Robert's singing debut

Robert has been in the children's choir at church for a year now, and Mary, the choir director, suggested when the summer started that he and I should cantor a Mass together.

I wasn't quite sure he was ready, and I couldn't really get Robert to practice music with me. But during the school year we also have a weekly prayer service before religious ed starts, and since those are geared toward the kids, it's all stuff the kids know, including Robert. So he stood up there with me, with his own microphone, and sang.

Once I knew he had it handled, I just tried to stay out of the way and let him do his thing. He did great!

I hear through the grapevine that Cate was beaming with pride. Robert also said he got plenty of compliments.

P.E.

Robert came to me this morning, feet dragging, shoulders down, and said in his why-me? voice:

"Mom, this is the day. It's the one mile run. I need a protein bar or something to get me through this."

I gave him a Clif bar which he promptly flipped over to read the nutritional information on the back. With relief he said, "Thank goodness. 10 grams of protein." Then he shuffled off to the bus stop, resigned to his fate.

... and beyond!

Colleen showed me a new trick - pinching a rubber band in half. I said "Great fish, Colleen!" to which she replied,

"It's not a fish, Mom. It's infinity!"

That'll teach me not to underestimate a kindergartner. I asked her what infinity is and she told me that "infinity is a lot. It goes on forever and ever and ever and ever and ever and evvvvvvver." Yep, she knows what she's talking about. What are they teaching kids in school these days?

I think we have a problem

Setting the scene, Colleen and I are in the kitchen on Saturday. Colleen comes in to look at the calendar.

She asks, "What day is it today?"

I told her it was the 18th.

She said, "What regular day?"

I told her it was Saturday, Sept. 18.

She said, "OK," and left.

Two minutes later she comes back into the kitchen and says, in a voice worthy of a confessional: "Mom, I think we have a problem. I forgot to go to school yesterday."

Colleen stayed home from school on Friday because she was sick. But we had never told her she wasn't going in to school.

I gave her a hug and told her she would go back to school on Monday.

Cousins Group Photo, sort of

Every August since moving to Minnesota the cousins have posed for an official photo. I think I'll leave the photography to Neil or Patrick because this is what happened when I tried. Sigh.