The Day Before "The Very Crazy Day"

The day before “The Very Crazy Day” was supposed to be a fun one.  I was [mostly] off work, and the girls had their first field trip AND their school Christmas party.

The girls were SO excited about their field trip to the skating rink.  I don’t think they quite knew what to expect from skating, but they were ECSTATIC to be riding the school bus.

I met the kiddos at the skating rink.  I had full intentions of skating myself…until I saw how hard it was to keep a small child afloat on skates for the first time.  The kindergarten students were supposed to be matched with a fifth grader to help them.  Baby A took off with her “friend K” (as she calls her).  She wanted zero help from her mommy.  [Baby A also took the buddy system VERY literally.  She followed K everywhere.  Thank goodness for the grace of this sweet fifth grader!  She was so kind to A.]

Baby B, meanwhile, had a very tight grip on my arm.  I coaxed B as best I could, and she finally opened up a little bit when her teacher offered to take her around the rink.  Baby A was “skating” by the end of the two hours.  She wasn’t whizzing around, exactly, but she could get where she needed to go.  Baby B was still pretty tentative, but she was making it, too.

Baby A, going it alone!

Baby A and Mrs. Mc!

Both girls were EXHAUSTED at the end of the two hours.  Baby A took off her skates (and followed K to the canteen area to sit with her fifth grade friends…HA!).  Baby B started crying a little bit.  That was really out of character, but I chalked it up to her being tired and very overstimulated.  Not only were these kiddos trying to balance themselves on skates, there were all sorts of crazy lights (and no lights, at one point!), and the music was LOUD.  [Skating rinks haven’t changed much in the past 25 years.]

I gave the girls hugs and told them I’d see her at their party that afternoon.

I had such a fun time at the girls’ school.  I got to help orchestrate the dividing of the gifts.  (While I have strongly mixed emotions about that…to be detailed in another post), I loved seeing the kiddos' faces.  And I got to see the kiddos eat waaaay too much sugar.  (Again, mixed emotions, but) it was pretty cute.

I spent time first in A’s class, before I headed next door to see B.  [Their teachers are fantastic, helping me float between the two classes.]  I gave B hugs, and the first thing she said was, “Mommy, my arm hurts.”

I asked her to move it this way, that way, every way, and she did.  I told her she probably just bruised it skating, and that she’d feel better the next day.  [The next day was, of course, The Very Crazy Day.  To be continued.]

After the girls’ parties, I got to carry home two sweaty, sticky, exhausted, but very happy kiddos.  The first field trip and holiday parties were in the books!