Tuesday was Felix's first day of kindergarten and Milo's first day of "real" (non-play) preschool. Both of them started at École Bilingue de Berkeley, a.k.a. ÉB.

Both boys were excited and happy to be there the first day, but on the following days Milo has dissolved into tears. The teachers say he cries periodically during the day. It's not too surprising, given that he just spent a solid month with Lucie all day every day, but it makes us sad. We hope he makes friends soon and settles into his new routines.

Felix is doing great. He came home the first day knowing more about sunflowers than we did. He'd learned it all from his garden teacher, who they meet once a week in the school's organic garden. On the second day he sang us a song (a song!) in French (in French!!) at the dinner table. We love that he is coming home with an actual education. Dean's still a little touchy about the price, though: it feels like it's working out to $500 per fact.

Felix doesn't seem anxious at all about making friends: he hasn't made any good friends yet, but he knows it takes time. When Lucie points out kids and says, "Have you played with her yet?" he'll say things like, "No, but she's pretty timide. She's not my friend yet."

This weekend Felix played a game where he pretended to be his teacher and ran through a day at class, with Milo and Lucie as the students. It was highly edifying as to his routine and the day's highlights through a five year old's eyes.

Dean is using his occasional Nintendo Wii-playing with Felix to teach about sportsmanship and the love of the game.

• Felix: Games aren't about winning, they're about having fun. It doesn't matter if you win.
• Dean: Well, try to win. It feels good if you win. But if you don't win, it's still fun to have played.
• Felix: Winning makes you feel like a KING!
• Dean: Exactly!