Max and Esme

Esme is visiting me at the office this morning. Her brother is at school this week and she has a chance for some special Mommy time.

We watched this young bear from only about 50 feet away as he fed from the neighbors duck trough. Our presence didn't seem to bother him much - he noticed that we were there, but it wasn't enough to interrupt his breakfast.

Max joined me at work last Friday morning and we spent the afternoon at the American Museum of Natural History. We saw a special exhibit on "Extreme Animals" - all of which Max had heard of and only half of which I knew. We also visited the Gems and Minerals room for the first time which was perhaps surprisingly interesting. And no visit to AMNH is complete without at least a run-through of the dinosaur rooms. Here are a couple of phone pictures of Max with some bones, and posing in the subway station on the ride home. (Note Max's cool shirt - a birthday gift from his British friends Callum and Finn and his new favorite.)

Pete and the kids went to Playland yesterday. Max is big enough now to go on most of the rides and happily rode the roller coaster by himself. Esme enjoyed the kiddie rides and the family-friendly ones like the log flume. With the temperatures where they were yesterday everyone enjoyed getting soaked!

When Max was about 3 years old he started asking for a pet. We told him at the time that he could have one when he was 7 - it seemed a long way away then! Over the years he's reminded us of that promise. Well, when Max arrived home yesterday afternoon he found a large new fish tank in his room. He beamed with joy and was practically quivering with excitement! Pete had been conditioning the water for the last week and has the tank all set up, so Max gets to go to the pet store to pick out his fish after camp today. Max proclaimed it the best birthday present ever. (Photos to come.)

Max started his birthday celebration early, attending the Yankee game with his Dad, Declan and Una last night. He was still wired when they arrived home at 11:20pm - breaking Max's previous record for staying up late! He wanted to stay awake until he turned seven, but we said no and he was basically asleep before his head hit the pillow. Today the birthday boy gets to celebrate at ecology camp by wearing the Crown of Mugwort (supposed to keep insects away.) A family celebration with cupcakes and presents is planned for this evening. Here's an "official" picture of the guys at the game - maybe 7-year-old Max will learn how to smile.