Aba Cadabra! It's G-A-B-R-I-E-L!

Gabriel goes back to school tomorrow, where he begins his first year in "The Big School" and starts UPK (universal pre-kindergarten).

I don't have the same sad thoughts as I did last year where I couldn't believe he was heading off the school! Instead, I am so glad we started him in Nursery - he grew leaps and bounds - and we made a ton of new friends!

Today, I wanted to prep him for his first day, so we worked on writing our name and memorizing our address. He knows he lives in Astoria, New York, but apparently living on "23rd Street" was news to him as well as "apartment 1" because, as he said, "that must mean it's the best!"

He got tired of writing his name after the first time, and we began (delicately) arguing over how he needs to finish the "work sheet" of lines. There were only 3... I wasn't slave driving him was I? As I looked away, I hear "Aba Cadabra! Zickity Zam! ..." And the boy was using his pencil as a magic wand to make his name appear so he didn't have to write it. I found this rather amusing, took out the video camera to have him tell me again, but this time he used magic to make his name "disappear"... Maybe he thought I'd actually think he wrote them all but the magic took them away?

"I'm gonna make my name with magic!"

In the end, he finished writing his name all 3 times, and did fantastic. It's going to take a few more days to get the gist of knowing his address, but if I recall correctly, I don't think I learned that fully until kindergarten. Anyway, he is keeping in line with how I have called him a "prodigy" half-serious, half-tongue-in-cheek ever since he came out at 9 pounds, 9 ounces ready for a steak dinner. Preschool, here he comes!