Friends, cake, Stratego, doggie bed - a perfect day

I really really need to see my friends more often. Today we spent such a happy afternoon at Deidre and George's, and I could just feel my whole psyche recharge as we laughed and talked and watched Lara do cute things. Aaahhhh. The perfect weekend is complete (and of course, Misha coming home from his conference is the cherry on the sundae).

First, yet more birthday gifts for the birthday girl. Thank you, guys! She loves her blue penguin (George - I'm guessing she'll name it "Penguin"). Here she posing in her new penguin towel. That face? That's the new "Lara, smile!" face she started making. I think this is a universal kids' face. When Misha made it, it was called his "cute" face. When I made it, it was called "the squirrel." What can I say, my family is clearly more creative. Or else I looked odder doing it.



Lara posed on the doggie bed. Actually, this was probably her favorite object in the room, and she spent much of our visit hanging out in the little bed saying "Ya's in the doggie bed go seepy!"



George taught Lara to play Stratego, much to her father's delight. To get the full sense of this, it might help to know that deep strategy games are pretty much banned at our house because I am a sore loser and don't really want to play anything I have no chance of winning. Misha is pretty much a strategy savant, so... no Stratego, Risk, chess, etc. Lara seems really into it, though, doesn't she?



Deidre very sweetly served some birthday cupcakes. The speed with which Lara devoured that thing made this the least blurry picture. Doesn't she look like she has some kind of cool electric fork? Love that light effect.



I am filled with so much calm happy after today. Thank you, guys! It was truly fabulous.