This and That

I went with Jack to school today to visit and observe. It is National Education Week and both Jack and Kitty's schools invited the parents to come and sit in on a class. Yesterday, I was with Kitty for circle time. It was wonderful... when we sat down on the carpet, two of Kitty's classmates who were in her toddler class last year came over to sit with us. One of them plopped right down in my lap without asking or batting an eyelash and the other one sat right up against me on my right side. There was some tension, however, when a new friend of Kitty's came over and tried to elbow her way in to get some 'Kitty's Mommy' space. It was resolved with a sort of diagonal formation. I've never felt so popular before.
Today, I was with Jack for his morning meeting and beyond. I'm always impressed by his teacher, but was even more impressed by a new thing in Jack's classroom called a 'Smart Board.' It is this huge screen that has a computer screen projected on to it that the kids can write on. It blew my mind. Everyday the kids sign in on one board, and then go to the smart board to draw the shape of the day. Today's shape was an oval. It is hard for me to believe how many topics and tasks the kids did in Jack's class in 2 1/2 hours. I was exhausted! It made me really appreciate what a demanding thing being a kindergartener is.
In order for me to go to school with Jack, I signed Kitty up for 'Lunch Bunch' at school. She stayed 2 hours longer than normal. Once in the car after pick up, she was briefly happy, then surly, then fell in to a deep sleep. I carried her in from the car and deposited her on the sofa where her eyelids fluttered momentarily and then closed. I hate to wake her (she's still asleep an hour later,) but she won't fall asleep until midnight if I don't wake her now.
In the my-kid-is-amazing category today is this: After getting home, I put 'Bindi the Jungle Girl' on for Jack. It stars the approximately 8 year old daughter of the late Steve Irwin, who tragically died last year (2 years ago?) after being stung by a sting ray. About a minute in to it, Jack, upon hearing Bindi speak, said, "Bindi must be an Australian girl!" I asked him how he knew that and he responded that she spoke with an Australian accent. I was floored and asked, "How do you know what an Australian accent is?" He thought for a few moments and then replied, "Sam in my class last year went to Australia." Can you believe that? He astounds me frequently.