GOODBYE TO KINDERGARTEN & MISS PEREZ

This photo was taken the last day of school. I'd been mingling with the other parents when I found Aubrey and Ms. Perez "having a moment," as Ms. Perez said.

Aubrey LOVES Ms. Perez. And I can't count the times Ms. Perez told me or Aubrey she'd love to clone Aubrey.

They're going to be email pals.

WILLOW CREEK LAPATHON RESULTS

On a reduced-size track yesterday, Aubrey and Dane walked off-and-on for three hours to earn money for Willow Creek Academy's P.E. program. Although a public school, WCA doesn't receive funding like other schools because of its charter status.


Dane approached the task with his usual focus, running and walking the whole time with a couple buddies, stopping only once or twice for bathroom break or food. He wanted to do as many laps as he could. He did 66 laps.

There he is above on the left, with Marcus and Eli.


Aubrey approached the task in her own way, too, balancing on the curb as she walked, stopping to sit with her friends, breaking for bathroom and food several times. She wanted to do as many laps as she felt like doing at the time. She did 23 laps. (Although, to put it in perspective, the top kindergartener only did about 30, I think.)

There she is above in the brown sweats and green Super Girl t-shirt with Zaahirah to the left, and Priscilly and Gia to the right.

The kids each carried a popsicle stick that an adult marked at a checkpoint each lap.

Dane and Aubrey had four sponsors: two at 10 cents/lap and two at 15 cents a lap - and one of those was a bonus of 20 cents a lap for every lap past 60. I haven't done the math yet, but I think it's safe to say they'll each pull in under $50 - although I understand grandparents and parents might be tossing in a few extra bucks for good measure.

It's actually very sweet how the kids felt strongly about earning money for their school's P.E. program. They love their weekly P.E. session, with Coach Dave, who's terrific. But the part that gets me is that they know they won't be going to school there next year, but they really want their friends to have a P.E. program.

I could start crying just writing that.

Anyway, you should've heard Dane explaining everything very carefully on the phone to his sponsors. He took it very seriously and wanted to be really clear. That alone made it a super learning project for a kid.

Aw, Willow Creek...

Here's a video of Dane's class singing at their Winter Concert. If anything, stay tuned for the Bellybutton song, destined to become a timeless classic.

Aubrey's class sang "Grandma, Grandma, you aint sick / all you need is a peppermint stick! / Hands up, shake, shake, shakey shake / Hands down, shake, shake, shakey shake/ Turn around, shake, shake, shakey, shake..." Don't have it on video yet.

School Pictures

For those of you expecting school pictures of the kids, be prepared to see "Proof" and a copyright date across them. When did school pictures come to this? Package J really slays me.

Package A
2...8x10
2...5x7
8...wallets
16...1/2 wallets
$50

Package B
2...8x10
4...5x7
8...wallets
$47

Package C
1...8x10
2...5x7
8...wallets
$44

Package D
2...5x7
8...wallets
$37

on down to

Package J
1...8x10
$23

and

Package M
8...wallets
$19

Granted, they're a classy outfit, mugshotsphotography.com, but whoa...

PS This isn't a plea for money from the grandparents. It's a rant!

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

LAST DAY OF SUMMER

It may not be the official last day of summer according to the solstice calendar, but since school starts tomorrow at Willow Creek Academy, it may as well be.

Dane returns, entering 1st grade with Ms. Lurie, whose specialty is reading (could she be any nearer and dearer to my heart then?), and AUBREY STARTS KINDERGARTEN!

Come 7:45 AM we'll ride our bikes in, drop Dane off at Ms. Lurie's, and then drop Aubrey off at Ms. Perez's. I'm incredibly excited for each kid -- and, yes, for myself (the time! the freedom!) -- but I have to admit my stomach is really upset today. Could this be psychosomatic? I like to think I'm tougher than that, but I'm probably not.

Aubrey has been such a great little partner over the past year, at my side for a lot of long, sweet days. And riding my bike with the trail-a-bike still attached after I've dropped her off (she's still not very interested in learning to ride her own two wheels) will probably feel weird.

As for the two of them, it's also been a great summer spent watching them grow and pal around. Things like that change a little during the school year, although hopefully not too much.

After dropping them off tomorrow, my friend Sharon is letting me sit in on her Bikram Yoga class. We'll see if 90 minutes of 105 degree heat and 40% humidity helps me keep things in perspective.

My plan for the school year will include a nice balance of part-time work at the rec center, lots of writing, volunteering in the classrooms, riding my bike for transportation, and maybe taking a fitness class a couple times a week.

Mick's plan is to keep charging through school, drumming up the kinds of patients and cases he needs to graduate (a lot of his class is frustrated and challenged by this these days).

I'll post FIRST DAY pix when I see Mick again and can download them onto his computer. He has clinic until 9 Thursday night; I leave for Tahoe the next morning for a couple days to attend my cousin Dani's wedding.

BEACH BABES

The goal is to get out with our fellow Willow Creek family friends on Friday nights a couple times a month -- now that the weather's sunnier. This is at our nearby Schoonmaker beach in Sausalito, great for impromptu bbq's or pizza delivery.

above: Dane and buddies, Marcus and Nick
above: Renee, Lu and Amy (and Marcus and Nick)
above: Mick and his dad w/ Mark, Chris and Pat
above: Mark and Luke
above: Mia, Aubrey and Makayla
above: Mia and Aubrey
above: Garrett

We've done several dinner/group activities with these terrific families: the Trotters (Lu, Mark, Marcus and Luke), the Lees (Pat, Renee, Makayla and Garrett), and the Kreuger/Pertschuks (Chris, Amy, Mia and Nick). The kids and parents always seem to have a blast. Last weekend we met at Corte Madera for a bbq; when the weather in Sausalito was windy and cold, the 10 minute drive north put us back in sun and warmth.