Pumpkins and Preschool

Last year we went apple and pumpkin picking and I could not, for the life of me picture how things like that worked with two kids. This year we scaled the apple/pumpkin experience down a bit, but did go out and have some good, wholesome, fall-fun picking out pumpkins. Lucy was quite taken with the adventure and hugged several squash, posed for a picture with a scarecrow and told Michael and I that she wanted to stay and live with the pumpkins on the farm. She didn't quite get the idea that you couldn't eat the pumpkins and tried to take a big bite out of a mini pumpkin. I guess it is kind of an odd concept for a kid. We brought the pumpkins home and had ourselves a good old time and made a party out of carving the pumpkins. Lucy and I made a ham pizza for sustinence - it was messy but delicious. Michael carved the pumpkins. They were like wood and Michael had to really work to carve them. It was more of a stabbing motion than carving, but he got the job done. Lucy decorated her newly created jack-o-lanterns with marker made a fine mess of them but was as proud as if she had just painted the Mona Lisa. The end result, a happy Lucy, a sweaty Michael and a Mom that was just a little nauseous from eating a toddler-made, ham pizza. Good times.

This fall has also landed us in the season of preschool open houses. I think when we were kids most of us didn't go to preschool until the year before kindergarten. Now it seems that three is the typical age to begin preschool, some places accept children even earlier. I think preschool at three is good. Lucy loves her "school" now and I think will benefit from going to preschool next year a couple times a week. The first open house I went to was a cooperative preschool in Watertown. It was nice, the parents spoke highly of it and the word on the street (which is really the playground) is that it is good. The only catch was it was a mandatory five day a week program. My mind started racing.....five days a week this year for preschool, five next year for preschool, then kindergarten. Before I knew it I was in a place where my Lucy was fifteen, piercing her face and resenting me. I was clearly not ready for five days a week next year, and honestly I don't think she is.

The next preschool was nice, there was a great free-spirited vibe to it. Each day the school made a snack together and everyone brought something in to contribute. Thursday was applesauce day and each kid brought in an apple. One of the teachers taught music and dance so a regular part of each day involved dancing in the big room of the preschool. The teacher to student ratio was great and the space was sunny and bright with a totally kick-ass playground. But the group was a mixed-ages group which wouldn't be my first choice and the number of days was flexible, but the hours were 8:45-2:00 with lunch and rest in the second half of the day. Not sure if I need to pay to have Lucy eat lunch and then nap on a cot.....but we'll see, this seemed like a good place.

Fall is such a season of change. Maybe it is because of the leaves, the temperature the hours of daylight. Lucy is changing so much these days. Some days I look at her and can get a glimpse of the little girl she will be in a year. It makes me a little sad. I would love to freeze her at this age just for another year or so, selfish I know but I don't want her to grow-up too fast. These days she looks at me with her huge eyes and long lashes and tells me, "someday I'll be growed up just like you Mom." I want to stop time. I look at Josh and see that he's no longer a newborn - he's just a jolly old baby now, drooling all over himself and blowing raspberries like it the best thing he has ever learned to do. These little monkeypants are funny little kids. These days there is little sleep, but lots of laughs.