Grab Your Robes and Mortar Boards, It's Graduation Time!

(If you are reading this via Facebook, scroll down to end of post and click on "View Original Post" to read this within the blog.)

In mere days will be the event that little boys and girls dream of from the time they're dropped off in daycare at six weeks old. It's the day when all those crafts, songs, and arduous physical activities finally pay off. It's preschool graduation.

Sadly, due to an ill-timed family vacation planned to visit the boys' grandparents in the northeast, Helios will miss his preschool graduation. However, thanks to the miracles of advance preparation and home video, we are still able to immortalize Helios singing his graduation song that he would've performed with his class.

LYRICS:
Learned my letters, A-B-C, A-B-C
Learned my numbers, 1-2-3, 1-2-3
I can even write my name with ease
Aren't you very proud of me, proud of me?

Kindergarten here we come, here we come
Kindergarten here we come, here we come
So long preschool, it's been fun
Kindergarten here we come! Here we come!

Why Advertising Works on Children

Along with "HIPPO" and "GIRAFFE," one of Helios' first spelled words was "TARGET" (that strip mall mini-Mecca where trains are sold). He also early on was able to recognize "STARBUCKS" (land of hot chocolate and scones) and "MCDONALD'S" (home of apple slices). Thanks to a few savvy marketers, he is now able to recognize "CLEAR" as well.

This past spring at the local mall, Clear Wireless introduced a promotional display. Wireless is boring enough to kids (and most adults) - even the Apple yuppie or some Intel factory bunnies can't make their products interesting to children. But Clear is smart. They slapped their logo on an inflatable "snow globe" with a cupcake inside and circulating sprinkles. If you've ever seen the chipmunk in Ice Age questing for its acorn, you have seen the wild, bug-eyed stare with which these two boys greeted this 7-foot high cupcake in a globe.

Once we got them to stop hugging the cupcake, we were able to get them to hug each other and take this picture. Don't mistake it for a sign of brotherly love - while those displays do occur, this was rather a flush of mad passion for sugary glutenous wonders manifested as a massive cupcake. The brother just happened to be there to receive some of the residual love.

It's Time

September 14th. Hardly a day to live in infamy but it was the last time I posted to this blog with an update on the children.

I was okay with tardiness as long as I could count the elapsed time on one hand. When the number of weeks exceeded five, I simply re-adjusted and moved to months. That gained me another 20 weeks. But as we're nearing eight months since last posting, the only other alternative is to move to increments of years and risk Google taking this blog down (or doing so myself). Since I've already abandoned making homemade cards and threw out the idea of a scrapbook before it even dared to show itself as an idea, my mommy-vanity demands that I return to blogging about childish things (or childish blogging, as you wish).

Time to get caught up.