September, Part 2

My playmates

My big boy

My little girl

 

Rah-Rah and Spot go on an adventure 

Here, Anna called me over excitedly to bring me in on the breakfast being shared by the two daddies. 

Striding with purpose, and her chosen hairstyle

Hanging with one of our neighborhood buddies, Eloise.

Just another cute shot of my littlest bff.  

But speaking of playmates, this was the best: An overnight in DC with my favorite person in the whole wide world.

Jefferson Memorial at night

Brunch of Kings 

 Knocking around Georgetown on a lazy Saturday.

Ninnu's Birthday Party: The festivities continue. 

The Srinaths always plan way cooler parties than we do. This was on the nature scavenger hunt:

Cake Time 

The girl buddies

Going-away party for Pam (center). SO gonna miss this lovely lady!

I love these little one-on-one times while Peter's at preschool, hearing the thoughts of my best girl. 

And this, folks. 

These are the highlights. As in, I don't usually whip out my camera to document the tantrums, the crumbs, the whining, the fighting, the painfully loooong allotment of impatient minutes it takes to get shoes on our feet when we're trying to get out the door. That would be a more accurate depiction, but here's what I've got. A bunch of moments I don't want to forget, from another month that has now gone the way of all the earth. And yet, it was real life, and its all beautiful and in large part I'm posting because I want to remember that!

Oh, and the month ended up with my knee surgery. Here's my view from my ice-packed knee propped up on the couch, attended by Dr. Anna. 

First Day of School, Aquarium, and Turning Four

September 6, 2016: First Day of Preschool

Our dapper young scholar:

Making nametags with his buds

Circle Time (Parents stay on the first day of school)

Random insertion: Anna's foot puppet show.

September 7: The Baltimore Aquarium

 

Lunch Break

Practicing her acrobatic swing to catch the water taxi below

Watching the scuba guy clean the tank amidst the fish and turtles. The most intrigued Peter was all day.

Leaving; li'l pouter hanging back

When the girls finally caught up with the boys, Anna joined the fray.

Finished off the trip with some cookies looking out on the Inner Harbor. How I love these three. 

Besides being our Aquarium Day, September 7 was also the 7 year anniversary of my first date with this guy, Tom Martin. Oh man, what if someone had shown me this snapshot of life 7 years later?! How could I imagine all that has been added to my life since that day. 

And one more anniversary to celebrate in the 10th. This one with a long-requested "Frank Cake."

(This scene is a reenactment of Peter's favorite scene from the movie Cars when Mater and Lightning McQueen go "tractor tipping" and are then chased by the fearsome Frank the Harvester.)

He finally gets to open the presents in those Amazon boxes that had been arriving from distant lands.

Opening a couple presents from Daddy and Mommy. With a little bit if opening-envy going on.

Later that day, a few playmates came over to share some lunch and cake and ice cream. I wish I'd taken better pics of our guests and the chaos. 

But here's where I found Peter a lot of the time. Sometimes a man needs his space. 

Lunch!

The cake was a surprise, and several of the characters on it were his final, yet-unrevealed presents. Here's the denouement.

Here's the Martin family on September 10, 2016. 

(Peter was unswerving in holding this face, despite the pleas and antics of the photographer.)

..that is, until he let his guard down and/or maybe got tickled.