Aunt Jess "samich"

Nothing better than waking up in the morning to two little munchkins making an Aunt Jess "samich." Tristan wakes up talking and doesn't stop until his head hits the pillow. But at 6 in the morning, he peeks his head into my room and when I nod, he slips under the covers and just curls up. Eventually he hears Katie and gets up. "Katie, do you want to come snuggle with Aunt Jess?" So they both climb under the covers. And we have peace for about 10 minutes, maybe. And then Tristan realizes that he is the bread and I am the cheese and Katie is the other slice of bread - all the components of an Aunt Jess "samich" and a fit of giggles. It's a good way to wake up and a good reason to skip a run.

My few days with the urchins, as their parents call them, are never enough. Tristan and I go for a bike ride. And then he rides his bike to the park where he plays for a bit and then tricks me into taking the long way home. I am on foot this time. But he's good and waits at all the corners and looks back to make sure that I am coming after long stretches of sidewalk. And Tristan beat me handily at The Kids of Carcasonne. On day one it was Tristan: 5, Aunt Jess: 2 and one tie. On day two I fared a tad bit better and this four-year old beat me fair and square every time. He's figured out game theory and he's good! Really, really good! :-)

Katie had an awful lot going on while I was visiting. Most notably was her star performance as a Pixie in Cinderella. And that meant dance class on Thursday and rehearsal from 4-8 on Friday - full make-up and all. But she wasn't fond of the make-up - made her face feel like plastic :-). Friday, I got the chance to help out in her classroom - Math Centers. She was ecstatic and I had such a fun time helping out. On Saturday everyone else went to the farmer's market and I helped her decorate her own messenger bag. She did an impressive job and we had a lot of fun arranging and rearranging decals and stuff.

But the highlight was the dance performance. The Fairfax Ballet did a spring show, including Cinderella which allowed all the dance classes at Katie's dance school to have a part in the show. I loved watching Katie. She new her dance, she had a huge, beautiful smile on her face and she clearly had a wonderful time. I don't get to see these things often and I feel blessed that my work took me to VA at just the right time.

Something will be missing the next few mornings without my Aunt Jess "samich." Until next time my dear, sweet urchins! Aunt Jess loves you and misses you.