Preschool

 

Benjamin started preschool this month! And he loves it! (He wanted to wear his hat, he's discovered that he really loves hats, at least for this week:) There are only 4 kids in his class, and all 4 go to Primary with him on Sunday so it's a pretty intimate class. On the car ride home that first day, he talked and talked about the 2 funny books that they read about bears, and about the bear activities that they did. I think he's going to have a really good experience this year. I just hope he: 1) gets more comfortable playing with, and talking to, other kids (besides Ana) and 2) learns what he needs to, to be ready for Kindergarten next year. He's not as far along as Ana was at his age. Maybe because I had more time alone with her? He's not behind by any means, he's a smart kid, but Ana went into preschool practically ready to read, and he still gets confused naming letters and numbers. So hopefully he learns as much academically as he does socially this year.

So, funny story from Walmart today. I dispise going to Walmart, first of all. Let's just get that out there. The kids are always crazy, and they always, always want to ride in the huge, ginormous blue cart with the plastic seats with buckles in addition to the normal cart. Luckily that one wasn't available today. And somehow time seems to fast forward when I'm inside, so that 30 minute trips turn into an hour, and 10 minute trips turn into 30. So today was supposed to be a quick trip, in and out. Only 2 items to get. And as always, not so. Because Benji of course had to go to the bathroom. Ugh, taking kids to the bathroom in a public restroom is such a pain! It takes so long to help them in, wait for them to go, help them wash hands, and whenever Ana or Benji has to go, Jane has to go, so that's an extra 10 minutes of her wanting to do everything herself, and sitting on the potty forever trying to let out one small toot. Anyway this time the women's bathroom was closed, so I sent him into the men's, with Jane in tow. After about 10 minutes of waiting outside the door on a bench, realized that Benji had been in the bathroom for a long time. And why was Jane being so quiet? walked up to the bathroom door and called Benjamin's name. He yelled something back at me that I couldn't understand, and after a few tries, I heard, "I buttled (buckled) myself!" So I'm thinking, what the heck, what buckle is he talking about? There's no buckles in a bathroom? So after some confusing minutes of yelling quietly back and forth through the door, a Wal-Mart employee opened the door to exit the men's bathroom and told me I could go in and help my son while he stood at the door to stop anyone from coming in. I gratefully thanked him and hurried in. And there's Benjamin, at the back of the restroom in the handicap stall, buckled into one of those toddler seats that bolted to the wall and has a drop down seat that they sit on. He looked at me sheepishly with that grin that says he's not sorry for what he did but he feels a little silly. Jane was just standing with him thinking who knows what. After laughing in spite of myself, I unbuckled him and hustled the kids out of the restroom. As we passed the employee standing guard at the door, I noticed that Jane has no shoes on. Of course. So I sent her back in, ("hurry, Jane! Run, grab your shoes and lets go!")

It wasn't until about 2 hours later when Jane told me she pooped and then she pulled her shorts down to reveal no diaper, and a big fat piece of poop sitting in her shorts, that I realized that when we were leaving the men's restroom in Walmart, and Benjamin told me that Jane had taken her diaper off to go potty, that she had actually taken it off and left it in the stall. It was probably on the floor and I didn't even notice it. Nice. Sorry Walmart Staff.

Once again, I wonder if they have a wall of pictures of people to beware of when they walk in the store. If they do, I'm sure my picture is on it.