It was raining. The kids said, "I love it when it rains on the first day of school." As we walked along, we waved and greeted every family we saw, no matter if we knew them or not, no matter if they were going to our school or not, "Happy First Day of School! Happy happy first day of school!" And everyone grinned and waved and greeted us back.

Were there any transition issues for Rose? Last week yes. She was throwing fits and whining and having misery moments about David standing in front of her door which were really about the Big Transition, but today she just disappeared into her classroom and cheerfully reemerged 6 hours later. She says things are a little different. Her locker is yellow instead of orange. The art room is on the other side of the school and looks out different windows. She's not used to multiplication beyond the tens--today they did 5x13 type stuff--but she said she got the hang of it. In other words, everything is fabulous.

David is struggling. Which means we are all struggling. He fights with his friends. He whines and cries at the drop of a hat. He hits. I'm alternating between trying to do things that will make him happy--we played Monopoly, read books, cuddled on the couch, read more books--and not giving in to fits: we are going to the climbing park not the other one, the end. Even as I keep reminding myself this happened last year it will pass, I am not happy to be living with a volatile misery machine. One wonders what will happen when he starts school Friday.