Curriculum Night and Heat Wave

Last night, Ethan and I got to attend Curriculum Night at Julia's school, during which we got to visit her classroom and learn about her teacher's plans for the year.  We even got to see Julia's desk, and were surprised with the love note she had left for us:

I especially like the fact that Julia drew herself wearing her bike helmet.

Ethan and I had the chance to write a love note back to Julia for her to discover on her desk in the morning:

I knew, as soon as I read Ethan's portion of the note, that his "Harry Potter" sign-off was going to TOTALLY out-do the piddling jack-o-lantern I had drawn next to my signature.  I definitely wasn't wrong.

ME: Julia, did you get your love note from me and Daddy?
JULIA: (breaking into a broad grin) Yeeeees!
ME: And I bet I know what your favorite part was.
JULIA: (smiling even wider) When Daddy signed it "love Harry POTTER!"
ME: I knew you would love that part!
JULIA: And you should have signed yours "love Hermione Granger!"
ME: Well, did you like the little jack-o-lantern I drew you?
JULIA: (staring at me blankly) What jack-o-lantern?
ME: The one I drew right next to my name.
JULIA: Uh...I didn't even see it.

Yep.  A little hand-drawn pumpkin isn't even in the same LEAGUE as Harry Potter.

Speaking of, Julia usually gallops to and from school, because, as she explained, "Sometimes when I'm walking to school, I pretend that I'm walking with Hermione, Ron, and HARRY!"  And we all know that ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN during Gallop Time, so in order to go off into her reverie of imagination, she simply MUST gallop.  Today, however, was so unbearably hot that we ALL slogged our way home slowly, red-cheeked and dripping sweat.

Madeleine seemed to think the heat wave was some kind of cosmic joke.

MADELEINE: (grumpily) But Maaamaaa.  WHY does the sun think it's SO FUNNY to be shining so HOT on us today?

That mean old sun.  Such a prankster jerk-face.

Meanwhile, it appears that the heat made me sound like I was missing a few brain cells; at least, according to Julia.

ME: Whew!  It is soooooo hot.  I feel like...I'm not even gonna MAKE it home!
JULIA: Mom?  You sounded like an actress who is just trying out acting for her FIRST DAY when you said that.

ME: So you mean I sounded like a terrible actress when I said that? 
JULIA: No, I mean...you sounded like it was your first time trying out acting because, like, you were having a lot of PAUSES in what you were saying.

Ah.  I see.  I sounded like I was trying to recall my lines.  Or trying to get my brain to work because it was melting.

Anyway, we unfortunately have to put the bikes on hold this afternoon, as we're sitting inside with the a/c blasting trying to keep cool for the rest of the day.  So TAKE THAT, sun!  The joke's on YOU!  You may think it's so funny to be shining so hot, but we're not rising to the bait!  We're just - to borrow a word from Julia - ICKNORING you until you decide to behave appropriately.