Beware of Magic Sharks

This morning, it was time for tea again. It's been a while since we've had tea together upstairs, but Madison and Daddy enjoyed a nice teatime with some friends, Mr. Peanut and Minnie Mouse. Afterwards, we had a Mr. Potato-fest, where we decked out all the potatoes in different outfits, from Elvis to a Stormtrooper with an umbrella in a spinning teacup.

We had another tennis match today in the front yard, one that Madison clearly won. It was good to get a little more practice in. SPEAKING OF WHICH, we've been doing quite a bit of music practice lately. Today, we were trying Madison out with the rhythm concept. We were following a music sheet with quarter notes and rests, and each of us striking instruments: Mommy had a tambourine, Daddy had maracas, and Madison had a triangle. We're starting a band!

We were working on the deck a little today as well, getting more paint and wood chips peeled off, and even painting a bit. It was such a nice cool evening that we could have kept on painting, except we probably couldn't see and there'd be paint everywhere. That, and the mosquitos were wanting to visit with us too. These little monsters just love Madison. Which is why we brought her inside. Sometimes even a thorough coating of bug spray won't even do the trick. These guys are desperate!

MADISON'S BOOK CLUB

Okay, so it was bedtime, and Madison had picked this book out. It's called, "The Three Little Hawaiian Pigs and the Magic Shark," a title which is actually longer than some other entire children's books. The story is basically a variation of "The Three Little Pigs," but with a longer title. And no wolf. No, instead of a wolf, there's a magic shark (hence the title, "The Three Little Hawaiian Pigs and the Magic Shark"). You may be wondering why we even have this book. I confess: I bought it. I saw it at Goodwill and saw that it had something to do with Hawaii, which of course is big with us. On top of that, the author and illustrator had signed the inside of the book. Ever since then, the book has been tucked away somewhere, lurking just like a magic shark. And sure enough, today Madison found it and wanted Daddy to read it at bedtime. I did - I'm guessing that Madison was listening to Mommy and Daddy talk today about going back to Hawaii some day to stay at Disney's Aulani Resort (which I believe had it's first guests check in today). ANYWAY, back to the book: these pigs build their respective houses of different building materials, two of them apparently not checking with their local inspectors about any building codes. That's when things get interesting. You see, just like all other pigs, these pigs like to surf. And lurking below them is a magic shark, who is quite hungry to eat a pig. Fortunately, the pigs do not fall off their surfboards. Unfortunately, the magic shark can put on a disguise and walk on land to their homes!

You probably know the rest of the story by this point. The moral is quite clear: if an ice shavings vendor shows up at your door, make sure you first check him for a prominent dorsal fin.

Madison still enjoyed the book, by the way.

Aloha!