The reality that we really are grown-ups has set in a little deeper today. We had our first parent/teacher conference. WHOA! We've got some serious responsibilities and now others are actually holding us accountable for them. DOUBLE WHOA!

We were both so excited (and the tiniest bit nervous) to hear what Miss Cindy had to say about The Ruler. WE KNOW she's brilliant and sweet and funny and kind and caring and sensitive and talkative without having someone else tell us those things. She's our daughter and we love her, but there's a certain sense of pride when someone else spends nine hours a week with your child without you there to monitor their behavior and still says all those wonderful things about her. WHEW! We haven't done such a bad job parenting after all. DOUBLE WHEW!

We sat down with Miss Cindy for what was scheduled as a 15 minute conference. Thirty minutes later we left with even more of an appreciation for what an amazing little child we've got. In addition to being brilliant and sweet and funny and kind and caring and sensitive and talkative she is regarded by her teacher as friendly and popular and a great participator in class and not the least bit shy.

In fact Miss Cindy said that having Roo around is like "hanging out with an old friend". She told us that Roo is the only child she's ever had in her class who comes in on Monday and asks Miss Cindy how her weekend was. And when the kids switch classrooms and teachers toward the end of the day if she catches Miss Cindy walking in to grab some supplies from the other classroom she's always got something to say to her such as, "Hey, Cindy! How's it going?" We're working on that whole MISS Cindy thing, but Miss Cindy isn't the least bit bothered by it.

We asked how she was with taking direction since here at home if she's given any sort of direction or instruction or anything that even remotely sounds like we're trying to tell her how to do something she immediately SHUTS DOWN. And I mean COMPLETELY SHUTS DOWN. As in, she won't even talk to you for at least a half an hour. Much to our surprise we were told that Roo is a great learner. She's very open to direction and instruction at school. Apparently Miss Cindy isn't telling me about some magic wand she waves over our daughter's head when she enters the classroom, because at home she's just like me. I'll figure it out before you figure out that I don't know it and I'll be damned if someone will tell me how to do it.

Miss Cindy went on to tell us that our girl is absolutely, positively, without a doubt not the least bit shy. As Chris and I looked at each other we began to wonder if Rilee was possibly a little too talkative during class though. We've been working on the "there's a time for you to talk and a time for you to be quiet" thing at home quite a bit so we just asked Miss Cindy if its a problem for her. "Not necessarily.", she said. "I wouldn't say it's a problem. Every now and then all the kids get a little talkative and we're working on it here in class. Rilee is one of those kids who possess a lot of qualities that will take her very far in life. She's outgoing. She's motivated. She's determined. She's most definitely not shy and at times, yes, she's a little talkative, but it's nothing we can't handle. She's a lot like my youngest daughter and those same qualities that will take her so far are also the qualities that may get her into a bit of 'trouble' as she makes her way through school." I swear to you that very sentence was a flashback from my childhood. If I had a dollar for every teacher that told my mom those very words I'd be rich.

About 25 minutes into what was supposed to be a 15 minute conference we could just tell that she adored Rilee. So, we're wrapping up the conference, thanking Miss for being so great with Rilee, telling her how much Rilee adores her and how much we appreciate her when she interrupts and says, "Oh my gosh! I almost forgot to tell you.....you've got to sit down." As the "Oh Shit" look crept across our faces we took our seats to hear what Miss Cindy found so important.

"One day I had the class in a circle on the floor. We were all leaning over this big piece of paper drawing and I asked Rilee to grab something for me from the supply table. I can tell she's walking toward me because I hear her start to giggle. And that giggle turns in a big laugh when Rilee says to me, (not using her quiet voice), 'Miss Cindy, we can see your underpants.'" To which, Miss Cindy replied, "Yeah, so what." She said that was all she could do to keep from laughing hysterically. Quickly giving her pants an upward yank and her shirt a downward yank she got right back to drawing. She told us how hard it was to keep from laughing, but she knew that in the presence of nine 4 and 5 year olds that would have been the death of her.

So, all those wonderful things she said about Roo and what does Roo say about her? "We can see your underpants."

As we're walking away Miss Cindy says, "Say hi to Rilee for me. Tell her we'll do lunch." We think Miss Cindy has found her class favorite. And who could blame her?