It's Betsy Bear's Turn on the Ice

Here's a scan of Madison's latest coloring effort from church yesterday. The heart is pink on the bear's sweater, but the bear itself is green. I think this may have something to do with a fit of jealousy towards another ice skating bear - some sort of commentary on the overly competitive world of figure skating. Or it could be that there wasn't a brown crayon nearby.

Today was a day of rest and clean-up, though we did make a special trip down to the Mall of Georgia late in the day. There, we picked up the new lithographs for "Tangled," and got Madison some new t-shirts - and an umbrella that she adores. While down there, we also ate at PF Chang's again. Great meal! Not-so-great service this time around. Our waiter kept disappearing for long periods of time, and we were beginning to think he was in the kitchen, trapped under some large appliance.

Afterwards, we got home and practiced our letters a bit. We have a game with letters and objects that begin with those words. Madison was practicing the letter F again today, this time getting a little better. We just have to sit with her and run through these things again and again.

It was such a cold day. This weekend was so nice, and yet we couldn't get out to play. Now that we had a chance, the weather turned miserable. Oh well, I suppose we'll have plenty of opportunities for playtime later. Today was all about staying indoors and seeing what we could get done.

At bedtime, there was yet another story that involved the largest snowball fight in human history. It featured all of the Disney Princesses, stuffed animals, 100-Acre Wood characters and United States Presidents. And more. This snowball fight was huge, I tell you. And Madison loved it.

MADISON'S BOOK CLUB

Tonight before bed, Madison chose this story, and not Daddy. Just wanted to make that clear! This is an unusual tale about a crocodile named Lyle that is a pet to a family that lives in the big city. One of their neighbors, Mr. Grumpy, does not like Lyle. With a name like "Mr. Grumpy," it's a good bet that you're bound not to like something. Yet, how many cat owners would be pleased to see a large crocodile loose in the neighborhood? I would argue that nearly any cat owner would be somewhat justified in this regard. Yet, the reader is in on the fact that Lyle is not your standard crocodile. Lyle is a kind, friendly crocodile that wouldn't eat a cat. Instead, Lyle spends his time singing and dancing. And even rescuing people from fires. Lyle is a good crocodile, as opposed to one of those naughty ones that stays behind bars in the zoo. Mr. Grumpy sees the error of his bad judgment at the end of the book, of course, and all is well. Lyle can spend as long as he wants with his family. So long as he doesn't eat any of the children.

Madison enjoyed Daddy reading this story, and also enjoyed the artwork upon each page. It is certainly a different sort of book, which is why Daddy picked it up in the first place. I recommend this to pretty much anyone, except those who have suchophobia.