This month is a time of transitions. First, the weather is changing rapidly. The mild winter we just experienced is being followed by an early spring. Today is March 17 and the temperature outside in the 70s. The chipmunks have suddenly come out of hibernation. The zoo train is running again, which we know because we can hear the distinctive whistle of the small-gauge steam engine even though it is two miles away. The train whistle tells us several things: obviously, the train is running; since it is running we can reasonably infer that the weather is nice and that there are a lot of zoogoers.

Yesterday Everett graduated from his first school. We have been sending him there for the last couple years (to be honest we can’t remember exactly when he started). We initially thought it was daycare, and after a while we started having discussions about whether we should send him to preschool. One day soon after this conversation we received a call that we needed to come in for parent-teacher meetings to discuss his progress on educational objectives. So it turned out he was in preschool all along. Problem solved, and one less decision for us to make! Anyway, his school has been a great experience for all of us. During his time there Everett grew developmentally from an infant to the point where he has some favorite school friends, especially George and Kelly. It has also been great for Chris and Melissa to have some other authority figures in his life. On his last day his teachers made a card for him:

His last day of school is coming on the cusp of a lot of other transitions as well. Melissa is defending her dissertation on Tuesday, and soon after that is a family beach vacation. Melissa and Chris have gone to great efforts to arrange lots of work time and to coordinate child care. In the midst of all of this Melissa said to Chris “You are a lifesaver”, to which Everett replied “Why did you call Daddy a light saber?”. So it seems like the recent Star Wars exposure and Jedi training are having the desired effect.