On Catholicism

Marco is fast learning the Catholic lessons that we may have neglected to teach to him.

On likening the tabernacle to an adults-only bakery:  "Mom, do you know what the tabernacle is?  It's a really funny word, but it's where they keep special bread that's only for adults."

On luck:  "We got to go on a field trip today!  To a church!  And we learned to cross ourselves like the people on game shows."

On snacks:  "You're not allowed to eat the special bread until you're an adult because it's been blessed.  But guess what?  Father Leo let us try the crackers that haven't been blessed yet!  And you know what?  It is not. good."

On superheroes: "Mom, if Jesus had powers, why didn't he use them when the bad guys were beating him up on the cross?"

For B week, the kids were asked to bring their favorite bear for Father Leo to bless. Marco chose his "least favorite bear." When we asked him why: "Because after Father blesses him, we'll probably eat it."

And perhaps our most embarrassing Catholic school moment came when Marco was selected to decorate the prayer table.  His three prayers included praying "that animals would live as long as people," "for the homeless man on Lakeshore," and "for Uncle Mike and Aunt Mariesa to have a happy marriage."  So far, so good. 

Jeff also managed to scare up some table adornments from his confirmation circa the late 1980s.  As Marco was unpacking them to decorate the table, the teacher asked him to describe each item.  "And this is my Dad on the cross when he was a little boy..."
 
Catholic school fail? 

Here's some fun school pics from the kindergarten website.  Which of these kids is doing his own thing?  Sigh.

 Spirit Day!  Marco's class color is purple.

 Marco's favorite school project so far.  Butterfly growing and release.  Ew.

Catalina 2013

Once again, our Catalina trip was a favorite for everyone.  After a slight adjustment to August to accomodate kindergarten (darn school!) we headed off to the boat for a week of cooking, swimming and relaxation.  Notables for Marco include his first jumping in and swimming in the ocean without a life jacket (pretty sure he beat Jeff by 15 years), snorkeling, kayaking (in his own kayak this year - with tow line) and paddleboarding.  He's a natural.

Wingman

We're loving Marco's adorable new wingman.

I mean, Jeff ran away from big Jack's house when he was six.  So, I think these two are destined for mischief.

Back to School

It's Back to School night.  Already.  (And a romantic way to spend your 8-year wedding anniversary I might add.)

Each Monday, the class shares what they did over the weekend and Mrs. Halkias writes it out on the board.  The kids were full of adventures... Marco "slept in his bed." 

Um... 

I asked him what about swimming at Brookie's and a sleepover with Niko and going with Nolan and his family to buy new books at the bookstore.... "Oh yeah, those are good ones.  I forgot."


One of the Moms shared a cute story with me as told to her by her son, Jack.

"Mom, Marco is my best friend. Whenever I'm scared, like when we line up, I just look at Marco and he gives me a big THUMBS UP. Also, he shared a treat with me from his lunch... but I don't think he really liked it. Can I bring a rice krispie treat to share with him tomorrow?"

I'm honestly not sure I would've known this was Marco if his name wasn't under it.  Yikes.  Apparently, combing his hair is a new morning must.

 His self portrait.

I asked one of the other Moms, are we always going to see each other this much?  Her response: "Only for nine years."

Kinder Report

Day one
I picked Marco up at aftercare and the teachers said he had a hard day, even crying.  Well, obviously, they weren't talking about my kid. I figured it was the first day and they likely couldn't remember all their names. It just didn't seem like his personality to me. And then she added, "I told him that his big blue eyes looked so sad with those tears." Oooh. 

It turns out that only a small handful of kinder kids went to aftercare. So, when class let out, there was a gaggle of parents excited to hear about their first day. But... not us. 

They said he perked up when Niko arrived from first grade.  They spent the afternoon playing kick ball and basketball. 

More expectedly, by the time I arrived to pick him up, he didn't want to go. 

Day two
He was excited to show me the table where he sat (the blue table), introduce his teacher (Mrs. Halkias) and proudly show me that he can skip a rung on the monkey bars and make a basket "in the big basket!"

Day three
He was excited to eat waffles for breakfast, can you even believe what Dad made for me?  and thrilled to finally don the uniform, are all the boys going to be wearing this?

I mean, so what if he was the only kid dropped in shorts with no sweatshirt?  He's a Cecchin with a reputation for weather immunity to live up to. 

Handsome little devil.