GOOD MORNING GRETA

7:03 a.m. and Greta comes sprinting into our bedroom, flapping her hands up over her head, seeming to grab at the air.

Me: Good morning, Greta!
Greta: (as if she just realized we were there . . . and I had disturbed her from her world) Well, we are playing "House on the Prairie" and I'm Pa and Mali's Laura and I am out catching cranes.
Mark: You're catching cranes?
Greta: Yeah, but not to eat. I'm just catching them when they're dead, so they can be our pets.
Mark: You want dead cranes for pets?
Greta: Well, that way, if they're dead, then they won't get away.

I have a new appreciation for Saturday mornings now that we're getting into the school routine. Even when Mark is booked all day everyday through the weekend, (which is the case for all but one weekend in August and September) it still feels like down time, and down time is oh-so-welcome.

By the way, Mali had a few days of difficult drop off at school, but overall, she is so happy. She has been coming out of school just bubbling with delight. Yesterday she started dance class, which gives her an even bigger dose of joy. Things are looking good.