riinu!

I've fallen into the habit of ferrying Marta to and fro school. You should see her school too, it's pretty. Each time I approach it, I get a good feeling. Marta is a very excitable young person. When I come in to pick her up, she darts across the room and mugs my leg and usually yells something. Actually, she yells a few things.

Yesterday, we went to Kassitoome -- which is this giant, bowl-shaped park near the school -- so she could play with Pille's children Roosi and Jakob. Do you know that I first met Pille more than six years ago. I remember it too -- we were on the top floor of Stockmann in Tallinn. Little did I know back then that I would be standing next to her on Kassitoome in the year 2009 watching our offspring roll down a hill.

Today, Marta had another name on her lips: Riinu. She kept talking to Roosi and Jakob about Riinu, how she hadn't seen her at all in ages, and how she has such nice curly hair, and how tonight she was going to spend the night at her place. I didn't believe her. I thought she was just making it up. I thought my excitable daughter had an active imagination. And yet, when I got to our gate, who was waiting there but Riinu (and her mother, Helen, of course).

The two girls were so excited to see each other. They really did jump up and down. And Anna was happy too. She even hugged Riinu. Anna was also sad to see the big girls go off to their slumber party later. She wanted to play. We took her in the backyard to pick some apples instead.