2013_07_10 Wednesday

This will be my final post from New Jersey. We officially sold our charming 1916 Dutch Colonial today. So, let me back up to Sunday...

Sunday:
We visited Nannie and Grandpa for one last time and, of course, to celebrate Jonathan's birthday. She made a blueberry bundt cake for him that Dave could also eat. Aunt Jen and family also came over to help celebrate. Although it was a little stressful because of buying/selling houses, we did have a very nice visit.

Monday:
Jonathan opened his birthday gift: a skateboard! He was asking for one, and we figured he'd better get it before his helmet got packed up. He was really getting the hang of it.

Tuesday:
The movers arrived at 9am and were fabulous. Jonathan had a playdate with his KinderGan preschool friends (Luke, Gio, Ariella, and Avermy). It was a very special date. We went to Benihana for his birthday dinner. What fun! Elise totally missed the show b/c she missed her nap and was absolutely exhausted. Both kids used chopsticks (they were bound) expertly and focused so intently on eating. Then we had a sleep-over with our awesome neighbors, Craig and Aoi. We stayed up way too late and I (at least) drank too much! But, what fun!

Wednesday:
Picking Elise up from KinderGan today was painful; that school is one of the most special places I know. I also got a few good-bye gifts from friends: such nice gestures of women I really liked and would like to stay in touch with. Dave left with the cats (I had gotten sedatives for them) around 10am, heading for southern VA. Packing the car was a challenge; we just had too much stuff (the movers missed a couple of things that if taken, we would have had enough room in the cars for what we had planned on taking, I think). I had to leave most of our plants. Jonathan's actual birthday was spent at camp, where he did not tell a soul. (?!) Saying goodbye to Priscilla was also tough; she's really become part of the family. We left town at 4pm and headed to PA for 7-10 days while we wait for furniture to arrive. When we arrived at the Barony, there was a personalize ice cream birthday cake waiting for J2.

We are settling in to the Barony now.

Signing off...awaiting a new chapter in our lives and this blog...for the latest and greatest, continue at: http://thegahardwicks.blogspot.com/

2013_06_27 Thursday

Jonathan is on break this week -- getting to sleep until 8am! -- and helped me get Elise off to camp this morning. His former teacher, Fayge, welcomed him into camp and let him play with some of her penguin puzzles (since he brought Penguiny with him). On the way home, he decided to make a penguin diorama out of unused moving boxes. He disappeared into the dining room with mini marshmellows as ice bergs, white/black crayons, paper, scissors, and glue. So far, here is the highlight:

JD2: Mom, here is the Empetor (aka Emperor) penguin and here's the Mac and Cheese (Macaroni) penguin.

He and I went to the zoo to touch the sharks and sting rays; those things are much more slimy than I remember. He also rode a pony, although he had some buyer's remorse when we walked through the parakeet cage (he could have bought one seed stick if he didn't ride the pony).

Yesterday, he and I made fruit popcicles out of all the frozen fruit I've been saving for no reason, Greek yogurt, and OJ. Both kids had one for breakfast today. By the end of the day, the kids had each had four! We're slowly making our way through all our perishable foods!

Now the bad-ish news:
We may lose the GA house after all. There are some mold and water problems in the basement/apartment that are quite $$, and we are asking the sellers to remediate fully; they've been less than communicative. We have until tomorrow to walk away w/o losing our earnest money. That would be a real shame, as we'd like to work it out with them. We'll just have to see if they respond, and hopefully positively, tomorrow. Pins and needles until then.

2013_06_19 Wednesday

Jonathan got a rocket popsicle for dessert after dinner:

Jonathan: Mom, why are popsicles called that? they don't pop in your mouth like Pop Rocks do.
Mom: Gesh, that's a good question and a really good observation.
Jonathan: Yeah, I'm going to call them Lickers because that's what you do to them.

Next convo:
Elise: I want to be called 'cantelope'
Jonathan: which one? the one that runs or the fruit?
Mom: do you mean antelope or cantelope?
Jonathan: oh yeah.
Elise: oh yeah, I want to be a zebra-striped giraffe.

Elise told Dave as we picked him up from the airport a few weeks ago that he new name was: Pomegranate. We nearly cried laughing. She was dead serious.

2013_06_06 Thursday

So, now I'm stressed. We had our house inspection today, and it lasted about 3+ hours! I was put off by that inconvenience, but...

When I finally came home and E was way off her nap time, the dude's knee pads were sitting on our front porch, and the trellis underneath the porch was knocked over (still can't figure out why he needed to be under there at all). I got to struggle with it (unsuccessfully, mind you), as the city has lots of feral cats and raccoon that I would like to avoid having squat in/around my home (one cat had already ventured in). As I walked around the house, various lights and fans were on or off and windows up or down. Not as I had left it but not helpful either. So I had to inspect the whole house myself, and when I checked out the basement, I noticed that the steps that we just had painted are all scraped up showing the old paint again,  the insulation in the laundry room (below the kitchen) was pushed out and not replaced, he left rust (?) scrapings on the ground near the furnace, and there's some hunk of old metal in my laundry garbage can. That all annoyed me. [Deep Breath] I decide to make dinner, and as I went to put the dirty dishes away, I  got soaked when I pulled the dishwasher rack out not knowing he ran the machine (various cups got filled with water b/c I didn't stack them in expecting it to run nearly empty). I feel really imposed upon...or maybe stressed out...or both...with this process. I reported all this to our realtor who has passed it along, but the inspector won't come by until tomorrow, which also burns me up. That said, we won't get his official report until next week, but I am so ticked off that I can only imagine and stew on what is on that list.

2013_06_04 Tuesday

I must be delirious. Elise was up at 4am with a cough attack, and I didn't mind being awake then. It's so quiet and cold and just getting light. If I weren't so darn tired, I'd actually enjoy that time. By the time I was drifting back to sleep, Dave was getting up to catch his flight. Anyway, after trying cough syrup to no avail, I tried Benedryl and that either knocked her out or fixed the problem. Might have been the former because she peed in her sleep. She had been dry for 4 nights. With the insane heat that we've had the last few days, I've tried to keep her hydrated; perhaps too much so! Luckily, it's cooled down considerably.

2013_05_29 Wednesday

We have housing news. We had our broker open house on Thursday afternoon. Then, a couple came by on Friday night. They asked us what it would take to take the house off the market. By Saturday, they had submitted a bid +$50k over our ask. We still had our scheduled open house on Sunday just in case this bid fell apart for some reason. We went into attorney review on Monday and review concluded today (while Elise and I were at the Nature Center studying caterpillers and butterflies/moths), so we have officially accepted their bid. That means no more showings; the best part was that we were gone from Thur-Tues, so we weren't even inconvenienced by any showings! We do have to stay staged through next Thursday, when we have the inspection (they waived appraisal and non-structural inspection issues), so we anticipate that to go fairly quickly.

We head down to ATL for our first on-the-ground house hunting expedition. As it turns out, there's a new student playdate is the night we arrive at the school Jonathan is 99.9% likely to attend. I'm working with folks down there to let him participate despite not having an actual address yet.

2013_05_08 Wednesday

For my birthday, I took the family to a burger joint, the Cloverleaf Tavern. It has a huge beer selection, so I thought that would be fun. Little did I know that Wednesdays are kiddy day, so they had a balloon artist there who kept the kids busy for awhile. Jonathan got a huge palm tree with a snake winding up the trunk; Elise got a My Little Pony. They were about the size of the kids! On the walk back to the car, she fell on her pony, and all but the head popped. But, she said it saved her from falling. ;o) It is a bit creepy to have a horse head (even just a balloon) in her room, though!

2013_05_12 Sunday

What a lovely Mother's Day I had!! I was served breakfast in bed: a snack pack from Jonathan with a cute poem, a drawing of me in bed, and a breakfast bar and a tea bag. I also got a homemade jewelry box with glitter and a photo of Elise and a homemade necklace from Elise. And, I had red scrambled eggs, and a salad of: dog cheese, carrots, cukes, strawberries, grapes, and blueberries. Then, I went on a short scavenger hunt (3 clues) that brought me to the basement where a lovely purple orchid was waiting for me. Afterward, I got kicked out of the house until 3pm, so I got a mani/pedi and read my book (Lean In) at the coffee shop for a bit. When I came home, we mozied to the frozen yogurt place, took some family photos at the chess table, played at the duck pond, and had a nice (albeit slightly early) dinner in town with wine and dessert! Dave put the kids to bed, and we watched a movie. What a great day to be a mom!!

2013_05_07 Tuesday

It is with mixed feelings that I tell you that it IS really happening: we are moving to Atlanta. Dave has been flying down there every other week for nearly 3 years, and everyone (he, we, and the company) is just done with that. It was a very difficult decision to make, especially going so far from Oma and Opa. We do have an annual travel budget from the company (!!), so that makes the distance more tolerable. School down there starts on August 7, so we have to move very quickly. My head is spinning with all that needs to get done. Our house will likely be on the market in the next 2 weeks. We've already met with stagers and are putting their plans into action quickly (Our heinously ugly louvered windows are all gone!). I meet with a mover/storage on Wednesday. We will finish off the school year here (one of Jonathan's main concerns was if he'd finish Kindergarten (at all) and whether his bunk bed would come with us), but how much longer after that depends on the housing market. I haven't spoken with my office yet, but there is no reason it should be a concern since I work remotely as it is. Then again, it is the government!

The really good news with this, though, is that once the company he currently works for is sold (4-5 yrs), we are heading back to the DC area!!

2013_05_02 Thursday

Big news: we are moving to Atlanta. It's a very hard decision to come to, especially since I've just started to feel roots here, but having Dave be away 1/2 time and the potential for his company to grow just make it worthwhile. The hardest part (beyond being in HOTlanta in August) is being very far from family, especially Oma and Opa, who have been there for us every single time we've needed them, let alone whenever we have free time. The company has made allocations for travel for the family, so that also does help swallow this pill. That said, we have to move this process along very quickly, as school starts there on August 7.

(update)
Within about a week, we flipped the house into Staging Mode. The movers came on May 10 and took away 90% of our belongings. Since then, we've had painters neutralize the whole house (master, dining, and living rooms), and contractors have updated our facade from the 1970s by replacing the louvered windows with a nice railing. It's amazing how much it opens up the house. We've also planted some small shrubbery for curb appeal. The stagers come with their furniture on ~May 18, and we officially go on the market on ~May 20.

2013_04_29 Monday

Elise's #3 doctor's visit went considerably better than the lead test visit. Because the offices are in the same building, she did get very concerned as we parked, saying "I don't want to see the nurse again or get pinched." Luckily, there were no shots required today. whew. But, it does seem that she has seasonal allergies, so we're trying an OTC for that too. She was a bit more stubborn than usual, not wanting to get on the scale for the doc (although she did for the nurse) and not wanting to draw circles for her or even chat too much.

Then, at Target, she recited 1/2 of my phone number! geez, this kid is quick. As we were parking, she got very excited because she saw Opa coming out of Whole Foods. Salt and pepper guy wearing a flannel shirt and glasses. sounds about right. Boy was she disappointed when it wasn't him.

Pix from yesterday to follow after I get some work done. I've said goodbye to my former intern/boss today. How bittersweet that was. He's on to bigger and better, but I will sure miss working for him. 

2013_04_26 Friday

Happy Birthday to Aunt Shannon!!!!!

Because of all the old houses in this area, when children are 2, they must have a lead blood level test. Somehow it escaped me, and I finally managed to take Elise in today (2 days before her 3rd) to have it done. I spoke honestly to her that the nurse would pinch her (I said finger, based on other mom's saying it was a finger prick) and it would hurt a little bit but then we could go to the park to play. She was fine with it. But, when we got into the chair, the nurse decided that it was an actual blood draw through the arm. She sat still enough. But, when that needle went in, she started wailing. It took a couple of seconds to get it right and fill the vial. Unfortunately, she threw a full on fit AFTER it was completely over. She actually ran out of the room, into the public waiting room, ripped off the bandage, and tried to open a locked patio door (2nd floor facility) to leave! Naturally, the patients waiting were either laughing or mortified. Oh boy was she pissed. By the time we made it into the car, she had calmed down, and we had a nice time at the Fire Station Park.

I can't wait to see how she does at the doctor's office on Monday!!!

2013_04_14 Sunday

We spent a lovely "morning" (after bumping into some friends over bagels) at a local arboretum, celebrating Daffodil Day. They have a huge crater, which they call the bowl, that is covered in daffodils. I got some great shots of the kids. And, we ran around the property a bit. Hurricane Sandy destroyed the place, so this was also a soft reopening. The kids also planted sunflowers (?) to bring home, and the Boy Scouts were there to facilitate some projects, including a PeterPan-esque hat that Jonathan made and throwing bees (velcro balls) onto sticky flowers. We also had a few snacks, like honey sticks and very tart mango/strawberry juice, before listening to a falconer. Unfortunately, he was too chatty, and we had to leave so that Dave could attend his mandatory coach training. We missed seeing an actual falcon; J was disappointed, but I've found a raptor recovery house near the swamp that we'll explore one of these days (now that school break is over!).

While D was at training, we played outside with the neighbors for nearly 3 hours. Then, Elise napped, and I worked a little while Dave and Jonathan investigated T-ball equipment. They brought home all sorts of gear and spent another 2+ hours outside practicing what Dave learned and letting J swing his new bat and try out the new tricks.

2013_04_13 Saturday

Elise got her first hair cut today!! She did awesome. We practiced sitting still "like a statue" over breakfast at the diner (ps. Donna quit!!!). She was most concerned about the 'white napkin' that the lady put around her neck. I tried to collect the stray hairs, but it's so fine and short that there wasn't too much to save. I had been parting her hair on the wrong side, and now she's got a short bob cut because she has two cowlicks in the back that make it perfectly poufy. The one in the front will go away as her bangs get heavier. She definitely looks less 'wild' now, but I'll miss her crazy, free hair. In about 15 mins, and $12 later, Elise looks far more civilized...especially since school picture day is next week.

2013_04_11 Thursday

Lucky for me, Oma stuck around to make my life easier. I took Elise to a dermatologist in the AM. He thinks her cheek/forehead issue is likely eczema, so he gave us some cream samples to try, and within a day it looked much better. Whatever it is, the creams seem to be working.

Then, Jonathan went back to preschool and read a spring book to the upper class. He was terrific, and his old teacher was impressed with his skills. The kids didn't move a muscle while he read. It was neat to watch. I have a full video and a few photos of that too. He got to stay for recess and pick up sissy.

2013_03_30 Saturday

Welcome to the world, my little Indian-German niece!!! We can't wait to meet her.

2013_03_24 Sunday

Oh what a weekend. Jonathan was sent home early from school on Friday and then threw up twice at home. Consequently, we skipped movie night at school. But, by morning, he seemed back on track, so he and Dave went to an art class and brought home a lovely watercolor for me. But, by then sissy Elise caught the bug. She and I were up from about 2-5:30am this morning; she's hacking and very phlegmy, causing her also to vomit. charming. Then, Jonathan had a little throw up this morning too. We were supposed to host the family today, but we opted instead for Dave to go up the his brother's house and I'd stay with the sickos. Elise took a nice, long nap, but she looks pathetic. Jonathan seems a lot better. We'll see how he does today before deciding about attending school tomorrow. They are both laying on the couch now.

Had a contractor come by today to inspect the bathroom. yeah!

2013_03_20 Wednesday

Easter!

2013_03_18 Monday

I took Elise to the Children's Museum:

2013_03_17 Sunday

Jonathan had a very exciting day today, but not necessarily for the right reasons...

1. He woke up yelling for me at 5am (!!). He must have had a bad dream about leprechauns because he was very concerned that he heard noises in his room that they had made. At school, a naughty leprechaun tipped over chairs and dropped books on the floor (but also left Rolo treats for the kids) while they were gone. Now, he's afraid that leprechauns are messing with his stuff. Thanks a million, school! Luckily, awhile ago, I told him that I sprayed for monsters and ghosts (just like we do for ants and wasps outside), so I was able to convince him that leprechauns are in the same category and couldn't come inside. I also convinced him that leprechauns are on their way home (wherever that is) today, so there couldn't possibly be any problems with them after today anyway. I didn't want to burst the magic but at 5am, it's not cute. We also discussed old house noises.

2. Mr Joe, the swingset guy, showed up at 8am to start building the kids' 2012 birthday present!! Jonathan apparently was out there (with Dave) to help Mr Joe right away. It couldn't be colder outside, but he's cancelled on us a few times, so I guess he was feeling guilty or something. Surprisingly, Mr Joe did finish! And, we all went out after dinner to test drive it. The kids were in heaven! The third story is a bit high (and small); Elise may need some time to warm up to that level. Pix to follow.

3. He also lost his second tooth at the bagel store! He was biting into a bagel and it just popped right out! It had been wiggly for weeeeks, so there was very little blood. He's already wrapped it up and stored it in his tooth pillow (thanks Oma!) for the tooth fairy to take it away tonight. Somehow she's not as scary as leprechauns. ugh!!

On another note, it looks like we are ready to start renovating the upstairs bathroom!! can't happen soon enough! As soon as we get the vanity/mirror set, which I should order today, we can get started (tile, toilet, shower head, etc) can all be locally-acquired.

2013_03_11 Monday

This morning, Elise told me: "Mom, Daddy put a booster pack in my diaper." I had no idea what she was talking about but she was very clear on what she was saying. As it turned out, Daddy put a booster pad (sort of like a feminine pad) in her diaper because she's been leaking through most nights.

Oh, and I've been teaching her funny phrases like:

(mom) Golly gee willikers = (Elise) goll-gee wigglers
(mom) holy guacamole = hoge quaka lee

2013_02_24 Sunday

The kids did their first, for fun photo shoot for a local consignment shop. What fun!! And, they got $25 vouchers for the store. Since I had never done one before, I wasn't really sure how to guide them or what to do, but once we got going, they had fun. see the official photos below. No word on the actual website, yet, though.

2013_02_13 Wednesday

We had our dentist appointments tonight. It was Elise's first time. Jonathan went first. They talked about losing his baby teeth; it looks like #2 is on its way out. Because his teeth are so spaced apart, he's in good shape. But, he should be flossing now b/c some of his teeth are touching. I'm just happy that he brushes 1x/day (2x on a good day); we'll see about flossing! He definitely didn't like getting polished; I think the spearmint flavor is too strong. Elise was next and sat on me. She did a lion's roar to show off her pearly whites. She did great. The ladies were very impressed with how willing she was, although she didn't care for the spearmint either. My godsend of a babysitter came with me to help shuttle kids back and forth. It would have been a disaster without her. And, I got a clean bill too. Yippee!

2013_02_12 Tuesday

Elise is home sick today. She's been coughing at night, presumably croup, but today it kept going throughout the day, so I thought it best for her to stay with me and drink her "honey juice." Of course, today I was actually dressed and ready to go to the gym. not happening.

While Jonathan earned his 8 happy faces in school last week, he's having additional troubles. He can't seem to keep his hands to himself. Now he's in trouble for hitting and also being rude (not sure precisely what that means). It's so frustrating. He did have problems last night at tae quon do with keeping his hands to himself and paying attention, especially when he's in line waiting for his turn. Teacher said he's a follower, so he tends to get into trouble when someone else does. He lost TV last night for some attitude (maybe that's the rudeness?). And, we discussed two big rules: 1) keep your body to yourself, and 2) eyes on your adult. And, I can remind him of it by wiggling my thumb and index finger in an "L" shape. Maybe that will help remind him. Then, at the bus this AM, all the boys rush toward the open door, but I held him back so that another kid who was in line first could board first. Well, J was pissed and stuck his tongue out at me as the bus pulled away. charming.

So, I'm having a fabulous day.

2013_02_07 Thursday

We had a 'severe' snow storm that closed schools...

2013_02_01 Friday

Elise did it!! She was dry overnight! holy moly!

To celebrate, I took her to an indoor play space that has lots of tubes and tunnels. It took her a little while to warm up, but she seemed to enjoy it. I used to take Jonathan to this place when he was younger. Of course, Elise preferred the hair salon and the grocery store's plastic fruit and veggies to the train table and work benches, but I think they liked the tunnels about equally. And, the equally insisted on playing dumb video games; poor kids get sorely disappointed with me!

And, I think Jonathan has a second wiggly tooth. If I'm right, it's just starting to come loose. I think I see a bit of swelling inside his jaw that should be the adult tooth pushing up.

2013_01_31 Thursday

Elise was dry overnight for the third morning today. She seemed pretty proud. We're going to try Big Girls overnight tonight, just to see if she can do it.

Elise also brought home her first big art project from nursery school. They've been talking about Goldilocks (aka Goldy) and the 3 bears for most of January. She brought home three laminated sheets with chairs (too hard, too soft, just right), beds (too big, too small, just right), and plates (too hot, too cold, just right).

2013_01_29 Tuesday

I got a call today from the vice principal. Jonathan mooned someone in the cafeteria and got sent to her to discuss. It was hard to keep a straight face, but we (she and I) had a good talk. Apparently, a number of kindergarten boys do this every year; why was it mine, though!?! Apparently, another boy did it first, but J got caught (FWIW, he got in trouble for hitting the same boy in the cafeteria last week.) So, Jonathan and I had a nice, long talk about appropriate behavior and body privacy. He had to write an apology to the VP (and lunch monitor), and he had to wear a belt to school on Wednesday as a reminder that pants must stay up. I also told him that if this happens again, he could get kicked out of the cafeteria. He did not like that idea. Gesh, I really hope our chat sticks. He's having some minor socializing issues (following directions, hitting, now pants).

2013_01_25 Friday

Jonathan lost his first tooth today!! He was on his way to art class when it (allegedly) just popped out of his mouth...no blood or anything. It did look a little sideways this morning when he left for school, but I thought we'd have until the weekend. He seemed pretty excited about it. Oh, and Elise thinks she's got wiggly teeth too.

Of course, we weren't at home that night, so he was a bit concerned that the tooth fairy wouldn't be able to find him. And, then, I insisted that he not sleep ON the tooth but rather leave it next to his bed, all of which got him more nervous. In the end, he got $5 for that tooth, so rest assured that the fairy will find teeth even if they aren't underneath a pillow. :o)

2013_01_15 Tuesday

Little Missy Elise actually asked a staff person at the gym to take her diaper off so that she could use the toilet! That little lady is sooo done with diapers, at least during the day. I just make sure I have a complete change of clothes when we go out, but so far, she's been terrific. No accidents.

I was invited to J's class yesterday to celebrate his 1/2 birthday (yeah, I forgot about it on Friday!). They performed a get-the-wiggles-out song for me (I think teacher was tired) that was super cute. We had made blueberry/raspberry muffins and fruit skewers as 'Go Foods' that were liked 50/50. And, Jonathan asked me to read Moosetache. I tried to push for Ferdinand, but he didn't buy it. Then, they did a few minutes of stations (legos, animals, connect-os, towers), which was fun for me to watch. I was in for just under an hour, so that was really exciting for me. His classmates are really cuties. Then we blasted off for karate class.


Jonathan had his second karate (it's actually tae quon do) class last night, and I was thrilled to catch the tail end of the teacher's lesson about self control. She mimicked some of the boys (incl. J) who were flailing around and asked if she was controlling herself; they could all see that she wasn't. I don't know if J applied that to his own body, though. But, she tied self control into being at school, at home, in public, etc. That is exactly why 'we' joined the program, and I told her so afterward...and I reported it back to teacher too. :o) Hopefully, we are moving in the right direction.

2013_01_12 Saturday

Elise was dry overnight!!!! She really had to pee by 8:30, but she made it through the night!! She is such a BIG GIRL!!

2012_01_08 Tuesday

Elise is absolutely loving school. She doesn't even look back when we get there. She's a hoot. In fact, she's going three days this week so we can get her onto a Tues/Thurs routine. She's also done writing her thank you notes; all that's left is to 'sign' them.

Jonathan is doing great. His tooth is getting wigglier and wigglier. I've got to figure out how to save it when it does fall out. He's working hard on writing his own thank you notes this year. And, there's a red Playmobil dragon (a belated Christmas gift) waiting for him when he's done.

The house is quiet for another hour. Bliss.

Elise is taking a nap in her big girls for the first time. She sat on the potty for awhile beforehand. We'll see how that goes. For the past 30 mins, she's been yelling: "Mommy, my big girls are very, very clean." and "I have a small bottom." and "Mom, I'm not in pull-ups." maybe this was a bad idea....

2013_01_03 Thursday

Today is Elise's first day of school! She woke up to a Schultute of her very own. She even sang something like: "I ammmm gooooing to my Kinnnnndergaaaaarten, errr, KinnnnderGaaaaan, schooool today!" Dave and I dropped her off with hardly a second glace back. She jumped right in, especially once she found a doll house and a kitchen! I was happy to see a few familiar faces from Jonathan's former classmates and their siblings too. The director said she was "Just a burst of sunshine for our classroom !! "

Wow, three hours really flies by. At pick-up, she told me they went on a bear hunt; they sat in a circle for story time about a momma bear, a daddy bear, and a baby bear and a girl with yellow hair (Goldilocks); and she had pretzels and an apple ("my favorite!") for snack. Morah Roz (?) said it was like she's been with the kids the whole year; she fit right in. awww.