David's 1st Day of Kindergarden

David's 1st Day of Kindergarden.  There he is - so proud.  He has his backpack, his Star Wars lunch box, and he is standing so tall - with a big smile.

(He is going to the same school that his sister Sarah went to many years ago.)

He picked out his outfit and dressed himself.  He even laid out his clothes on the floor the night before so that he would be ready to change into them, get ready for breakfast, and then be prepared to go off to school.

He laid his shirt on the floor first.  Under it went the underwear. Then under that you found the shorts.  No - it is not done.  He put his socks below his shorts - one sock under one trouser leg and another under the other one.  He is very serious about this sort of thing and it was very important that Bitsy (our dog) not step on his clean clothes (especially today).

We all got up a little earlier today.  It was 6:00 am - that is a big change from Google time trust me.  I heard the alarm, washed my face, said "good morning" to Summer.  Then I walked over to David's room to get him up.  He was moving a little and all I said was:  "is its time to get ready to go to kindergarden" and he got ready.  (This is not normal - usually getting up is a bit of a struggle.)

I left the room long enough to let Bitsy out and when I came back I found him rubbing his eyes but dressed and ready to go - talking a mile a minute (of course talking a mile a minute is nothing new for him - I always wonder where he got that from - stop laughing).

I said "what do you want for breakfast" and he replied waffles.  (Now keep in mind this is often a bit of a battle in the morning as he details what he does not want in the morning, like oatmeal or eggs or... well you name it these days.  But this morning waffles without hesitation.  So David and dad made breakfast - our normal routine (except a lot earlier).

As we started to enter the kitchen David said:  "Dad, you make breakfast while I watch TV."  My very impressive and effective response (yes I am proud of these tactical maneuvers when they are successful):  "I need help, who is going to stir the batter."  I know he loves to cook and then the process began - the routine was re-estabished.  He mixes.  I get the waffle iron ready and he sprays and we pour together.

Then with great anticipation we both watch to see how much of the waffle batter spills over into the spill cup on the other side of the waffle machine. That lets us know if we have enough to make yet another waffle after the first one is finished.  It is a thrilling moment to watch the batter spill over.  He loves to let me know how I must have put too much in for that to happen. Ok, enough with all that excitement - you think I am kidding watch for yourself - the mix master at work.

It is 7:00 am.  It is time to go. Summer drove. We made it in plenty of time (hey I didn't say she was speeding - it is one of the benefits of the commuter lane).  He gave us both a big hug and waved good-bye.  He was jumping up and down ready to have a great time.  

Summer dropped me off at the train station and went to work at Google. (By way of explanation, we took one car so we could see him off together on his first day of kindergarden - with one car we could all use that wonderful commuter lane I mentioned).  I boarded the train, called my mom to see how she was doing, and before I knew it I was at the San Jose train station.  I grabbed a cab and I read a chapter of the new book I am writing while in transit and I suddenly I was back home ready to record the moment for the little man (and the rest of us).  What a day to remember (and that is why it is in this blog)!

Monterey Bay Aquarium (Day before 1st Day of Kindergarden)

Fetterman Family at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  It is the day before David's first day of kindergarden. We had some business to take care of down in Monterey and David was so good we asked him "What would you like to do?"

He said the aquarium, so off we went. We have a membership so we could just walk right in (very important as you know when you have a 4 1/2 year old).  Long lines don't work too well.

So here we are inside and all smiles.  We know the place pretty well by now. We got married there and we go there all the time, (almost every time we come down to Monterey).

We also know what we want to see (the big fish and the jellies and that stamp machine that prints fish on those cool aquarium cards for you).  We also know exactly how much time we have.  It is called a parking meter and they do ticket.  So what is the first thing you see in an aquarium regardless of your agenda - fish, a lot of fish (and beautiful blue water).

David was pretty focused like usual - check out those fish.

And then all of a sudden - sharks and lots of them.  That was an eye opener.  (It certainly was for him - as you can see below.  We thought it was pretty cool too.)

This aquarium is something else. It also has interactive stations.  Below you can see what a fish larva looks like.  More to the point, you find it swimming around on the screen, touch it and a blow up shot appears.  Then you can move it right side, left side, and upside down and all around to see all the dimensions of the larva.  

The startling part is that David walked up to it and starting playing with it right away. It took him no time to figure it out.  He has grown up on an iPad, the iPhone, and his own computer, so he thinks the rest of the world works this way.  He even knew how to touch the X on the image to reduce it.  We take it for granted that our kids are going up in the digital age, but there are little things like this that remind us of how powerful the influence is all around us and how differently he will think than we do.

Ok, back to reality.  Here is a classic nettle or jelly.  This is what I like to watch - very soothing, calm and almost like a ballet performed in ocean water.

That is not to say we did not enjoy the really big fish. This is where we had our wedding reception.  I remember turning to this wall and watching the gigantic sun fish for a second during the reception and thinking no one could get bored at that wedding.

Well that's all for now.  Just wanted to share a fun day with you.  Between Facebook, Google +, and blogging it is a great way to stay in touch with friends and family around the world.

Bye!