Funny business

Biscuit's school has movie nights several Friday nights during the school year. It costs $8, and the kids get two slices of pizza, a drink and the movie. They also have popcorn, candy and other snacks for sale for $1 each. 

All the money goes toward the fifth grade trip to Washington, so we never mind paying. And also, Biscuit loves it.

He started going to movie nights in kindergarten. The first one he went to, he didn't even know anyone who was there.

"Are you going to be okay staying without anyone you know?" I asked him.

"Sure," he said casually, "I'll just make some new friends."

And that's been the case every year since then.

Movie nights go from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Biscuit's after-school program is at the school. So we basically go to the school about 5:15, sign him out of after-school care then walk him down to the area where they watch the movies.

Our town is definitely a restaurant town, so Jeff and I don't really have time to go out to dinner during movie night. But we do try to do something. Like maybe, get some takeout and watch a movie at home.

Then about 7:45, we get in the car and drive back over to the school.

The pickup works just like regular school pickup. Cars line up in the long, winding driveway of the school, then about halfway down, you stop at a person with a walkie-talkie. You tell him or her the name of your kid, and they'll give you a number 1 through 4. When you get down to the doors, you drive up to the number the person told you, and your kid will be waiting there.

And they've been doing it so long, they have it down to a science.

We drove up to No. 3. The teacher standing there asked which kid we were there for, and we told her his name.

She called Biscuit's name, and he walked toward our car. He had an odd look on his face.

He looked at the teacher and said, "I've never seen those people before in my life!"

The teacher looked at us, and I said, "Get yourself in this car, boy!"

He started laughing, then climbed into the back seat.

While we waited on Biscuit to get his seatbelt buckled, the teacher said, "Hey, what grade are you in?"

"Fourth," Biscuit said.

"I like your sense of humor," she said. "I'm gonna make sure you're in MY class next year."

She's asking for trouble!