She climbed down from her stool and carried Barnaby over to the little pine dining table in the corner nook.

By nine fifteen a plate of warm golden blueberry pancakes was sitting on the table between our two breakfast plates.

Emma ate happily, cutting little bites with her plastic fork and dipping them in a saucer of maple syrup.

She had a fresh sheet of white drawing paper laid out next to her plate, with her favorite crayons lined up on either side.

She picked up a dark green crayon and colored carefully inside the heavy black outline of a big drawing.