Autumn Leaves

I realize it's been a perhaps unforgivable lapse in time since my last post, but things have been crazy around here -- we are officially an overprogrammed yuppie family. And loving it.

The biggest change around here is that Josie started a new school - she's going every morning to the Royal High School for Girls' nursery. She wears a uniform, has different activities every day – cookery, French, music, art, gym and ballet – and absolutely loves it. I felt a bit guilty when I realized most girls are only going 2-3 mornings a week, but her teachers assure me she has the energy for everyday learning and is benefiting greatly from the variety in activities (and playmates!).

Hey world, check me out.

So every morning, she dons the uniform, picks up her "soupcase," and trots off with Daddy to "little girls' school." She eats lunch in the lunchroom every day with her friends and is generally getting more grown-up every day. This school is amazing; I wish I could have gone when I were three... or four... or twenty. It runs through high school and is completely focused on leadership, independent thinking, and well-roundedness (yes, even in the nursery!). Josie can already identify every number and letter, and is learning to put small words together with help. She can print her name (kind of) and loves painting, drawing, and of course putting on princess dresses (oy, vey!). I am certainly getting my exercise, as the school sits atop a mile-long steep and steady hill (of course I couldn't keep her in the preschool next DOOR, not when there's a 45-degree hill to be scaled daily!)

Parisian Third Birthday Gown

Of course, school has not been all sunshine and song – I was pulled aside a couple of weeks ago, and asked if Josie had had an unfortunate experience with clowns. Seems that during a clown story with accompanying clown puppet, Josie had become "quite upset" and tried to rip the clown off the bewildered teacher's hand. (thinking back, thinking back...Josie: I don't like clowns. Mommy: Neither do I! Clowns are damn scary in my opinion. Ooooops). Josie and I spent the weekend designing and coloring "Cute Clowns," and discussing how clowns are funny and nice and are never waiting under your bed to strangle you or living in sewers from which they snatch unsuspecting children with sharp-clawed lizard hands to devour with slimy, razor-fangs.

Josie turned three October 5 and we celebrated in grand fashion - no clowns – Popa and Hanna flew over for the occasion, which was very lucky and special. We took Josie to see her first real play, called "Room on the Broom," and based on a kids' book by Julia Donaldson, a British author we've come to adore, followed by a lovely lunch at our favorite cafe on the river. Dinner was meatloaf and noodles, as requested, followed once again by - yup, you guessed it - Elmo cake.


I was pretty psyched about her "big gift," which was this fabulous Melissa and Doug puppet theater. She was pretty surprised (she would have been far more surprised if she had seen us struggling to put it together at midnight the night before), and once she got over her fear of the mustachioed policeman puppet, she was ready to jump in and puppeteer!


We've had a busy fall otherwise - we celebrated Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur at our new synagogue in Bristol - a really welcome discovery for these wandering Jews! The congregation is filled with young families, some of whom live in Bath, and a few children Josie's age! We were invited to a lovely Sukkot tea at one of the member's houses and have gotten together on the weekend with a different family. We had felt a bit isolated Jewishly (our love of the Marais, our own Jewish friends, and L'As du Falafel aside!) in Paris, so this is a real positive development for us! Shana Tovah!

We've also made it out to the countryside a couple of times; Jeff took his parents to the lovely Cotswolds to Lacock Abbey, and last weekend we headed out to my favorite place in the area thus far, the Court Gardens, in a futile search for pumpkins. None o' those big orange squashes, but about fifty different kinds of apples, which they let us take home and eat!

Crazy 'bout dem apples

So, this wouldn't be a wacky Rothvidson update without some kind of video tribute, and today's post is no different. Today we bring you Josie's very First School Recital Performance, staged as part of the Royal High Junior School's Autumn Festival. Josie (front and center, in stripes) won raves for her performance of "Autumn Leaves," but halfway through Old MacDonald she fell prey to a Lady Gaga-esque accessory snafu and broke the fourth wall a bit. Take it away, Josie!