The cut-off time for dropping off a TK student is 8:15 am. For a preschooler, it is 9:30 am.

We're still adjusting to this 75-minute pull-in, and our current school-day morning routine is basically "Hurry up with this! Hurry up with that! We need to get out of the door by 7:45 am!" Quite a rush to start the day 😂

How is your parenting morning routine? 😎

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Here are a couple of fun examples:

a) 4.75YO came up with the idea of "sun-dried watermelon", apparently after hearing and talking about sun-dried tomatoes. He realized that "sun-dried watermelon" would lose most of its water, but nothing stops the conceptual fun 😂

b) After viewing a couple of cellphone videos taken of him during a cherry-picking trip 2 years ago, 4.75YO wanted to go "watermelon picking". Luckily, I managed to persuade him that Costco is the right place for "watermelon picking" 🤣

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I'm grateful for my 4.75YO, whose playfulness helps bring so much more fun into our family life 😎

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4.75YO is going to Transition K for the first day tomorrow. Reminded him today to remember the teachers' names, try to make friends with classmates, and learn and obey the rules.

Wondering what tomorrow and the next a few years will be like for him and our family.

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I don't know why, but 4.75YO is having fun saying "Thank your~!" instead of "Thank you!" My gentle attempts to correct him only got some giggles in response so far 😂

I hope his new teachers at TK will take his "accent" and sense of humor gracefully 😎

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4.75YO is between schools now - He just left preschool and is waiting to attend TK 😎😂

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4.75YO is about to leave the preschool he's been attending and start going to Transitional K. I'm probably having more feelings than him 😂

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"It must have been ice-cream!" When asked whether he wants to have lunch first or ice-cream first just now, 4.75YO replied loudly, without any hesitation.

I'm not sure where he picked up the structure or tense of this sentence, but it actually conveys his conviction pretty well. 😂

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After having dinner with and bathing 4.75YO, I felt asleep right next to him. Just wake up at 5:15 am and feeling early 😎

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Update: Here is a summary of this fever episode of 4.75YO:

- Monday: Fever. Needed OTC fever reducer every 5.5 hrs or so;
- Tuesday: Fever almost gone. Only took fever reducer at 2:30 pm;
- Wednesday: Fever gone. No meds needed.

Now our plan for tomorrow is to send 4.75YO to preschool, while us parents will go to work and focus. Hope it will work out.

We don't know what caused the fever. (One Covid antigen test turned out negative.) If it indeed goes away and does not linger or come back, I guess we don't need to obsess or fixate on it. Right?

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Morning routine on a weekday with 4.75YO:

"Hurry up."
"Faster."
"Focus, please".

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"Daddy, why is that elephant sitting on a cloud?" 4.75YO asked curiously.

"That is good imagination." I replied.

"Daddy, what is that bridge next to it?" The curiosity continued.

"That's the golden gate bridge. It's an important landmark. We should go there sometimes." I said.

"Why are they together?" More curiosity.

"It says that people near the golden gate bridge have good imagination and creativity." I said, thinking I came up with an OK answer.

"Oh." 4.75YO said, probably thinking through these new info in his head.

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The other day, while having an apple each with 4.67YO, I brought up the saying, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away."

"Why?" he asked.

"Because fresh apples are a great fruit and very healthy." I said, "Or, we can say, an apple a day keeps the diseases away."

"An apple a day keeps the diseases away." He said after me, giggling, and then repeated, "Diseases." He seemed to find its pronunciation funny.

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During the preparation for the performance at their own preschool graduation ceremony, 4.67YO learned several songs together with his friends/classmates. Simple but meaningful verses, almost complete with stories.

That Friday afternoon a few weeks ago, their performance was not impeccable, but all enjoyed it.

It's great that 4.67YO still sings those songs from time to time, which tells me he's happy.

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When 4.67YO was still 4.5YO a few months ago, he made a sentence: "The troublesome trucks will turn into a high-speed rail." It made perfect sense to him, although not to me. He then put it to a tune he picked up somewhere, and would sing this one line happily over and over. For a few weeks, that was how I knew he was in a good mood. 🤣

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4.67YO is into the number 40 now and really wants me to agree with him that "4 plus 10 equals 40", and these are his words: "4 plus 10 equals 14 is boring and only adults say that; my friends agree with me that 4 plus 10 equals 40."

I don't want to confuse him, but he'll get upset if I insist. I wonder what are my options here 🤣

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#Baby is nearly 4 months old, and this weekend I had the pleasure for the first time of both hearing and causing him to fully laugh. (:

The laughter was sweeter than how I imagined it'd be.
The trigger was making boop-y sounds into each of his ears, giving him a brand new stereo-like experience.

Officially lovely (and a great treat before a 2.5 week period of not working from home)!

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A new surprise every day. Our oldest started reading Babysitters Club: Jessi's secret language and is now teaching the family ASL :blobfoxread:

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Discovered these ancient hieroglyphics on my whiteboard this morning... what could it mean?

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