Max and Esme

The picture that greeted me on my blackberry when I landed at JFK on Friday night.

Is (1) the name of Hiccup's pet firebreather in the How to Train Your Dragon series, (2) how Max's mouth is beginning to look, (3) makes the tooth fairy grumpy, (4) all of the above. I'm in London this week, but my morning update included this note from Peter: Max lost a tooth, literally, having pulled it out and left it somewhere at the Khoos'. He left the Tooth Fairy an explanation, and also a questionnaire, which she completed tersely, even submitting a self-portrait. (Apparently she's familiar with Aquinas.) He did receive two of the four state quarters he requested. No telling how long it took to find those.

OK, it's officially time for a new camera. I'm posting this blurry slide show as proof of my inability to take decent photographs. Any suggestions from the peanut gallery for a small, easy to use and affordable camera option? Max turned 8 on August 12th.  He was very pleased with his gifts - a new big bike from us and a baseball bat from Esme.  On Friday I brought both kids to work with me in the morning and we spent the afternoon at the American Museum of Natural History, Max's favorite place in NYC.  We toured through the African Mammals exhibit along with the Reptiles and Amphibians room where Max taught Esme about endangered species.  For the rest of the weekend the kids worked on projects involving endangered animals - creating a diarama, playing zoo, planning a lemondade stand to raise money to protect habitats.  Esme woke up the next morning announcing that she no longer wanted to be a princess when she grows up, but will work to save the animals. ...

Esme celebrated her fifth birthday on Nantucket in the company of Grandma Sissy & Grandpere as well as Caroline and her family.  Here's a picture of our princess enjoying her special day.