Evaluations, Playgrounds and Friends

Employee Evaluation ratings:

Frequently Exceeds Expectations

Frequently Meets Expectations

Sometimes Meet Expectations

Meets Some, But Does Not Meet All Expectations

Does Not Meet Expectations - Improvement Needed

Sarah and I recently met with our daughters' preschool teachers and, as is the American way, they are "rated" on their performance. Allie, Emily and Anna are all doing great in school - obvious good news to us.

If you are a parent, you know that talking to the teachers offers a perspective which you may not get at home. And we had some interesting conversations with the teachers last week, especially with Anna's teacher.

The "skinny" on Anna has been her inability or unwillingness to talk at school. We were told she has gotten better, but Anna definitely is known as one of the shy ones at school.

WELL...since I have been home during the day, I have witnessed Anna in action and she has shown the extrovert in herself! Two or three times in the past days she has made a friend and/or introduced herself (and her sisters) to a new friend while we were at a local playground.

"What is your name?" "My name is Anna and my sisters are Allie and Emily." "How old are you?" These are just a few of the things I have witness Anna say to another girl the past few days.

Today was an especially heart-warming day when Anna was unexpectedly reunited with a her friend R. When Anna saw R at the playground, Anna basically yelled to R: Hey, what is your name? Anna (and Allie and Emily) spent the remainder of their time at the playground playing with R. And Anna had a smile and noticeable boost in energy the next couple of hours. R even invited the girls to peer into the window of her classroom. R is in kindergarten, which makes her even more of a "star" to the girls.

I'm grateful I was able to share in the joy Anna experienced this past week playing with her friends (old & new).

Here's a few clips of Allie, Emily and Anna playing on the infamous "green" playground:



Cute and Funny Things the Girls Say: Anna to a friend at the playground, rattled off about six questions in 10 seconds including "what kind of cake are you having on your birthday." Anna's friend responded with "I don't know" and I could tell Anna's friend was wondering why she asked about the cake choice for a birthday months in advance!
Workout Log: About 3 miles mid-day on a regular local route. Felt surprisingly strong throughout the run. Great running conditions - sun through clouds and cool - high 40's to low 50's.