I finally sat down to the computer over the long Memorial Day weekend to pick up where I left off and looked at the calendar.

“What? It’s the end of May already? Where did the month go? And what happened to April? Heck, where did March go, while I’m at it?” I had to wonder.

Let’s see… first there was Super Smash Bros Brawl (“universally acclaimed”), followed by Mario Kart Wii (” it’s actually the Nintendo WFC online mode that makes Mario Kart Wii such a standout experience”) and topped off with Grand Theft Auto 4 (“instant classic”). I even found time to head to Seattle and give a little talk at the ION Online Games Conference (interview here and presentation there) and do a magazine interviewor two.

No, unfortunately I wasn’t playing these games. Instead there was an endless string 20 hour days and 7 day weeks that the past months requirde to keep these behemoths up and running so millions of players could have an incredible online experience.

So, without further ado, get ready for a torrent of photos over the next week, from our trip to San Francisco in late February to Emma’s birthday party a few weeks ago. Saddle up and enjoy!

There are a couple of great items in this set. The first picture is of Emma with her two great great aunts, Lilly (right in tan) and Betty (left in red). I suppose you could call it 5 generations if Emma convinced you her baby doll was real.

The final shots in this set are of Emma’s first protest. Emma’s in Daisy Scouts at school, a precursor to Brownies and Girl Scouts. They have gorgeous blue smocks and lovely t-shirts. Emma, being the fancy girl that she is, thinks the shirt is “bad” and complains every time she has to wear it.

One morning she’d made signs saying the shirts were “bad.” This entirely of her own volition, mind you. I supplied the stick and helped her tape the sign together and then sent her on her way to school that morning.

I’m not sure how this was received at school but my heart swelled with pride when I saw my little daughter trotting off to kindergarten with protest sign in tow.