Years slip by

Time is an abstract concept, until you have a child that keeps getting older and reminding you how you're getting older. So it was that Pete celebrated his 7th birthday. Hannah was traveling for work on the actual day, which meant he was able to use childlike guilt to stretch his celebrations over a whole week.

The culmination of that celebration? ANOTHER trip to Chuck E Cheese. I was surprised, until I watched the utter bliss with which he and his friends spent their 2+ hours playing games and dancing with a huge mouse. The parents weren't immune either, with plenty of gambling for tickets. I swear most of those machines are fixed.

So my little baby is indisputably a young man, and I'm no longer required for hugs, or to help with computer games, or to read books ("But we're 750 pages into The Lord Of The Rings!!").

I suggested to Hannah that maybe this is the perfect time to have another baby, allowing me to buttress my emotionally shaky self-esteem by being "needed" once again. I won't record her reply here.

Happy birthday kid!

Wasn't it just Christmas?

And...we're back.

Elena and her mum Carolina, who isn't at all competitive.

Hannah and Lexi team up.

Space invaders.

For the kids.

The other famous mouse.

I guess he still needs his mummy for some things.