In all the excitement of the last few months, I’ve neglected to publish one of this blog’s most popular posts: Lily’s annual Back-to-School Facetime Fun.
It still happened the week that school started, when times were all things Olympics, so hit rewind and take yourself back to August for this smart and funny girl who is growing up too fast for this Aunt NoNo.
Me: Hey, Lil!
Lily: Hello.
Me: This is the first back-to-school facetime in your new room.
Lily: Yeah, hold on, here it is. I’m saving this wall for paintings.
There’s one wall.
Here’s my bed…
…and my desk.
Me: Looks great! I spy a Gappers’ Quilt!
Lily: Mmhmm. How’s Wyoming?
Me: Eh, it’s okay. Are you ready to start school?
Lily: Nervous, but excited to see my friends.
Me: What are you looking forward to most in third grade?
Lily: We get to do a land run and sing “Oklahoma!”
Me: So fun. Do you get to dress up?
Lily: Yeah, there’s a square dance and we can wear aprons and bonnets and gowns, but no headphones.
Me: That’s a bummer. Are your eyes okay? You keep rubbing them.
Lily: I’m seeing little dark spots from staring at the light too long. I’ve been staring at the sun a lot lately.
Me: Why’s that? Doesn’t sound like a good idea.
Lily: I don’t have a lot of places to stare.
Me: Hmm, well…have you been watching the Olympics?
Lily: Yes! I like girl’s gymnastics. Have. you. seen. Simone??
Me: Ha! Yes, isn’t she awesome?
Lily: Yeah, but my bedtime’s 8, so I haven’t seen too much.
Me: Remember how I said you needed to have paper and a marker for our chat? I’m going to have you judge the Olympics of your summer. Sound fun?
Lily: Mmmhmm
Me: Awesome. So, write a 1, a 5 and a 10 on three pieces of paper. These are your scoring cards that you’ll hold up when I mention something you did during your summer.
Lily: Like this?
Me: Yes, exactly! Start with the 1.
Me: Perfect, now the 5.
Me: One more — the perfect 10!
Me: Here’s the first one: Your summer with Linc.
Me: Okay, I won’t ask. Moving on…Star Wars Camp!
Me: Tough crowd. How about Singing Lessons?
Lily: My teacher calls me Laser Lungs because I can sing a B for 30 beats.
Me: Whoa! That’s so impressive. Do you want to sing something for me now?
Lily: Not really.
Me: How about if I sing with you? What about “Oklahoma!”?
Lily: I don’t know any words.
Me: Okay, that’s cool. Next! Driving through mountains?
Me: Reading new books?
Lily: That’s a tough one. It might need to be a 5. I like reading The Goofballs about these goofy crime-solving kids Brian, Mara, Jeff and Kelly, but it’s like the same thing over and over and over again.
Me: I haven’t read any of those. What about your trips to Texas and Colorado?
Lily: *smacking lips fast* I like going to the restaurants. But, no green beans! I liked the parks we went to and the dance games.
Me: What about sleeping in Colorado?
Me: Hahaha! (She slept with me.) What about making zoodles?
Lily: No, it’s “oodles and oodles of zoodles!” They just tasted okay.
Me: Not a fan of zucchini noodles?
Lily: Not really my favorite. They were okay. More fun to make.
Me: Do you want me to tell you my favorite part about third grade?
Lily: Sure.
Me: We got to learn our multiplication tables and my teacher had a bulletin board that had a bunch of paper cut-outs of ice cream cones with our names on them. Then for each table we learned, we got a paper “scoop” of ice cream on our cone, from 0 up. And if we got through all the numbers, we got to have an ice cream party!
Lily: Wow! What flavor did you choose?
Me: I don’t remember, but if I had to guess it would have been cookie dough.
Lily: Really?
Me: Yeah, that not your favorite?
Lily: I don’t know.
Linc: Hi, NoNo; hi, NoNo!
Me: Hey, bud!
Lily: Eww, Lincoln!
Linc: I’m P.U, NoNo!
Me: Uh-oh.
Lily: Are you about done? My battery is about to die.
Me: No problem. I hope you have a great first day. I love you very much.
Lily: Love you, NoNo.
Me: Byyye, Molly! Sweet girl.
Isn’t she the cutest?
A further rewind:
hashtag marci 