Update: pictures posted in the gallery.
So we managed to organize something that otherwise reasonable people might mistake for a birthday party today.

Fortunately, Maggie’s standards are still pretty low. Next year we won’t be able to get away with night-before invitations and day-of cake planning. She’s clearly a two-year-old now; I had to kiss her elbow booboo about 19 times before she finally fell asleep tonight.

Elise’s department had their annual retreat this weekend, at Wequasset Inn on Cape Cod. We went down as a family, and I got to spend a bunch of time with the kids (photographic evidence available in the gallery) while E was in session. In retrospect, this could have been a disastrous trip, but it went pretty well. The weather was typical New England spring: temps in the 50s, wind, and sullen skies threatening rain whenever they weren’t actually disgorging fat raindrops. Despite that we managed to spend a fair amount of time on the beach. We hooked up with my old boss and buddy PK on Saturday afternoon, got the kids some ice cream at the Hot Chocolate Sparrow and then hit Orleans beach at low tide. PK showed Andrew how to dig for clams while I kept Maggie from disappearing into the marshes.
We managed to make a few new friends with the other families on the retreat; in fact, Andrew developed a very five-year-old crush on one of the girls. He expressed his affection by variously beating her over the head with driftwood, punching her arms and the occasional pantomime “I’m cutting you in half!” Still, when I asked him to identify his favorite part of the weekend, he responded only with “Kaitlin!” I imagine he’s going to ask about her tomorrow, too.