Emma ran around a lot. She’d start at the deck and run all the way to the fence, and then turn around to look at us, almost like for further “going crazy” instructions or suggestions.

All that talking about nature reminded Dwight of a turtle he saw at work, so he showed Emma the picture he took on his phone.

Emma’s a keen listener. Even when she’d rather be hunting lightning bugs.
Dwight and Jeff got some exercise. I’m happy to tell you that Emma’s arms are still in their sockets, and the giggles abounded during this segment of the evening.

Then it was creative time. This was pretty funny. Jeff said, “Emma can you draw a one?” Emma did. Then Jeff said, “Can you draw a two?” So she made two tick marks. Dwight jumped to her defense. “That’s a Roman numeral two! Good job!” So Jeff tries again. “Emma, can you draw a three?” Emma utters a cherry, “Yep!” and proceeds to scribble furiously. A long, straight line. Now, keep in mind that this child is almost three. She knows her ABC’s, she can count to very high numbers. She knows lots of stuff. In fact, she is the brightest almost-three-year-old that I’ve ever met. That’s saying something, since I used to work with kids her age professionally. So I’m not making fun of her. Just to clarify.

Plus, that’s a heck of a good sun…