Cabbages and Kings

"The Walrus and the Carpenter." Okay, so this is one strange story. Stranger still is the fact that Daddy used it to make a point with in tonight's children's service. Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum returned to tell Alice the unusual tale, which featured a walrus, a carpenter, and about five brave oysters. We had fun with this skit today, actually, and the kids in the audience seemed to really respond to it as well. Actually, this is clearly the best series we've ever done with the kids. I had that feeling the last time we did it, and it's back. I just love Wonderland for some reason.

Madison does too, of course. We were there a few times this morning, via the Kinect system and a Disneyland game. It's been fun going about Disneyland, and of course Wonderland, exploring and meeting new characters. Madison is especially good at spotting Hidden Mickeys. This is something she gets from her Mommy and Daddy. We've been experts at finding them every time we go to the park. We have checklists and books, and Madison is along for the fun. It isn't necessarily and obsession, mind you. It's just something that's a little fun to do while going around the parks and resorts.

Speaking of Disney, today at lunch Daddy came home to find Madison in her Cinderella dress again. If there's one thing to get her at Christmas time, it's a new princess dress. This year we didn't have an opportunity to find her one (although we did get her the Cinderella dress just prior to going to Disney). Still, Daddy sort of wished he got her a new dress. God is good: Madison got a few new princess dresses this year, these from the Irlbecks when we visited. Their girls had grown out of them, and what better place to donate some beautiful dresses than to Madison? It was so nice to see.

Madison looks radiant in her princess dresses. She chooses different ones to wear each week, depending on her frame of mind. She doesn't wear them all day, but does want to wear them frequently during the week, maybe for an hour or two. She'll even wear the shoes - you can hear her clip-clopping on the hard floor around the house!

What a moment as Daddy is about to rush back to work - he turns to see our Cinderella sort of standing there by herself in the great room. And she wants her Daddy. Immediately, the song "Cinderella," by Steven Curtis Chapman comes to mind, doesn't it? It did for me. The point of the song is to cherish every moment with our daughter, which Daddy did: I danced with Cinderella. I got down on my knees so I was roughly her height, and the two of us embraced, and slowly twirled to the music of our imagination.