Katie and her first Cubbies experience

Katie went to Cubbies last night. Grandpa took her so John could stay with Jake and mom and I could go to this food tasting (food I did NOT write down because it was too varied and... well, about 20 minutes after we left I had already forgotten what all I ate).

We stopped by the church after our thing was over and looked in on them.

The kids were sitting on the floor and the adults (including dad) were sitting on tiny red chairs. Katie and grandpa were on the outside fringes but that was okay... Katie was paying attention.

Then I heard her (from across the room) say "Grandpa, I can't sit on the floor anymore. Why can't I sit in one of those chairs?" And she pointed to the multitude of tiny chairs set against the wall. I held my breath. Hoping grandpa wouldn't get her a chair when the rest of the kids were sitting on the floor... because this is a good time to teach conformity (ick) to prepare her for school.

Grandpa didn't get her a chair...


He gave her his.


Katie did well though. She stood up to sing and colored with the rest of the 3 year olds. I was very proud of her. A little sad when she didn't really react to seeing me once I stepped in the room (she ignored me for the glitz and glam of the toy food and play lunch trays) but I was proud of her for being such a big girl.

When we got home she showed me the picture she colored. She drew circles with long sticks attached to them. She pointed to one and said it was Cubby (the bear mascot) and then said "Oh no! I forgot his ears!" I never did learn who/what the other 3 were... I offered her a pen to add ears and she started to color, ears forgotten, on the other side of the paper.

Katie and the strange assortment of toys

Katie's grandma got home on Tuesday night to find Katie standing by the door ready to go downstairs holding:

an empty formula container
an empty bowl of some sort
a play spatula
a play fork
a play spoon
(possibly other play utensils)
part of a box with numbers and letters cut out of the sides
a cover to a knex box
a few knex sticks
AND finally,
a play plastic measuring cup she was holding on to with her teeth because none of the toys were in the formula container or bowl so she ran out of hands.

Before grandma came in, I heard Katie say "I ready to go down now Mommy" and when I looked at her, she had the measuring cup in her teeth and was slouched over holding onto all of her stuff.

I laughed. I laughed. I laughed.

I was laughing when Grandma came in and trying to explain to Katie that she hadn't been invited to go downstairs and maybe grandma was tired... but it was broken up with lots of me, laughing.

Then grandma started to laugh and she said "How can I say no now!" so I helped Katie put toys into the empty formula can and got her all sorted out (while still laughing) and she got to go downstairs with grandma.

Jake was standing holding on to the recliner the whole time this was going on. Just looking at us. Or maybe me. Like I was a little bit crazy.