The jet lag didn't seem quite as bad coming back this way and we had nothing to do the first few days after we arrived, so the transition was pretty smooth. The boys are very happy at school. They both got a very warm welcome from their friends. Actually they both got tackled by the first kids in their class who saw them....Jolon loved that; Kellan hated it. As usual, the teachers had made a big deal about the arrivals so the kids all knew they were coming on Friday. Jolon got to give each kid the Curious George gummies that Grandpa sent back, and apparently he enjoyed doing that. We gave Kellan's class little Oreo stick cookies with tiny pots of the white creme, which you dunk the cookies into. The parents had never seen that kind of thing so that was a big hit too. Kellan cried while we were there the first few days but stopped as soon as we were out the door. Every morning this week, until today, he would get in the classroom and close his eyes, as if doing that made him invisible. It was a really funny way of reacting to a somewhat stressful situation. Meanwhile his friends kept coming up to him and saying his name, giving him leggos, etc. while he just stood there listening to them with a half smile on his face but his eyes shut tight. Anyway, today he barely looked up at me when I said goodbye and the teachers have assured me that he's been fine after we leave. Although, he's not eating quite as much as he did in America (thank goodness), he and Jolon are both enjoying their brown rice and eggs in the mornings and not begging for waffles as I feared. In fact, they are back to eating rice two or three times a day again and loving it. Kellan, who I think is going to be an even better eater than Jolon actually loved my wild mushroom soup the other night which I couldn't believe....big, slimy shitake mushrooms in a butter, chicken stock and sherry broth. Not typical kid's food, but he ate all of his and as much of mine as I would give him. We're trying to keep the sticker thing going here to encourage Jolon to get dressed in under an hour. Kinda works most days, but it's still the most frustrating part of every morning. The Spider Man toothbrush for Jolon and the Thomas toothbrush which plays a tune for Kellan are making toothbrushing a lot easier. It's hilarious to see Kellan dancing to the music...he's started kicking one leg out like a chorus line girl and bopping around with that goofy smile.
