DuPont Circle, 4:00 PM

Daycare was closed today, so Margaret and Teddy spent the day with Rodah, our cleaning lady, babysitter extraordinaire, and family friend who moved to DC from Pittsburgh around the same time that we did. Although Margaret screamed when we left this morning, both of the kids ended up having a great time hanging out with Rodah.

Because she had to get home, I left work early and met Rodah and the kids at 4:00 at DuPont Circle. Rather than heading home, Margaret, Teddy, and I spent an hour or so lying in shady grass on the circle while enjoying the unbelievably lovely day. The kids kicked off their shoes and climbed all over me as I sat in the grass, with Teddy occasionally calling my attention to a passing garbage or fire truck (or sometimes a bus, which he would misidentify as a "gabage tuck"). We listened to some guy sing and play his guitar - he was pretty good, so Margaret tossed in a dollar - and watched all of the people walking through the circle.

In my pre-kid life, I certainly would have enjoyed hanging out in the shade, listening to a busker, and watching the world go by. But there was something truly sublime about sitting there, absorbing the music and the noise and activity of the city, looking at all of the people passing us, while Margaret and Teddy grinned, giggled, laughed, and poked me and each other as they climbed all over my back and lap.