Happiness is:

Reading other people's comments, finding a mutual comment and summarizing them. The joy! The fun! The excitment! Who says publishing is no longer an exciting field? Why I'm just bubbling over.

Entry later. Much later. I have to finish this and then go pick up the little ones from the sitter.

Yesterday was Matilda's seventh birthday. Much fun was had by all. Except her mother and step-dad, who were at an outdoor wedding. In the 90 degree heat. Matilda was at her dad's house. Having a party and cake. And playing with her new Skip-It.

All in all, the entire family shut down for nearly three days and had a non-stop festival. It started Saturday with a pre-birthday dinner extravaganza and ends today, with a McDonalds luncheon with her friends at the sitter's.

On a higher note: She and I are nearly 200 pages through the first Harry Potter book. We're already planning to get the second book as soon as we're done. This is what makes parenting worth it. Forty five minutes a night reading a good book together.

It doesn't get much better.