For Valentine's Day, Kate and I gave goody bags to her friends at A Child's Garden. I continue to be amazed at how quickly Kate is maturing, often times underestimating what she is capable of doing. As I began putting the bags together, Kate said she wanted to help. I was a little hesitant since Kate's "help" usually creates more work for me, but not this time. Kate carefully selected a bag for each child, and after I wrote the child's name on the tag, she placed a pencil, a heart-shaped chocolate, and small planter with seeds inside it and set it aside.
After I wrote each child's name on a bag, Kate shared her thoughts about them: "I love Maya so much. She's gonna love this bag. I don't like it when other kids play with her. I want to play with her by myself. Just two." "Oh, no, I don't like Flora. She grabs toys away from me and she hits the teachers!" "Joy doesn't play with anyone. She plays with her dollies." "Bryce used to be nice. He's not nice anymore...I like him." And regarding a girl who recently shoved Kate to the ground and made her cry: "I like her. She's nice."
When all the bags were filled, Kate counted them to make sure there was one for each child. Not only was Kate proud of herself for a job well done, but she was thrilled about giving a little gift to her school friends.
Kate's preschool had its annual "Special Friends' Day" on Thursday and Friday, inviting parents, relatives, or any special friend to spend the day with their child at school. Kate was so thrilled to have me and Chris as her guests, she could hardly stand it. "Is it Special Friends' Day today?" "When I wake up, will it be Special Friends' Day??" She was so excited the night before, she actually fell asleep with a smile on her face.
I was Kate's "special friend" on Thursday. As soon as we got our jackets off, the first thing Kate wanted to do was look for Maya, her best buddy at school. Lately, all Kate talks or thinks about is Maya. Maya-Maya-Maya. All day, every day. She often calls me "Maya" instead of "Momma" and blushes when she realizes her mistake, or when I tease her about it.
Because Maya only wears skirts, Kate only wants to wear skirts to school now. And because Maya's hair is long, Kate wants to grow her hair long. Since Kate's hair grows about a centimeter a year, this may take a while. "Maybe when you're in Kindergarten...or First Grade." I'm more than a little disturbed by how the peer pressure thing is in full swing already.
Once upon a time, Kate would've needed me to be right by her side and play with her. Not anymore. She and Maya had their own special routine and games and jokes. Luckily, Maya's father is great company, and he and I had fun hanging out while following the girls around like chaperones on a date. This is a shot of Maya and Kate prancing to the chapel.
Kate and I baked heart-shaped cookies for the kids to decorate.
The science table. The teachers put baking soda in a pie plate and had the kids apply food coloring with an eye dropper.
Kate wanted to show me how good at climbing she's become.
A rare moment sans Maya.
It's easy to see why Kate and Maya are best buddies. They are exactly alike in their temperament, tastes, and interests, and think the world of each other.
According to the teachers, Maya and Kate are always the last to finish their snack, taking their sweet time grazing, chatting, and relaxing, while the rest of the kids are outside playing. Special Friends' Day was no different, and Ms. Mary and Ms. Carrie eventually evicted them from the room. Ms. Carrie told me they usually take their snacks to the outside picnic table and continue grazing. Which is exactly what they did. Maya offered me the handful of grapes she had left, and Kate gave me a bite of her heart-shaped sandwich.
Cornmeal fun. I found it very therapeutic and would've stayed here for hours if a kid didn't come by and stare longingly at the space I was hogging at the table. I would like to have a cornmeal table in every room of our house.
"Watch me, Momma!" 
At the end of the day, the school had a "Teddy Bear Parade" where the kids marched around with their teddy bear to music while the parents went nuts with their video cameras. Kate brought one of her favorite bears, "Teddy B."
Kate and her pal, Jessica.
The next day, it was Chris' turn to visit Kate's school as her special friend. Chris said Kate and Maya were once again, inseparable, but towards the end of the day they had a little tiff and both burst into tears. One of the teachers chalked it up to it being Friday, the 13th. Chris attributed it to their 3.5 years of age. 
Kate and Maya before the Teddy Bear parade. 3.5-year-olds may cry at the drop of a hat, but they also forgive and forget very quickly -- one of the many amazing things about kids.
Shakin' it during circle time:
And finally:
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