Debatable

So we did some filming in Madison's bedroom today, doing a video that sort of copies another video idea from a few years ago.  Madison was at school, so she had no idea - don't anyone tell her!  Mommy fixed up the bed in a way that sort of fits the video idea, and off we went for some filming.  It was great to come home and see Mommy, and the other guys always like to visit as well.

This is Mary Shannon - she's reading some letters from home viewers, and is about to get pretty snarky after reading a few dumb questions.

Madison's day was an ordinary Wednesday - although she didn't ride the bus home.  Instead, she was picked up by Mommy, who took her to the doctor for her yearly check-up.  Everything looks fine with Madison - she got a clean bill of health.  She also inhaled a bit of something up her nose, which is a different approach to the flu shot that Mommy and Daddy had to endure!  But the good news is that all seems to be well medically:  Madison is fit as a fiddle!

Meanwhile, Daddy and Mommy are slowly recovering - this is one of those seasons of illness where things get passed along.  Fortunately, Madison has been spared mostly.  She suffers from allergies a bit, and wakes up with a runny nose as well.  And, occasionally, there's the bloody nose - I'd say about once every ten days or so.  Last night was one middle-of-the-night instance:  Madison woke up crying and running to us.  Fortunately, we were able to move quickly, and as a result the mess was minimal.  She calmed down quickly, and soon everyone was able to get back to sleep.

Lots of work going on towards our new series, but slow and steady wins the race.  We'll wind up going to work tomorrow, but it'll be good to get some things accomplished a little ahead of time.  Tonight's service went really well, although we stuck around to disassemble the current set a bit.  Once we got home, all eyes and ears were in Denver for the first of the Presidential debates, which wasn't quite as close as we thought it'd be.  It was a great debate to watch, as it was not a bunch of prepared speeches, but rather a conversation about ideas back and forth.

We've already known who we're voting for a long time ago.  We've been fasting and praying, as this election seems to be more of a contrast in directions the candidates want to go.  Madison doesn't know much about this election, of course - she's not exposed to much that is related to our government yet.  I think the next election she'll be more aware of things, and sometime around then we're planning a pilgrimage to Washington to see our history and our nation's center of operations.  Both Mommy and Daddy have been a few times, but we haven't taken Madison yet.  She'll certainly enjoy it, and plus it's the ultimate way to learn how our government works (or, as some may think, doesn't work).

The election season is going to get more heated, and certainly more intense.  Madison will likely have not much of an idea of what's going on, although she'll overhear Mommy and Daddy discussing current issues.  We'll naturally use this as a teachable moment for her, letting her know how our democracy works, and how everyone is talking about who they think should be in charge the next few years.  Fortunately, Mommy and Daddy agree completely, so there's no big Presidential debates in the house.  But we are pretty passionate about our government and the direction we feel it should go.

Daddy is a huge history buff - I'm not quite there at the moment, but I could name all the Presidents in order at one point.  I can easily name all the states based on geography, although the capitals are a little fuzzy at the moment.  Some subjects come easy for people, and this is one that is really easy for Daddy.  Hopefully Madison won't get sick of hearing it!