Pridelands Safari Handbook

Today Daddy began work on that next devotional for the upcoming July series that we're trying to develop. It's called "Pridelands," and it is based largely on the Tanzania area, where the animal reserves are and the safari expeditions wander. There's a lot to do in a shorter time, as I've got about a week to write a couple books and more - but this one should be fun to do. For one, we did a little "research" at the Animal Kingdom while we were there, riding on the Kilimanjaro Safaris experience, where Madison, Mommy and Daddy rode along in those open-car jeeps and saw all kinds of wildlife. Until later on this week, Daddy was somewhat stumped as to how to go about doing the devotional - but Mommy came up with a pretty good idea.

Basically, this photo here sums it up. I took this on the tour, and was laughing as I did. Madison is looking out at all the animals, but as you can see in this photo, she's also being very quick to look upward at the pictures and identities of all the animals. She's matching them up - in this photo, she sees the crocodiles out there, so she's looking up to find them on the guide they have printed along the top of the cars. It was funny how she got so attached to that reference guide. That's why Daddy is writing out a longer "reference guide" in the form of a 28-page devotional. It'll talk about animals, but also some of the other encounters along the way on a safari expedition. It should be fairly fun to write, actually. So far, I have entries on the rhino, the giraffe, the okapi and even the baobab tree.

Today, Daddy got eleven pages done, so you can imagine there wasn't as much time to spend with Madison. Still, he and Mommy were able to stop and do a few things together as a family. For one, we made a trip into town to get some new drawers for Madison's playroom. The toy population is growing, and Mommy was looking for a new way to keep things organized. Also, she needed some detergent!

When we got back, Daddy went off to Wal-Mart to drop off some images of Madison to print into photos. We're putting together Madison's Disney autograph book, where all the characters have been signing their names. Beside each autograph, we'll put a picture of that character, so she'll have a memento to always look back on. But the other purpose for the drop-off is to print some images to send off for a photo contest. We think Madison's a pretty cute girl, and maybe she's got a shot at one or two contests. We'll keep you updated, of course!

When Daddy returned, it was time for a game! Not just any game though:

Madison got this version of Candy Land for her birthday, so we all sat down at the kitchen table for a family game night. It was fun, even though Daddy lost big time. Mommy eeked out a victory in the final moments, and everyone had a good time. Candy Land is a fun game, but this version was pretty neat because it had some places and images that Madison recognized. In fact, she saw the teacups and started pointing at Daddy and herself and saying: "Dizzy!"

We read her a story or two or three before going to bed tonight. It was actually a fun day spent around the house. Daddy got some work done - and plans on getting some more done here in a moment. But it was a good day to spend together as a family. After Madison went to bed, Mommy and Daddy got in the tub and afterwards watched another few episodes of "The Nanny." That's been our latest thing. Last Friday we started with episode one, and I'm guessing we'll be going through that until November or so - we've got the whole entire series on DVD.

Mommy and Daddy tend to do that: last year, we watched four seasons of "Get Smart," and before that it was "Home Improvement." We scour these shows for jokes and one-liners, quick to write them down for future use in our skits on stage. "The Nanny," however, was one of those shows that Mommy and Daddy watched during some of Mommy's tough years, so it has a special place in our history. Added to that, the star of the show, Fran Drescher, also had issues with cancer - so there's somewhat of a bond to the show. Last year, Daddy got Mommy the entire series on DVD for Christmas. We're finally getting around to watching it, and it has a somewhat addictive quality to it. Maybe it's just a regional thing, but seriously, I think it's a funny show!

Fran: "Niles, do I sound like I'm coming down with a cold?"
Niles: "Constantly."