Marin's first boy crush

Tanner is a second grader in the after school program. Seems like a real good kid. Nice personality, good looking, athletic, generally respectful (or at least acknowledges when he isn't and changes his ways). I usually banter with him when I go to get Marin.

Over the last few weeks, Marin will casually work Tanner into the conversation on the car ride home. "Tanner was on my bus today. Tanner played football today. Tanner was up on kid zone hill today." etc. I didn't think too much of it because Marin always talks about other kids at school or after school.

Fast forward to this week. On her weekly library trip Marin borrowed a book about football and could not wait to show me when we got home. "Look Daddy. This book is about football."

Me: "Why did you choose a book about football?"
Marin: "Tanner plays football."
Me: "You borrowed this book because Tanner plays football?"
Marin: "Yes. Maybe his picture is in here with all these boys. Then I can see Tanner's picture all the time. I like Tanner."

Tooth Fairy

Marin lost her first tooth this week. Lower left side incisor. It had been loose for fourscore and 20 years but finally gave out. As the day of reckoning approached, her older cousins schooled Marin in the ways of the tooth fairy.

So D-Day arrives 11/26 at the kitchen table just before dinner. Blood everywhere. Marin with a look of total panic on her face because she can't figure out where the blood is coming from and why it won't stop. Colleen gets that under control with an ice pack.

Fast forward to bedtime, Marin is freaking out. She is afraid of the tooth fairy.
"Why he come in my room?"
"What if he hurt me?"
" Boy or girl? Tooth fairy boy or girl?"
" Daddy sleep with me."

So we finally get Marin calm enough to fall asleep. She wakes at midnight and hollers for me. She tells me how scared she is of the tooth fairy. I pulled the quarter from under her pillow and said "Look, the tooth fairy is already come and gone". I have never seen such a deeply satisfied expression of relief come across anybody's face as I saw on Marin just then.
"He gone Daddy? Tooth fairy all gone? What he give me?"

The quarter was in a ziplock bag (easier to find) and Marin lay there shaking the quarter in the bag for about 30 mins - this look of total amazement and bewilderment on her face. Like "how the heck did the tooth fairy do that without me knowing it?"

The next morning Marin is telling Emmy all about what happened and tossing the quarter from one hand to the other. Emmy sat motionless with eyes wide as saucers. When Marin was finished talking, Emmy said - in a total deadpan - "You're kidding." I thought I would bust a gut laughing.

Marin went on to tell Emmy that she had actually seen the tooth fairy and he looks like a butterfly. Then she made a face like a butterfly (I guess that's what it was). Marin will feel pretty foolish some day when she reads this story.

Marin went to school and told everyone she got five dollars for her tooth. Right. The people at school obviously don't know me very well if they fall for that.

Baseball

While I was away for a few days business trip, Colleen's Mom bought the girls a little nerfy style baseball and bat. When I got home, Meron could not wait to tell me about it. So I'm politely listening while she rambles on excitedly.

Colleen says to me "why don't you throw her a pitch?" and I gave her this look like "as if".

Meron smacked the ball so hard it ricocheted off three walls in the playroom. 5 pitches, same result. I could not believe it. Meron just stands there grinning all proud of herself and saying "Daddy, high five, Meron good job!"

Colleen told me her father threw about 50 pitches and Meron hit almost all of them with authority. Unbelievable. We know there were no baseballs and bats at the orphanage. The kids would have beat the stuffing out of each other.

Meron Rides a Bike

Well, actually it was a trike. How do I know? Meron told me.

When I got home yesterday, Meron rushed the door and said "Daddy, Daddy!! Meron. Outside. Bike. Good job." Colleen translated that Meron learned to ride a trike outside at school today. She even got a certificate of achievement. Meron was so proud.

So tonight I dug a couple of old trikes out of the garage overhead and let the girls pedal around the driveway. They are so cute. They had a ball.