After years reading about him on his blog, Caroline finally met AJ today. Better pictures on their blog, although I think I've convinced them to go with the camera phone soon.

Cheryl is away on a business trip, so it was a perfect opportunity for some Wii Golfin' with friends. Caroline was inexplicably excited to watch a round of golf with Ben and Adrian this evening. Ben was inexplicably excited about this Spaten Oktoberfest beer.

Caroline and I brought a can of Fresca to Miller Park to share. I thought she was finished with what she wanted to drink. Apparently she was not.

Caroline and I hosted playgroup at our house today. Alec thoroughly enjoyed himself (I think the others did as well). And, most importantly, no one was injured -

After rocking the block on Friday night and hitting Apple Fest yesterday, Caroline enjoyed a relaxing trip to Polo Park this afternoon.

After rocking the block on Friday night and hitting Apple Fest yesterday, Cheryl was in no mood for a stroll to Polo Park this afternoon.

The block was rocked for the third year in a row. Caroline had a blast dancing to some techno, begging for a balloon she would later remember she was terrified of, and hanging with her buds. A great time was had by all.

Despite her claims that she understands the consequences of falling, Caroline was in full climbing mode today. Twice she had to be removed from precariously perching on the edge of the sink in her bathroom. She was wobbling quite a bit here at the mall's play area, but the damage would be minimal with their padded floor.

Usually Caroline is the only attendee at story time at SciWorks. Today's, however, was packed. Caroline almost had to fight for colored pencils to work on her craft.

Caroline accompanied me to the dermatologist this morning to supervise the removal of stitches from my chest. She didn't seem the least bit fazed - perhaps she likes seeing me in pain (although it didn't really hurt), or she's OK with our chosen career path for her (pediatric surgeon).

Playgroup this morning was at Miller Park. Multiple rival playgroups had the same idea - it was packed. Caroline played a bunch with her new friend Erin, who just moved from Boston (an appropriate replacement for Matthew, who recently moved to Boston).

Our friends Will and Jessica hosted a gathering of fraternity alum at their house tonight for those in town for homecoming. They got a new puppy yesterday, and Caroline spent hours chasing her around. If only Cheryl's allergies weren't so bad, and a dog could be potty trained, we too would think about getting one.

Homecoming 2007. Despite my long stint as a student, I saw no one I knew.

Caroline and I joined a bunch of her friends this evening at Bethabara Park for "Music Under the Stars." The kids took hayrides and ate ice cream while enjoying an eclectic selection of music played by the Bethabara Concert Band. Everyone was getting along famously until I decided to bust out the two glow sticks I had - not a smart move on my part when there were six pre-schoolers that each wanted one. At the next concert, I promise I'll bring enough for everyone -

Playgroup was at Hobby Park this morning. There was considerable squabbling over this bouncy toy; it turned out it was only desirable when someone else was on it, as it was ignored the majority of the time.

Caroline enjoyed her visit to the dentist today a little too much, thanks to all the goodies they gave her. I wish my dentist gave me a swag bag and had free arcade games to play. It was a normal, $162 checkup and cleaning. That's over $8 per tooth - and they're not even the permanent ones.

Caroline is enjoying a sleepover at Emma's tonight. The girl was sooooo excited - she's been talking about it for weeks, ever since Emma's mom suggested it. Good luck Nicole, Ben and Alec! We'll be having Emma over in an upcoming weekend for a reciprocal sleepover.

We joined Emma and Alec on a trip to the Children's Museum for story time this morning, unaware that they were closed for the week for cleaning and repairs. So we headed over to Miller Park instead, where Alec agreed to pose for this picture.

This is Cheryl. This is Caroline's duck armada. It's far more impressive when they're all lined up.

Caroline is doing her part around the yard by picking the few ripe tomatoes from our pathetic, drought-ravaged crop this year. And after two summers of picking, tasting and then spitting out, she still hasn't learned that she doesn't like tomatoes.

Caroline inexplicably required her headband and gloves on to play a match of Hi-Ho Cherry-O this evening. She gets extremely upset if she doesn't win, despite the results relying entirely on chance. Fortunately she often beats me.

After eating nearly none of her cheeseburger for dinner because she claimed not to be hungry, a short time later Caroline polished off two bowls of ice cream. At least she's getting some calcium.

And...we're back. We hit absolutely no traffic on our way home from NJ, and we took the I-95/I-85-I-40 route, mid-day on a Sunday. It was much better than one of our previous trips.