Draw freely upon my imagination

Last week I took Lily to the Children's Museum in New Orleans.    She had so much fun that, after six hours of play, she passed out even before we left the parking lot.

 They were celebrating Dr. Seuss on this particular day, so she got to make a silly bow tie, read Dr. Seuss stories, and dance all over the museum with the other kids as they played silly rhyming songs over the speakers.

There were rooms for dancing, rooms for building, rooms for dress-up, and even a room where you could learn all about how different insects see the world.

Lily got to be a contractor...

A decorator...



A policewoman...

And so much more...

They had an entire floor dedicated to playhouses, including a bayou shack, a row house, and a castle, just to name a few. I'm pretty sure Lily stayed in that section for about two and a half hours.

In fact, she loved the playhouses so much that I've decided to get her one for the backyard.  I think I'll get one with cute little flower boxes outside the windows.  And as a bonus, I'll finally have a place to put the kitchen and accessories we got her for her birthday.

 And, of course, she got her face painted. 

She was so proud of her star.  So much so that she cried that night when I insisted she wash it off before bed.

After our adventure in New Orleans, I took her to dinner at Times Bar & Grille in Slidell.  It is probably my favorite restaurant here.  I'm sure I've mentioned it before.  They have the best burgers and sweet potato fries.  Truly, everything there is delicious.  Lily charmed the waitresses so much that they gave her a free ice cream sundae.  Lily delightedly informed them all that, in French, an ice cream sundae was a parfait.  She then proceeded to devour the dessert with unabashed enthusiasm.

It was a fun, thoroughly exhausting day.  And that night, after brushing her teeth and getting snuggled up in her pajamas, Lily told me a new story while I typed it up for posterity (and yes, she plagiarized some ideas from Rapunzel, but she is three, after all).

The Tale of Princess Bedonia

Once upon a time in the far away future there was a tiny princess named Princess Bedonia.  Princess Bedonia's parents loved her so much and they fed her magical milk and bananas everyday so that her hair would grow very very long.  And there were dragons living in their kingdom.  The green one was very very nice, but the red one was not very very nice.  He blowed fire out of his mouth and blowed down all the homes in the kingdom.  But then the mean witch in the cottage next door stole Bedonia and locked her in a tower where no one could find her.  Her mommy and daddy cried and cried.  Then the handsome prince came and rescued her and they all lived happily ever after.

The End

Babylon

I got it into my head several months ago that I would teach Lily French.  She picks things up so quickly and is doing rather well with basic things, such as s'il vous plaît je avoir de l'eau and the like.  The only problem is that I have an absolutely wretched accent.  Honestly, I can pick up languages fairly quickly as far as reading and writing go, but I've never been comfortable speaking the languages I have learned.  I have no ear whatsoever for accents.  So now I fear I am irreparably damaging Lily's ability to learn French properly by teaching her with my dreadful accent.  While I am reluctant to stop altogether, mostly because it is fun teaching her, I am considering it.  What would you do?  Is teaching her with a poor accent better than not teaching her at all?  Perhaps, once I am independantly wealthy and can afford such things, I can hire her a French nanny and have her speak only in French.

If I didn't laugh, I would cry

What do you do with a child who makes you laugh even when you are trying to reprimand?

Like when Lily came up while I was making breakfast this morning and kicked my leg.  When I asked her why she kicked me, she said "Because I'm a samafry!"

Or when I ask her to pick up her toys and, after maybe thirty seconds of picking up, she falls down declaring that she has "collapsed with exhaustion!"

Or when I wake her up before she is ready in the morning and she tells me, rather belligerently, to go away because she needs her beauty rest.

Or when I tell her it is time to leave the park and she says she can't because the troll that lives under the bridge that leads from the playground to the parking lot has taken her prisoner and it will eat her if she leaves.

Yes, at times like these I am hard-pressed not to laugh.  She makes me want to laugh even as I want to scream.

Everything elegant borders on insanity

When I was younger I always looked at other families and thought, "Why can't my family be normal like them?"  My family was full of idiosyncracies and just plain craziness (I mean, just look at those costumes). 

Of course, nowadays we have entire libraries of labels for our neuroses, that way we can pretend we have some control over our craziness.  Personally, I lable myself as a borderline obsessive-compulisive with generalized anxiety and an irrational fear of talking on the phone.  I am also a bookaholic and a caffeine addict.  Labels are fun and they make me feel both more and less crazy all at the same time.

Now that I am older and wiser (ha!), I realize that my family's craziness, as well as my own, is not exclusive.  Everyone in this entire great, big world is a bit looney (some more than a bit), and every family has its own special set of idiosyncracies.  We simply put on our "normal" faces when interacting with others.

I've come to terms with my own craziness, and that of my family's.  I even laugh at it.  Otherwise, my craziness really would make me crazy.

Like when Lily and I go to the movies dressed like princesses, complete with glass slippers, tiaras, boas and fancy dresses.  I laugh at the odd looks and sidelong glances I get from people trying not to stare.

I laugh when Lily tells me people must think we are rock stars and gives everyone her "princess wave" when they tell her how pretty she looks (think Miss America in a parade kind of wave). 

I laugh when she asks the concessions stand attendant if she can please have maïs soufflé et l'eau en bouteille.  I laugh when she eats her m&ms with her pinkies raised and pats her lips oh-so-properly after drinking her water.  And I laugh even more because I am right there doing it all with her. 

And in public, no less.

As for Ernie, he refuses to go out in public with us when such craziness takes hold.  I suppose I can't blame him.

It is the prerogative of the brave

There really is no point to this post other than showing off Lily's adorable new hairstyle.  This is her princess face.

Do you see that doll behind her?  Grandma Tine gave it to her for Christmas and she is convinced it is actually her.  So, of course, the dolly's name is Lily Victoria Hamilton.  Not Lily...Lily Victoria Hamilton.  You must say the entire name or she (the real Lily, not the doll Lily. Though I suppose you could include the doll Lily in the sentiment if you so desire) gets highly offended.

And this, as she explained to me after she made it, is her Duchess face.  It really is impossible to maintain a sour mood with such a delightful little girl constantly making me laugh.

Ten things I love about you

It is so hard to narrow it down to just ten, since there are about a million things I love about you, but here are my ten favorite things about my best girl:

10.  You love the cuddle and fit perfectly between my chin and my shoulder.

9.    Every time you give me something, be it a picture, flower or kiss, you do so with a grand flourish, as if bestowing a great gift on the Queen herself. 

8.   You know all the Disney songs and sing along just as loud as I do whenever we watch them.

7.    Your laugh is positively infectious.  I can't help but laugh whenever I hear it.

6.     You read me bedtime stories and tuck me in when I don't feel well.

5.     You run into my arms when we've been parted for so much as five minutes and hug me as if you haven't seen me in years.

4.     You love getting pedicures with me.

3.     Whenever you want to hide from me, you close your eyes really tight and cover them with your hands, thinking the job is done.

2.      I love the sound of your feet against the hardwood floors when you run from your room to mine in the morning.  It makes me smile every time I hear it.  I know that it means my day is about to start with hugs, wet kisses, cuddles and a surplus of giggles

1.      You are everything good in me and so much more.  You are smart, you are beautiful, you are talented, you are funny, you are sweet, you are kind, you are generous and you are loving.  I see already a shadow of the amazing woman you will one day be.

I love you, kiddo.

And the award goes to...

Do you recall this picture?  It was taken last summer when I took Lily to Disneyland.  Do you see the sword Lily is holding?  Remember that sword, because it is a pivitol part of the following story.

This morning Lily was in her room playing while I was getting some work done.  I hear her say "Uh-oh" in a very distraught tone.  Then she runs into the kitchen, crying, telling me to "Get it out! Get it out!"

Being the caring and compassionate mother that I am, I immediately burst into laughter and grabbed my camera.

And just to make sure everyone could see it clearly, I took a close-up shot.  I'm just thoughtful that way.

And *that*, ladies and gentlemen, is why I should be nominated for Mother of the Year.

Words are like water

I'm not feeling particularly pithy or locquacious today, so we'll make this update short and sweet.

Lily had her second haircut last week.  I'll be honest, I agonized over this.  Yes, I realize that is ridiculous, but I couldn't stop myself.  Part of me wanted to cut her hair short because it would be easier to manage and keep neat throughout the day, and part of me wanted to cry at the thought because her hair is so long and  thick and beautiful.  But it is difficult to keep looking nice all day long.  Finally, I let Lily decide.  She wanted to keep her long hair, so we just the split ends trimmed off this time.  I figure that if her hair looks ratty by the end of the day, that is simply proof that she has had a fun day playing hard as kids are meant to.

During the haircut, Lily was in heaven.  The stylists were all fawning over her telling her how absolutely beautiful she is.  She would just smile cockily and say, "thanks", without a hint of modesty.  That's my vain child for you, though.  Gotta love it.

We also got to spend the weekend with my stepdaughter, Jade.  I love the all-too-rare opportunities we have to all be together.  Lily absolutely idolizes her older sister.  All weekend, she was right by Jade's side pestering her with questions and demanding her sister's attention in a thousand different ways.  Jade, I'll confess, was much more patient with Lily then I sometimes am.

We miss you and love you so much, Jade.  We had a great time and can't wait to see you again!

And finally, Lily asked me to take a picture of her writing in her diary and post it for Grandma and Tommy to see (sorry for those she left out, but she was very particular that this picture was for Grandma and her best-friend, Tommy).  She has been obsessed with her diary ever since she saw it at Barnes & Noble and begged me to buy it for her.  She *is* awfully cute writing in it, I will confess.

I do have pictures of all of this, but I can't find my cord.  I'll update with pictures later.  Have a great week, everyone.

The Texture of Silence

Often I have found that more can be said through silence than the most eloquent words.  It can be filled with sharp, fractured edges, or smooth, calm serenity.  It can be pregnant with both expectation and anxiety.  There is the awkward silence of a date once you realize things are *not* going well, or the comfortable silence of an old friend.

So I have always had a particular appreciation for the expressive silences of life.  But one kind of silence in particular has always been especially important to me.  It is the holy silence of sacred places when you feel worlds touching and overlapping.  As I've traveled about this world, I've discovered that such place often take me by surprise.  Like this one:

Yesterday was so full of turmoil that I felt a need to feel the earth beneath my feet this morning.  Luckily, there are plenty of random country roads to wander along here.  As we were meadering around on our nature walk, Lily and I stumbled across this quaint little abandoned ranch.  As we crossed the bridge to explore, I felt such remarkable peace.  It rippled through me, the silence filled with it, until I knew that everything was going to turn out as it should.  I am thankful for such silences in my life.  They always seem to come when I need them most.

Just some thoughts

Today has been a difficult day. I feel drained emotionally, mentally and physically. I feel jaded and angry that horrible things are allowed to happen and impotent in my inability to help change them. I feel pessimistic, hopeless and helpless. In other words, I feel very unlike me.

I know I'm being obnoxiously vague, but I can't openly discuss things that are happening. Once they are resolved, and hopefully with a happy ending, I will be able to let you in on the secret. Until then, someone please send happy vibes my way, because I can't seem to force so much as a quirk of the lips, let alone a full-blown smile.