On the eve of the first day

Earlier in the week I was feeling pretty nauseous over the fact that Calder was going to be starting Kindergarten tomorrow.  It wasn't so much the, "My baby's growing up." reality.  I've noticed that in a big way since last January.  No, my tummy was flipping over what his response to his Kindergarten experience was going to be.   Was he going to love it?



But tonight, the night before his first day of school, I don't have those worries anymore.  I'm not sure why.  Was it the "Popsicles with the Principal" gathering last Tuesday afternoon?  Was it his one-on-one interview with his (awesome!) teacher, Maestra Irma on Friday morning?  (His is a dual immersion school where he'll be taught in both English and Spanish.)  Was it the act of riding his bike to school with friends who will also be there?  Who knows?  But I think I can see that he's not afraid of this BIG step.  I think I can see that he's looking forward to it all, that he's excited and feels like it's the right thing for him right now.



And so, tonight, I'm also excited.  And I have to pack his space alien lunch box with all the little compartments full of things I hope he'll like, though I expect to see most of them still in there when I pick him up at the end of the day.  And it will be a long, full day.  (They don't do half-days.)  He will be tired tired tired and also wired wired wired.  But, I really do think it will be good.

In honor of the last day before his first day we had an adventure.

Our first wish was waffles at Interzone, but when we arrived we were told the waffle iron was out of commission, and for Calder at Interzone nothing else will do.  Quick call to our friends who were meeting us there and we determined that a new-to-us place served brunch on Sundays and waffles were on their menu.  Les Caves is better known for their myriad beers and fancy(er) bar menu, but I have to say, it's now sharing the ever important top spot on my list for breakfast in Corvallis.









Our friends had plans to hike up at Silver Falls after breakfast, and we hitched ourselves to their wagon and spent the rest of the day tripping around with them.  I hadn't been there since I was a kid.  It was lovely, and just nice to be on a trail, see and experience an amazing waterfall, and spend a day exploring with friends.

 They drove us by the store on our way back into town and we grabbed some of those supplies for the "First Day" lunch box.  And now, here we are.  I'll hope to report happy tales tomorrow.  Wonder what Lake and I will do all day?  It's a whole new world!