Paints, books, slides (and some tears)

She painted, she played on the playground, she counted beads and she listened to her teacher, Ms. Angela, read two books.

She already knows where to hang her backpack, that snack time is before "recess" and that the assistant teacher, Ms. Rachel, wears her hair in a ponytail.

She claims she loves school, is planning what she'll do on Thursday when she gets to go back and has a picture already packed in her bag to take for the attendance chart.

And in Alivia's true yin and yang fashion, she cried. Not when Jason dropped her off for her first day (v. 2009) of three-year-old preschool, but during transitions within the school day (ie. between free time and circle time or when snacks were being cleaned up before going outside to play).

Despite her "I want my daddy/I want my mommy" tears at downtimes, she acted as though the day was a success. There in lies the irony.