad because she didn't get to ride the bus.  I told her that we would wait for the bus to figure out their schedule and try again in a few weeks.

We make it home and I ask her how her day was and if she made any friends.  She said excitedly, "Mom, they are all the same friends!"  I said, "That's good.  Do you know any of their name or who sit by?"  She finally had a name!  "Mom - I sit by Isaac!"  Cool!

Day 3 Again - school is great!!  She looked so cute in her navy jumper!!  She has a big smile coming home and tells me all about her day.  I asked, "Andie, did you make more friends, what are their names."  This time she replies, "Yes!  I am friends with Isaac, Owen and Amy!"  I say, "That's great!!"  Excitedly she continues, "Mom - guess what!  They are peach just like me!"  Again, I had to do all I could from laughing.  I said, "That's good.  Do you have any friends that are brown?"  She said, "Yes, but I don't know their names!"  I said, "That's good - you can be friends with everyone!  Anything else?"  "Mom, how many more days till I can ride the bus?"

So - school is going great.  If we could just get her on a bus, it would be all her dreams come true!  and hopefully, we can soon look past the brown and peach and we'll be set to go!!  :)