Images of summer

Edith enjoyed some good giggles with our neighbor, Reuben, at the farewell barbecue for his family. One of the downsides of living in student-family housing is that every summer there is a mass exodus not just of classmates but of the people who make up the day-to-day community and support network for the whole family. Reuben was the sixth of Edith's toddler friends to move off our block this summer; I'm not sure what she makes of it all, except to point to the globe in our living room to ask where they live now.

Hannah, fortunately, is sticking around for another year. She has joined Edith's daycare class a couple of mornings per week, too, providing some much needed female support amid the swarm of little boys.

When we first were getting to know Annabeth, one of the slightly older neighbor kids who has just moved away, she was notable for clomping around in her rainboots no matter the weather. It seems that Edith has hit the same stage.