We have pictures to post (albeit old ones), but before we get to them, I wanted to relay a story that will probably be funny to all parties concerned in a few years, but which, for the moment, we generally avoid discussing around the house.

People who visit from the Midwest are generally a little surprised at the way schools are constructed out here in the Bay Area. Before we had kids, I always thought they looked more like minimum-security prisons than proper schools: small clusters of low-lying, beige buildings surrounded by asphalt playgrounds and chain link fences. There’s generally no interior structure at all: classroom doors open to the outdoors, rather than hallways, and students go outdoors when they move between classrooms or go to the office, library or bathroom.

This last point threw my mother for a loop. “What do they do during winter?” she wondered. “What if it’s raining and the kids need to use the toilet?”

All of which brings us to our story. Now that Julia is in first grade, she’s no longer escorted to the YMCA daycare facility as part of a large group: the first graders are dismissed from class and make their way over there more or less on their own. A few weeks ago, she decided to take a quick detour through the girls’ bathroom, which is between her class and Y Care. There were a couple of other kids using the facilities, and Julia found a stall in which to do her business.

There are a couple of things that are important to understand about Julia before we go on. First, to put it delicately, she is a bit leisurely when she uses the bathroom. She just likes to do things at her own pace. Second, despite the fact that she is loud, outspoken and generally a ham when she’s in a comfortable situation, she can also be introverted and shy when she’s not. She’s gotten quite a bit better in this respect over the last couple years, but she still hesitates to speak up from time to time.

While Julia was taking her time, doing her thing, the girls in the other stalls finished up and left. Then, some time later, a janitor came in. I’m not sure exactly what he was doing or how long he was there—it was the end of the school day, so it seems probable he was tidying up and didn’t stay long—but he finished his work and made a point of asking if anyone else was there. Julia, being Julia, didn’t answer, so the janitor left, turned off the lights and—remember that everything at Julia’s school opens to outside—locked the door behind him.

It’s unclear exactly what happened next. It’s my understanding that pounding on the door and screaming were involved. Julia couldn’t have been stuck in there too long, because the Y Care people weren’t alarmed about the fact that she was late. Eventually, another maintenance worker—a girl maintenance worker, Julia is careful to point out—heard Julia’s cries and let her out. She got a personal escort over to daycare and no permanent harm was done. Julia learned an important lesson (“When someone asks you if you’re there, say, ‘Yes.’”) and we got a fun story out of the experience.

I promised pictures, so here you go. These are from the summer of 2008 and show the kids’ swimming lessons, a visit from Grandma Flack and Joe’s first real haircut.