Fat Taco Tuesday

Madison woke up this morning, and sure enough the Tooth Fairy came by, but this time with a Beanie Baby!  This one had the name Fantasia, and a birthday that was the same as Mommy's!

After school today, Mommy was with us today for piano class, which went really well.  You can see Madison's snowman there, a thing that's been hanging up on the wall that she decorated several weeks ago.  If she earned enough snowflakes on it, she goes to Winter Wonderland on Friday.  Which, of course, she did.  This is her last Winter Wonderland, which you'll see more of upcoming.  We talked about the events of the past, from roller skating to magicians to trampoline places to a pool.  It's been fun.  Madison did well in class today, hitting the notes well and following along despite missing last week's class.  She's only missed one class this year, and she's been doing just fine in class.

So today was Fat Tuesday.  It was also Taco Tuesday.  So therefore, combining the two, it became "Fat Taco Tuesday."  We had tacos this afternoon, after piano.  And much later on, Mommy actually made us some gluten-free beignets to sample.  Yummy!

Another event tonight was the Science Family Night, where we returned to school to see one science experiment after another, visiting different classrooms to try out different things.  Madison loved it.

Here she is blowing bubbles, and below is a picture of her doing something she seems to really like:  working with electricity.  She spent a while at this station, creating circuits to power lights, small sound devices, and a spinning fan that launched upwards.

It was a fun night for her, and it's always too short because there's just so much to do.

But she got to take quite a bit home with her, this in a special science gift bag that all the students got for coming tonight.  We had a great time!

We got home just in time for bed, pretty much.  This is mainly because of all the reading that takes place before bed. We continued with Exodus, chapter 2, and then moved on to our Big Top devotional.  And then, we finished "The Age of Bronze," which coincidentally takes place in New Orleans.  I say that because it is Fat Tuesday today, which was a theme for the day of course.

After prayers, Mommy and Daddy watched the Presidential address unfiltered on a White House channel.  It's much better without commentary, so you can know what to think for yourself.  Madison didn't stay up for this, but it was good, and quite a bit different in tone than the speech in Florida a few weeks ago, which was such a rally.

Anyway, it was a great day.  We had a lot of work to do this morning towards Neverland, which involved Mommy did quite a bit of costume shopping, while Daddy was dealing with printers and creating materials while planning out the upcoming series.  It's going to be simply wonderful... here we go, off to Neverland!

Night Night

Bedtime each night is such a procedure, but it's a nice one.  We read so much each night, and it's really nice.  Madison isn't sleeping in this picture, but I asked to take this of her tonight before bed.  You can see the Vinylmation characters lined up in the background, and of course all the stuffed animals in bed with her, including the groundhog I see there too.  Underneath her pillow, unseen, is another tooth.  Yes, that's right, she lost another tooth today.  It was one of her "vampire" teeth, she calls it!

Tonight, we had our usual large amount of dancing with jazz and ballet.  Mommy and Daddy were shopping for Neverland, and doing some grocery shopping as well.  We have plenty of time while Madison dances.

We started the book of Exodus tonight, and continued Jack Sparrow's adventures in the "Age of Bronze."  Also, our devotional for Big Top, which is winding down now.  Neverland is coming soon.  Daddy was spending a lot of time proofing this afternoon, looking over something like seventy pages of words he's written for this series.

We watched some more "Star Wars Rebels" tonight, suddenly appreciative of a character named Agent Kallus.  It's very much a family event now, watching each one of these episodes.  We are such geeks!

Big Top's End

Here is a photo from this morning's service, one where many kids went forward during the altar service.   It was quite a morning.  Madison was in both services today, the last Sunday of our Big Top series, and a great send-off to a wonderful series.  We were a little busy doing a lot of other things during these last two months, but it still worked out really well for us.  Plus, getting to see the circus on Friday, and Squirm Burpee a month ago were bonus treats for us.

As for today, it was a more relaxed day of course.  We got back later, and Daddy spent a lot of time proofing, while Madison did her piano practice, and then some cleaning as well.  We were collecting the webs waaaaay up there on the ceiling of the great room, and getting that dust off where we could.  Though it felt like a bit of spring cleaning, the weather turned chilly this weekend, reminding us that it is still in fact winter.

There was a big race today - the Daytona 500.  We didn't watch it, but eventually we might.  It's only five miles or so from where Nana and Ba-Ba live.  Speaking of which, they're still in Summerfield, and Ba-Ba sounds great.  Obviously, he still has some recovering to do, but he's obedient with eating and exercise.  He has lost ten pounds, so that will be fun trying to get back.  Already, Nana is spoiling him with doughnuts.

Tonight we watched a few more episodes of "Star Wars Rebels," which is something Madison is just crazy about.  It's still season two for her, and we're plowing through episodes pretty quickly.  She can't wait for the next one, and loves the characters.  We're enjoying it too, of course.

Afterwards, we read from our Bible some more, finishing up the book of Genesis.  Daddy did a lot of studies of the different Tribes of Israel, so it's been handy seeing where each of these sons winds up, or some significant descendants that each one will have.  Tomorrow, we'll start with Exodus, and Daddy is feeling very tempted to bring out some of the movies we have downstairs:  "Prince of Egypt" and "The Ten Commandments."  So let it be written, so let it be done!

Tonight, Mommy and Daddy watched "Finding Neverland," another great movie in the Neverland series.  We'll still have a few more to watch this week, but it's been quite a marathon so far.  This week, we'll watch the Mary Martin movie, and then the Catherine Rigby one.  Of special interest is the version of "Peter Pan" from 1925.  That one was actually made while Sir J.M. Barrie was still alive.  We've been just soaking in Neverland, and it's been very fun lately, almost like the time we went so deep into Wonderland a few years ago.  I imagine we might do the same with Oz someday, or certainly Narnia.

In the meantime, it's time for bed.  It's been a long weekend, and we've been writing and proofing and running about.  It's time to get some sleep.  So let it be written, so let it be done.

Into the Woods Mini-Camp

This was Madison's last ballet mini-camp, one related to the upcoming ballet, "Into the Woods."  We're going to this one, of course.  It'll be just Mommy and Daddy for this one, although we'll get a Blu-Ray version of it to share with the rest of the family.  Daddy hopes to perhaps be an usher at the door for the Thursday productions, but we'll see how that turns out.  For one, Thursday morning is Daddy's college class that he teaches.  We'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

Here's just one more picture.  These are the usual pictures that they take of the children, along with the other older dancers in costume.  Along with this, there are crafts, and of course a small dance routine that the parents come to see at the end. 

Madison has really enjoyed all of these.  And it gets everyone geared up for the big event upcoming:

We have our tickets for Madison's performance, and are really looking forward to it!

Mommy and Daddy went somewhere while Madison was at camp, and then at practice.  We went back to Anastasia's Tea Room for lunch, and obviously tea.  It's a wonderfully pleasant place, our second trip now.  The last one was on Valentine's Day.  We've found a nice place to have lunch, or at least try some new flavors of tea.  

The rest of the day was work at the office, prepping for Sunday of course.  And prepping for Neverland.  That is coming soon, true enough.  But there are two books that need to be done a week ahead of time, and we're down to the wire on both of these.  We should be fine.

Tonight, of course we watched "Star Wars Rebels," season two.  As if we have a choice!  Madison is hooked on these, quite insistent that we watch them one after the other.  She cannot wait for the next episode each time.  They've been good though.  

So after reading the Bible, praying, reading the devotional, and reading from the latest Jack Sparrow book, "The Age of Bronze," it was time for bed.  Lots to do before bed, isn't there?  It's been a full day though, as tomorrow will be.  We'll all sleep easy!

Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus

We had a great night tonight at the circus.  This would be the last time - I think - we go to a Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus.  It has been chronicled here that Daddy went to see this very circus at Madison Square Garden in New York, and we even still have the program books to prove it.  Those are in the display case at KidPak right now.  Tonight, we were sure to pick up one more to add to the collection, the final program book of this circus.

Here's Madison during the pre-show, at the wardrobe changing area, where you can put on various circus items to try on.  Let's see... what did she try on?

We've been holding on to these circus peanuts for about two months now, so it was just the right time to crack those open.  Plus, we got some popcorn and those clown noses you see in the picture above.  We got those noses after arriving early to see some of the pre-production acts.  There were clowns that Madison was laughing at, and horses riding around doing tricks.  Also one of those dangling scarf acts, some roaming clowns, a wardrobe changing station, and a Chick-Fil-A cow with a rainbow wig on his head.  Afro circus indeed!

The show itself was great.  The high wire was right there in front of us, amazing as always.  There was even a human cannonball, a girl who launched across the arena to a large cushion on the other side.  There were trampoline acts and some amazing bike tricks.  But Madison's favorite act - and Mommy's - was the one that featured trained dogs.

They were pretty awesome.  But so was the strong man, and the mermaids, bungee jumpers and acrobats.  Another one of Madison's favorite acts was the man in the cage with thirteen tigers (we counted).  That was her second favorite act, because she thought the tigers were beautiful.  Further conversation revealed that she didn't necessarily want to run into one in the jungle or something like that.  But they looked nice... from a distance!

In short, it was a great time at the circus.  And too bad it's pretty much the last one.  But it was good to end on a high note, and it was clear from the crowd's reaction that it was enjoyed by everyone very much.

It was a good time, and a great way to end the day.  We did stories tonight, reading the Bible and reading from the circus-themed devotional as well.  Plus Jack Sparrow too, only just one chapter.  We were tired!

Earlier today, there was school and work, of course.  Madison had her technology class again, where she's learning to type.  Will she match Daddy's record of typing in high school?  I remember getting up to 90 words per minute, although the words that were typed in those runs weren't full of the quick foxes or quartz extracts.

The weather is gorgeous outside.  It's February, and it feels like a perfect spring day outside.  Folks are confused about this, but maybe the best approach is to just enjoy the day, right?  That's just what we did!

We Got the Beat

We got this t-shirt for Madison at Wal-Mart, and honestly mostly because it was on sale.  She's not that huge into the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but it had a picture of Leonardo on it, and a message that read, "I love you more than pizza."  Which is a big deal to Leonardo, of course.

Anyway, out of all the new t-shirts that we've gotten her, this one seems to be her favorite.  It's spawned a new saying around the house, "I love you more than (insert food item here)!"

The other t-shirts are nice, and important:  we had to get them because Madison is growing really fast lately. She has hit a growth spurt this year, getting taller very quickly.  It's been very fast, and very sudden.

Madison had a great day today, followed by ballet tonight.  They're getting ready for the spring recital in these classes, and her jazz class is dancing to an 80's song that Madison could never really remember so well… until tonight.  Yes, we finally discovered the song, and it's from the Go-Go's.  It's the song, "We Got the Beat."

Madison doesn't like the song as much as the other newer one they used to dance to.  She's not even sure why they switched to this old 80's stuff!  And yet Daddy is like, "But… it's 80's music!"  Yes, this is the point where 80's music is like 50's music when we Daddy was growing up.  Yes, these are the "oldies" now!

This is Us

This picture was something that Madison made with Pic Collage.  I'm not entirely sure the overall meaning of this may be, but I think it's worthy of the top floor at the High Museum.  The phrase "This is Us" over and over again, with varying pictures of cats.  There's the descriptive, literal imagery of cats within polaroid photo frames, but then is there a deeper meaning to it?  At first glance, it could be a calming sort of thing, with cute cats, "LOTS OF CATS," and "MORE CATS!!!!"  But that jagged pink line repeats, and assaults the eyes, letting us know that perhaps things are not all well.  Indeed, the cat saying "Bye Bye" or the the cat getting rained on, or the one crying, or that very first one pleading for some reason... all of it suggests there is some sort of underlying nightmare lurking deep.  One wonders who the "us" is in this piece, and one feels a range of senses from pity to abject terror the more you look at it.

Or... it could be just a picture of some cats.

Madison has been into art a lot lately, of course.  And that's a great segue to her enrichment class today after school, which was the last one in this latest series.  As a part the month of February, of course there were hearts involved.  Madison did what she calls "Crazy Hearts," which hopefully we'll be seeing soon enough.  Her artwork is displayed in classrooms, along with other students' works.  Clearly, our daughter is an artistic genius.

We had shepherd's pie for dinner tonight, which was something we don't do much.  But it is gluten free, and it wasn't bad.  And in a way, it takes us back to our roots across the Atlantic.  Yes, it's just a thing you get at the grocery store, and it's probably made in Texas.  But still, the very phrase "shepherd's pie" harkens back to a grey sort of day with lush green landscapes, herds of sheep on the hillside and cottages here or there.  Inside a cottage, there we are at an old wooden table, eating our shepherd's pie by the fireplace as some sort of vague Celtic music plays in the background.

Our office at KidPak got new chairs, the first we've received since 2004 or so.  Those other chairs were nice, but... okay, no they weren't.  These are though, and we like them.  At home here, Ye-Ye restored this old mirror, and we have it hung up by the main door.  It looks nice - he did a great job!

We read some more today, although Daddy obviously had KidPak tonight.  We're still sailing along with the Jack Sparrow books.  One of Madison's favorite characters is Constance the cat.  This poor animal is so unloved, except by Jean.  But then again, this poor animal isn't very friendly to others either.  And this is where the humor of the character is, and why Madison loves her.

Perhaps that's who the other person is in "This is Us."  Perhaps it is Madison and Constance."  An interesting theory, indeed!  Certainly this piece of art inspires a constant inner dialogue!  But that's what makes great art great:  it makes you think.  And "This is Us" is one of those artistic masterpieces that does that and more.  It inspires!

Running for the Border

We finally made a run for the border today.  And though yes, we did get back across the Georgia border this morning, I am in fact referring to our first Taco Bell visit with Madison.  It seems like this would have happened a lot earlier, considering her obsession with tacos.  But the simple truth is that Mommy makes the best tacos, and they're always waiting for us when we get home from piano practice.  Of course, today, we were traveling the long trip home from Florida.  That said, there wasn't any time for taco preparation.  So we stopped at Taco Bell.  Madison's take:  these are the second-best tacos she's ever had, the first of course being Mommy's.  Good answer, Madison.

We made the trip home today, and it was amazingly uneventful.  We took the Athens route once more, and listened to the radio as the traffic reports from Atlanta sounded absolutely dreadful.  It's this weird feeling driving carefree in Athens as you listen to the suffering and devastation of Atlanta traffic.  As if millions of voices are crying out in anguish.  That could have been us.  On one hand, you're grateful to be alive.  On the other, there's pity for those pour souls sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic on I-85 and 400.

But I digress.  Today, Madison watched all of season 1 of "Star Wars Rebels," and then when we got home, we watched an episode of season 2.  We got home early enough that we could do that, and then even read a bit from the devotional, the Bible, and then the next Jack Sparrow book, "The Age of Bronze."  We've read these before, and yet there are so many details we've forgotten.  Madison is enjoying hearing these again.  We said our prayers, thankful for safety on the way home, and thankful that Ba-ba is getting better each day.  It will take time, but we're sure that by next visit he'll be very near to his former state once more.

It was a good visit, although a tougher one on the surface.  We obviously didn't do anything like Disney or beach visits.  But at the same time, there was a service to family that was important.  Mommy was busy making food that would be appealing, which is her gift.  She was also helping with the organization, which also is her gift.  We said our goodbyes this morning, and even though it was a very short visit, we were grateful to be able to come to Florida at all.

The weather was perfect down there, and just in time, here comes the rain again, sweeping across the state.  Another reason that we were happy to take the Athens route:  the rain travels from west to east, and we were further away from it as it approached.  We didn't see rain until we got to Gainesville.

On the way up, we listened to the rest of "Riders Radio," and then some more of the Prairie Home Companion CDs Daddy got for Christmas.  The Riders Radio in particular had Mommy and Daddy cracking up, especially the episode with the Tennessee banjo player that got arrested mid-point for a cheesy plot device that we completely forgot about until the end.  It had Mommy and Daddy laughing a lot.

We stopped a few times at a couple Race Trac gas stations, and then the Georgia Welcome Center too. Oh, and also an early stop at the rest area near Gainesville, Florida.  Last time we were there, we saw an alligator nearby, just basking in the sun.  Not this time though.

So here we are, back to normal, back on schedule.  To prove as much, Daddy wrote the last of his devotional entries tonight, completing the Neverland devotional with the 28th page.  We'll have to proof it pretty good, but this one was largely written in Florida.  And that's just fine.  It was a decent little getaway.

Sewing Hedgehogs

Madison was sewing today, and so very much into this little project of hers.  We got a kit where she could sew bits of fabric together, making this nice little hedgehog.  Ah, the agony of trying thread a needle!  Madison and Daddy experienced this time and again during the sewing.  Fortunately, Mommy was nearby to help out.  We didn't finish the project, but we will probably when we get home.  Madison was very much into it, and she had one of those looks that Mommy and Daddy know very well.  She just sat there at the kitchen table, completely committed to creating this craft, by the book.  She'll be so happy with the finished product.  We'll post pictures when we complete it, although that might be a couple days from now.

We did some swimming again today, and soaked up the February sun some more.  There are these palm trees towards one end of the pool, and they created a shadowy area that shielded Daddy from the sun a bit.  It was bright out there, and our despite using plenty of sunscreen, we still got a bit too much sun.  We did stay out there a while though.

Still, it was fun.  There were many others at the pool too, which isn't something many people can do during the month of February.  Madison loves swimming, and yes, she's still good at it.  We had fun splashing, and doing a bit of "go fetch" with one of those sinking blue rings.  Madison dove down to the floor level, and skimmed the surface there until grabbing the ring.

We had a good, relaxing day today.  Daddy was typing up the Neverland devotional, one that will be printed by March 5th, hopefully.  Yeah, so hopefully it will be written by this week.  One day at a time, the devotional entries are getting completed.  Having watched so many Neverland movies lately really helps.  We've got lots of ideas.

We did some grocery shopping today, and got lots of stuff for Na-na and Ba-ba.  There have been plenty of items to get to help keep Ba-ba's weight up as he recovers, and the nurse that visits each morning has been pretty encouraged by his progress.  That nurse will continue visits for a time, until Ba-ba begins to really recover.  But each day, he himself is admitting he's doing a lot better.  And we can tell too.  He'll be fine.

We've been doing a lot of reading out back.  You sit in the shade and watch golfers play, and all the while just lounge about and read books.  Madison and Daddy have been reading comic books, like the latest adventures of Poe, or "Guardians of the Galaxy."  Madison loves Rocket Raccoon right now.  Madison plays a farming game on her iPad, or reads a bit.  Daddy has been reading a book Mommy got him about the election of 2016, which is amazing to relive.  I can't believe we actually went through all that.

So it's been a good day, and a nice quick getaway for us.  Summerfield isn't exactly the vacation destination you would think of when dreaming of a trip to Florida.  But it's been good for us this time around.  For Madison, all you need is a pool!

Herding Ducks

Today's big event was a trip to the pool!  Madison and Daddy hopped in the golf cart, and peeled out of there off towards the swimming pool here at Del Webb.  The sun was out, although there was a slight breeze.  Still, we took a few moments to sit in some of those Florida lounge chairs beside the pool, and soak up the February sun.  The pool is heated, so it was perfectly pleasant while in there - although that was not necessarily the case getting out.  Brrr!  Still, it was nice in the pool.  Madison and Daddy spent about an hour and a half there with the typical diving games and flips and splashing.  One of the current jokes in the pool is this:

Daddy:  Knock Knock!
Madison:  Who's there?
Daddy:  Breaching Whale!
Madison:  Breaching Whale who?
Daddy launches upwards, and splashes down in front of Madison, soaking her again.

Simply replace the "whale" part with anything else, and there's the running joke.  We've had breaching cows, breaching appliances, breaching school buses, and even breaching zambonis.

One of the big events of our pool visit was the simultaneous visit of two ducks.  The fear is that these ducks would contaminate the pool, so it was an interesting process watching all the pool inhabitants get organized, herding the ducks to one side of the pool, and hopefully out.  Only they didn't go out.  They just flew to the other side of the pool.  We watched in amusement as for approximate ONE HALF HOUR this process was repeated from one side of the pool to the other.  At least folks got their exercise!

This morning, we woke up and it was of course Sunday.  We asked Chris to show us the KidPak service live, and yes, we were there watching online.  We saw a skit that Daddy wrote just yesterday here in Florida, and of course heard the message about reaching out to help others, complete with clips that Daddy captured from "Madagascar 3."  Madison sat here watching the service - it was nice to see, even down here in Florida!

We didn't do too much more today, although Daddy spent a LOT of time writing.  He's racing against a deadline to complete the Neverland devotional.  By evening's end, he got to page twenty out of twenty-eight.  Not bad!

Meanwhile, Madison started a sewing project with Mommy.  We got a craft at Joanne's Fabric Store, one where Madison could put together her own stuffed animal.  She didn't get finished, but will certainly be working on it tomorrow.

Ba-ba is getting better every day.  This is what was written yesterday, and it still holds true.  Mommy is feeding him well, with attractive foods that have high calories.  His spirits are up, although he certainly needs rest.  Been there, done that.  Daddy had his gall bladder out just two months ago.

It was a nice day, the weather perfect.  It was actually a little warm in the room tonight, in fact.  We got to bed earlier, although Mommy and Daddy were spending time in bed surfing the web, and in Daddy's case reading a new book Mommy got him about the election.  We read to Madison too, quite a bit from the Jack Sparrow adventures, and that cursed sword.  Tia Dalma is about to enter the picture for the first time - Daddy is a big fan of that accent, although I don't think I can do it.  For all the other characters, Daddy has been doing his best with accents.  Jean has a French accent.  Arabella has a Scottish one.  Fitzwilliam has a proper English accent.  And Jack Sparrow of course has his own way of saying things.  The best accent of all to do is Davy Jones.  I know you're probably saying it right now:  "Do you fear death?"

Anyway, it has been a fairly productive - and fun - day today in the Sunshine State.   But any day you get to watch senior citizens herd ducks is a good one in my book!

Catapulting Trebuchets

We built a catapult game, or rather Madison did pretty much on her own.  Daddy was going to help out, but just sat back and watched her engineer mind go to work.  She was so into it, assembling all these pieces, getting all of it together masterfully.  It actually didn't take long for her to make it, and soon enough we were sitting on the floor at the house, launching small balls through the air at the targets that she also built.  Madison assigned the values of the various target areas, where some were worth as much as 13,000 points.  Point values started out at 1, 2, 5, and 10.  Gradually, these increased to 13,000 for one, 12,000 for another, and so on.  The increase was like the now legendary Great Pinball Score Increase of the 1990's.

Anyway, she did a great job - it was fun too.  Today, the weather was cool and breezy, and wet. Not like Florida at all, not much.  Still, golfers were out there, playing through.  We were sitting there watching them as we played a game of LIFE, the Jedi version.  We played two rounds, with Madison winning big that second run to the Jedi Temple.

Ba-ba is getting better, and it was good to be here with them today.  Mommy was working hard taking Na-na out to get Ba-ba something with more calories.  Since leaving the hospital, he's lost only one tenth of a pound, so we're doing okay at the moment.  We had some nice meals today, and spent the day just relaxing around the house.  Daddy wrote a skit for KidPak, one that they might do tomorrow, perhaps.  We'll be watching tomorrow from down here, so we'll get to see the service regardless.

Right now, our President is speaking not far from here.  It's actually where we used to go on vacation a lot last year, in fact where Madison loved going to eat ice cream.  He's in Melbourne, Florida, talking to a huge crowd, and we're all sitting here watching it, cracking up.  The Thomas Jefferson quotes are particularly humorous.

We'll be having some ice cream tonight, more calories!  We'll see about watching a movie, and that should conclude a nice, quiet day together.  It's been nice on day one here.  We're reading comic books, reading other books, playing games, and just lounging about the house here.  And that's okay today.

Confederate Air Force Pad I

Madison is seen here at the historic site where the Confederate Army began its now famous rocket program, commissioned by Jefferson "V-8" Davis.  He was said to have first devised a three-stage rocket launch concept, dreamed up one day while studying cotton gathering equipment at his Southern plantation.  Cordelle, Georgia, would be the very beginnings of the US Space Program, sending its first astronauts Buford "Southern Star" Jackson and Virgil Lee Merrimac up to an altitude of approximately 99 feet.  The South will rise again indeed!  Though stopped by General Sherman in 1864, the Confederate Space Program will endure as the start of mankind's march towards the stars, forever linking the Confederate States of America with the noble calling of Space Exploration.  And this monument in Cordelle (tastefully placed right next to the Krystal's) is a testament to that higher calling.  

On our way south, we made what has now become our typical stop in Cordelle for Chick-Fil-A, and a fill-up on the gas tank.  Also, there's that odd rocket that stands tall at the exit.  We finally drove over beside it to see what was up with that rocket.  Turns out it was donated by NASA in 1969.  And of course, they named it the Confederate Launch Pad I.  Yeah, they had to go there..!

Today we made our typical trip southbound, although the trip was not made to Daytona this time.  This time we went back to Summerfield, which is where Ba-ba is recovering gradually from his recent surgery, one that resulted in him now having a gall bladder removed as well.  His surgery was much more bigger in scale than Daddy's though, and certainly not something planned so much ahead of time.  But still, he's okay.  We saw him and Na-na tonight, and it was a warm welcome for us.  Of course, we were all a bit tired too, but nevertheless, we stayed up talking as usual.  Ba-ba looks like anyone would who is recovering from surgery, but there's a spark inside him, a desire to get better as soon as possible.  He'll be fine.

We left later this morning after packing, but it didn't take us too long to get down.  There weren't too many difficulties, although there were a LOT of speed traps in Georgia.  In Florida, not one single speed trap.  Not that we were speeding so much.  Seriously, 70 mph is a pretty good pace.

Regardless of speed, the Athens route is nice and much calmer than driving through Atlanta.  We're hooked.  As a bonus, you drive through Madison, and this little town called Bishop, Georgia.

It was an easy trip.  We had a marathon of Perry Stone podcasts, and after that started our Riders in the Sky podcasts, which have been hilarious.  Meanwhile, Madison was in the back playing games and watching "Peter Pan," or doing some coloring or crafts in the back seat. 

We got down there pretty quick in the end.  Almost as if we were riding a Confederate Rocket.

Smell My Minty Foot!

Tonight we could stay up a bit later because there isn't any school tomorrow.  So yeah, after ballet, we watched "Rebels" some more!  Tonight, we met Hondo Ohnaka once again - it was great to see an old friend!

Mommy had the most delicious chicken Marsala for dinner tonight, which was just the right thing to eat after ballet.  No, Daddy wasn't dancing ballet.  That was Madison.  She was enjoying her time dancing, the last practice until next Wednesday - this weekend is President's Day.

We continued our Bible reading tonight, talking about the dream the Pharaoh had, and when Daddy was reviewing it with Madison afterwards, he told her, "It was a dream about seven fat pandas and seven skinny ones, right?"  She was like, "Noooo!"  Daddy continued, "It was seven fat dolphins and seven skinny dolphins."  "Noooo!"  Anyway, it was fun, and then we continued reading "The Pirate Chase," almost finishing it tonight.  We'll have to finish that tomorrow I suspect.

Madison is getting her daily treatment for allergies and a stuffy nose, and part of that has been putting Vaseline on her feet, and then putting socks on.  For fun, after our prayers tonight, she hoisted that foot up in the air and stuck in Daddy's face:  "Smell my minty foot!"  It was a joke - we all laughed a lot tonight before bed.

This morning, Daddy had a great class with the college students - and Madison had a good day as well.  Everyone's excited about a few days off though.  We are too!

Crazy Hearts

Madison's enrichment class today involved "crazy hearts," mainly because it is still February.  That's the official shape of February.  I know it's supposed to be Black History Month, and this may have been pointed out here before, but I think January is a better month for Black History Month.  Let us review:

1.  February, everyone is thinking about hearts and Valentine's Day.  This is certainly on Madison's mind.
2.  Martin Luther King's birthday is in January, and could be the centerpiece of a Black History Month.  Each January, we really do stop to have a conversation about Martin Luther King, and what he marched for, how far we've come, and how far we have to go.
3.  There are more days in January than February.  That means more days to celebrate, right?

Those are just three reasons to make Black History Month in January.  As it is now, kids like Madison are busy spending time making hearts in enrichment classes, or trading off Valentine's Day, or getting ready to celebrate President's Day talking about Lincon and Washington.  And don't forget Groundhog Day!  February has got a lot going on, including occasionally Chinese New Year.  So my obvious proposal is to move it to January where we celebrate... Not much.  I think the only thing in January currently is Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day.  There might be something else... I just can't think of it right now.  The point is, January needs all the help it can get.

Tonight, we had small groups in KidPak, and it was so much fun.  We had a balance beam, and a big discussion about walking the straight and narrow.  Of course, our circus theme was walking the high wire.   We handed out Twizzler "high wires" to the kids, and had them try to do the balance beam while carrying a bunch of stuff.  Daddy has a skit written out, and Mommy had found a costume just perfect for our high wire act, complete with a little parasal.

Daddy has to get ready for teaching a college class tomorrow.  It's been a fun and challenging season. The students there seem to like it, and it's great to be a part of a new program like this.  But it is a lot of work, at least the night before.  Basically, the typical thing that has been happening is that all my plans for class tomorrow get scrapped, and I start with a new idea in the morning, and it all comes together wonderfully at the last minute.  Oh!  Why do these things always have to be so close!?

In just a few days, we'll go see Ba-ba.  He is doing better, but it's clear that our visit will be helpful to them.  Mommy in particular can be very helpful with food, and of course organization.  It's not so much a vacation as a visit to see where we can help.  But at the same time, there may be moments to relax in the Florida sun.  We'll see how it turns out, but it won't be a bad thing, that's for sure!

A Perfectly Lovely Valentine

What a beautiful day it was outside today.  Just perfect, really.  We woke up this morning, and Madison was surprised by her Valentine's Day goodies, including Season Two of Star Wars Rebels.  There were conversation hearts and chocolates, and some cards too.  Daddy got Mommy three Crunchie bars and some bubble bath and shower gel, along with a nice card he picked up about six weeks ago.  The key to getting the best Valentine's Day cards is getting them right after Christmas.

We also got a nice heart shirt for Madison, who went off to school dressed in pink with hearts, and carrying her unicorn Valentine's Day box, along with all the cards for her classmates.

Mommy and Daddy meanwhile went out for tea.  We tried this place we hadn't been to before, a Valentine's Day date at Anastasia's Tea Room.  This is a great place to visit for all kinds of reasons.  Firstly, it was an excellent experience.  Secondly, it was a local small business.  About that first reason, the ambience of the place was just right for the day.  We ordered tea to begin with - Mommy got some Buckingham tea, and Daddy got this Orange White Chocolate flavored tea.  Daddy had a sandwich while Mommy got a gluten-free wrap.  For desert, there was crème brûlée and tiramasu.  The cost was amazingly low, and again, the atmosphere was just right for a quiet moment on the square.  We really enjoyed it.

Afterwards, Mommy did a bit of shopping, and Daddy did a bit of writing for the Neverland devotional.  They're getting close to a banner for this one - so far, we've had three different versions as we narrow it down to the final.

Daddy picked up Madison from school, and she had tons of Valentine's Day cards, of course.  She had lots of candy too.  That was great to see.  She also had bags of candy for her classmates in piano class.  One other boy there was handing out gifts to everyone, so the Valentine's Day fun continued in piano.  As far as her playing goes, she did well again, keeping up with Mrs. Pam rather well.  She got Mrs. Pam a bag with some candy in it too - it's just a great day to exchange cards and candy.  Madison got all kinds of different cards, from Monster High to Spider-Man to Trolls and Star Wars.

Speaking of which, after homework and tacos today, there was enough time to watch something on the big television screen.  And what did we see?  Star Wars Rebels, of course!  We saw the first four episodes of season two - episodes three and four were really good, by the way.  We are such nerds, all of us.

So it was bedtime, and there was this huge assortment of things to do there now, given Madison's health lately.  Each night, we've had the vaporizer set up.  We put Vix on her feet, and of course give her a bit of cough medication.  Also, there's the skin cleanser that we've been trying as well.  It's this huge procedure, but during all that Daddy is reading from the devotional, from the Bible, and from "The Pirate Chase."  It appears as if Left-Foot Louis has met his match, but there are three chapters still left in this one book.  We're reading these rather quickly, that much is certain.

We said our prayers, thankful for such a perfectly lovely Valentine.  Ba-ba didn't have the best night last night, so we were praying for him as well.  Some medication - and I can attest to this personally - makes you feel terrible.  Dilaudid makes Daddy hallucinate, which isn't exactly a pleasant thing.  Apparently, whatever medication Ba-ba has been on at the hospital has done similar things, and he had a hard time sleeping last night.  We prayed for him, for his doctors, and for a quick exit from all of this.

When Madison was asleep, it was time to go watch "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."  We'll see what happens next, as this season has been throwing us all kinds of twists and turns... regardless, it's a perfectly acceptable way to end a nice Valentine's Day.  As stated earlier, we are such nerds.

The Year of the Oversized Teddy Bears

Our Valentine's Day display is set up for Madison when she comes in the kitchen tomorrow morning.  We have a tub of decorations downstairs, so we brought some up, adding them to the gift that Nana and Ye-Ye got her (a stuffed animal, and a bag of candy), plus our gift (Star Wars Rebels Season 2).  Okay, so that latter gift is also for Mommy and Daddy too...  Anyway, there are a few Crunchie bars for Mommy, and some Ghirardelli chocolates as well.  While Madison was dancing, we went shopping for a few new t-shirts as well, and though these could be given at any time, we thought why not add them to the loot for tomorrow?

We got her the t-shirts for the upcoming trip, and some shorts too.  Everyone is out there shopping for Valentine's Day, getting roses, chocolates, and those oversized stuffed animals.  There's an online service that has this huge teddy bear for $100, and we're thinking, "What do you do with that?"  Furthermore, we saw one the same exact size at Aldi's of all places for just $10!

Other places have them, like Wal-Mart, where we saw them tonight for $40.  It's the Year of the Oversized Teddy Bears.  They're everywhere, and again I'm wondering what people do with them afterwards.  These poor things take up so much space, and unless it's a really, really significant sort of gift, we'll probably be seeing a whole lot of these at Goodwill eventually.

These giant stuffed animals are just white noise by this point anyway.  If you're going to go with an oversized stuffed animal, I think your best bet would be a giant rabbit like the one from "Iron Man 3."

Just saying.  Anyway, Madison was dancing today for a good while, and during this good while we had a bit of a revelation about her sniffly runny nose, and her coughing as well.  It could be allergies!  We give her allergy medicine in the spring and fall, but never in the winter because there aren't usually any blooming trees or allergens in the air at that time.  But this year has been pretty unusual, and already pretty warm.  At least the trees seem to think so.  The point is, there's already a significant pollen count.  Madison has been sniffling for about a week or more now, and it just dawned on us that this might not be some common cold going around, but instead simply a reaction to allergies.  So we've given her medication, and tonight as she sleeps... it's quiet.  No coughing.  I think we may have figured it out.  Thanks be to God for a bit of inspiration.

On the way home, Madison and Daddy got some ice cream for free!  The Race Trac app on our phone gave us a few free coupons for ice cream, and Madison wasn't going to miss this opportunity.  We stopped by, and she got her favorite flavor, which is now chocolate by the way.  Add some cherries and gummy worms, and you have yourself a masterpiece.  Daddy shared some caramel cheesecake with Mommy on the way home.  Yummy!

We were prepping all our Valentine's Day gifts for tomorrow this evening.  Madison has her gifts for the classmates at school, and her gifts for the kids in her piano class as well.  She's ready to go!  We watched "Madly Madagascar" tonight, another Valentine's Day tradition (and one of the few Valentine's Day specials that I know of).  And then it was off to bed after that.

We're starting (for the second time) "The Pirate Chase," moving along with our Jack Sparrow series rather briskly.  We also continued our "Big Top" devotional, followed by another chapter of the Bible, where Joseph is falsely accused, and thrown into prison.  And here's where Daddy has been not reading things exactly as written.  Especially that one chapter with Judah and Tamar.  Genesis 38 is one of those chapters not to read to the kiddies just yet.  Daddy started on that yesterday, but desperately tried to reword things to get the overall meaning across without having to go into a whole lot of extra explanations, and let's just say it was a real short read of a chapter.  It was time to move on to Joseph and something a bit more in the comfort zone...!

So tomorrow is Valentine's Day, and it is shaping up to be a lot of fun for Madison, and even Mommy and Daddy.  Today we were resting a bit, although we did quite a bit of cleaning inside the house:  Daddy was on a ladder for cobweb patrol, while Mommy was doing laundry and cleaning out quite a bit.  Also, Daddy took the car to get it looked at by a Toyota dealership.  Everything looks okay with the car, so that's good for our next trip to see Ba-ba and Nana in Florida.

Speaking of which, Ba-ba continues to improve.  He's walking, although he needs a walker right now at the moment.  It's important to note that anyone of any age having that much surgery would need a significant time to recover, and this is all expected.  We'll be down there soon enough, and he'll be much better by that point.  We'll be there to encourage and help in any way we can - it'll be good to get away too.

But first, there's a Valentine's Day to deal with... that's tomorrow!

Valentine's Day Box

Madison made herself a new Valentine's Day box today, this unicorn cat thing with hearts and messages like "Love is in the air" and so forth, along with a big hole in the back for putting Valentine's Day cards.  So we're ready - yesterday was the packing of the Valentine's Day baggies for the various classes, and today we've got the box.  We even made chocolate chip cookies tonight, and watched "Gnomeo and Juliet" once more, which is fast becoming a holiday tradition lately.

This morning, we had KidPak of course.  It was a great message about the tightrope, walking the high wire.  Kids were walking the balance beam on stage, and the whole message of "walking the straight and narrow" was told throughout, including that funny video we made with Terrence trying to walk a high wire.

Madison was coughing a lot today, still a runny nose.  She's fine otherwise, but this is a little persistent, and of course annoying to her.  She managed to finish up her piano practice for the week.  And then, more relaxing, she took a nice bath today, soaking in the hot water.  Daddy took a nap!

It was a day of rest, pretty much.  We're reading more Jack Sparrow and more from Joseph's story in the Bible, but it'll be an early night for all of us.

Living on a High Wire

So a quick word about the nature of politics in this season:  it's crazy out there.  Never before has there been so much frothing at the mouth about this or that.  On a scale of one to ten, the rhetoric has been amped up to eleven, and you'd think by watching the news that there's something done each day - like appointing an Secretary of Education, for example - that will directly usher in an unparalleled evil not seen since Germany in the 30's, which of course will result in global thermonuclear war.  It's been exaggerated to a point of insanity.  Our government has a system of checks and balances, but you'd think based on watching the news that we live in a dictatorship.  And there's the problem:  watching the news.

But here's another crazy thing:  businesses and corporations getting in on it.  They make a statement supporting this or that, which leads to a whole bunch of people launching a boycott.  Why do this?  Is this for free advertisement?  Because - and I don't have a degree in business here - it seems like a bad idea to have a lot of people boycott your business, even if you think that you have the moral high ground.

And here comes all the boycotts.  Everyone throwing their weight around, organizing boycotts aimed at actors, businesses, star quarterbacks, or even entire states.  Yeah, the state of Georgia was threatened last year.  Hopefully when this is read many years from now, things will be at least a little different.  But I doubt it.

And the protestors.  They're protesting something - I'm not sure what right now.  Unfortunately, the message sort of gets lost with threats to blow up the White House or vulgar costumes, burning cars and places of businesses.  And yeah, it doesn't help that some are actually paid to protest.  Even if it is just a few that are paid to protest, it still sort of sullies the whole nobility of the thing.  Sort of like the New England Patriots were caught cheating once, and now everyone accuses them of cheating all the time.  It sort of muddies the water, doesn't it?  A little leaven leavens the whole lump.

Anyway, the takeaway here is to not focus on the news so much.  Or the social media or the movies and television shows.  There's quite a bit of fiction out there, so we're trying to be careful what Madison hears.

Okay, moving on:  the production line was running today with Madison stuffing a whole lot of bags for her classmates at school, at ballet, and at piano class.  She got some Trolls cards, and once those used up, we raided our collection of cards downstairs, grabbing some Monster High cards as well.  She added chocolates, Valentine's Day pencils and heart-shaped pencil sharpeners, and now we're pretty much ready for the big day on Tuesday!

Daddy was at the ONE Marriage Conference today, which wrapped up well today with a whole lot of people there.  It's a big deal.  As usual, Daddy was taking a lot of pictures of happy couples who came to have fun and hear a few marriage enrichment messages.  It was a great weekend for those couples.  Daddy and Mommy don't usually get to do these, mainly because Daddy is doing something like taking pictures or whatever.

Mommy and Daddy had veggie burgers tonight, and these were actually good.  Yeah, I know!  It's just that you just don't think they're going to be all that good, but we had a nice meal tonight.  Daddy has to watch what he's eating as he recovers from that surgery, but on the whole he's doing really really well.  Credit goes to the fast:  partially a spiritually reason of course.  But also consider the dietary reason:  lots of fruit, and juices and water.

We're at the end of our Tinkerthon, having watched the Neverbeast movie tonight.  This one is actually really good, with an ending that pulls hard on those heartstrings.  Mommy and Daddy like this one a lot, but so does Madison of course.  We don't know when the next one will come out, but we've enjoyed this series quite a bit.  We still have a few Neverland-themed movies to go, including the Mary Martin musical, and that other movie "Finding Neverland."  And next month, we're going to see "Peter and the Star Catchers," which is based on a great book series that Daddy has read.  There are so many spin-offs and visits back to Neverland, and it's been fun going there time and again.

Okay, and now a word about our KidPak series, "Big Top."  As you've read here, Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus is coming to a close just as we did this series.  Always a few coincidences with our series and the things of current events.  And this weekend, we're doing that message about the high wire, the tightrope act - tying it to a message about walking the straight and narrow.  It just so happens that there was a terrible accident just recently on the high wire.  Fortunately, everyone will be okay, but there was a fall, and numerous Wallenda family members were rushed to the hospital.  They are in our prayers.  They're a legendary family.

Tonight we read about Joseph, the beginning of his story.  We'll be there for a week or so, as that story goes on for a few chapters - until the end of the book of Genesis, really.  We also read from our "Big Top" devotional, and finally a significant portion of the Jack Sparrow book.  The mighty Barnacle is being besieged by mermaids, and it's amusing that Madison's understanding of mermaids is not based entirely on "The Little Mermaid," but rather those scaly-tailed beasties from the pirate movies.  And Neverland, I might add.  These movies give poor mermaids a bad reputation.  Perhaps they should protest, and march on Washington or something.  Everyone else is, so why not?

Oh wait.  They're mermaids.  They can't march.

Godzilla Valentines

Madison is still coughing.  No fever or anything like that.  She's just coughing and blowing her nose.  She did have her flu shot this year, as did Daddy.  Currently, the flu is listed as widespread in Georgia, which sounds like that could be dangerous for some folks.  Fortunately, Madison isn't down for the count - she's just coughing, and that's about it.  She had media today, which meant another trip to the library.  She loves the library, of course, no matter which one it is.

Ba-ba is improving, and the reports from Florida are improving.  It'll take time to heal, just like it would anyone else.  But Ba-ba is resilient and in good shape, so hopefully his recovery will be even quicker.

Another marriage conference at the church, and therefore another lengthy night for Daddy.  He took a lot of pictures last year at the photo booth, roughly one every minute or less for the entire night.  This year, the booth was at the front of the church, where people were more interested in getting into the sanctuary to get a good seat.  Sure, they posed for pictures later on, but the call of food and music and games drew them away from the front of the church, so Daddy had a lonely job tonight!  But it was a late night, so he didn't really get to see Madison too much.

Madison had a quiet evening watching episodes of "Jessie," playing piano, and doing some coloring.  She was also playing "The LEGO Movie" game, probably all in preparation for the movie coming out this weekend, "The LEGO Batman Movie."  We'll go see it, but I'm not entirely sure when.

Chinese decorations are coming down, and Valentine's Day ones are coming up from the basement.  We have so many Valentine's Day card boxes downstairs, each filled with different characters like the Avengers, Spider-Man, the Powerpuff Girls, Jimmy Neutron, Batman, Lisa Frank, and even Godzilla 1998.  Those Godzilla cards are special though - I don't think those will get shared any time soon!

No, those go with the rest of the Godzilla 1998 collection, which might be the largest Godzilla 1998 collection in North Georgia.  That's probably not much of an exaggeration, actually.  As that's the first movie that Mommy and Daddy went out to see together, it holds a special place in our cinematic history!  Because, after all, what better way is there to spend a romantic evening than to spend it with Godzilla?

Oholibamah

Here's an early concept for the Neverland series upcoming, or at least the poster.  This one has been going back and forth for a bit, and still isn't quite done yet.  But it's on the way, just as the rest of the series has been.  The messages are written, and a few of the pages for the devotional are done as well, but there's still a good bit to be done, including costuming and getting an idea of what to do for the story.  One contender has been telling the story of Jane's little brother Danny.  We're still working it out.  Right now, I'd be glad to have the devotional done.  One thing at a time!

Anyway, it was a busy day, as Thursdays have suddenly become.  Daddy was teaching a class again this morning, the college class of course.  Ba-Ba had a tougher day in Florida, still recovering with all kinds of tubes still attached to him.  But he spoke with Nana tonight, and some of those tubes are coming out tomorrow.  It's all part of the healing process - it'll take a bit of time, just as it has for Daddy when he had his gall bladder removed.

Madison is still recovering too.  She was coughing so much that we opted to have her not go to ballet tonight.  This was to keep her from doing anything that was too athletic, really.  For example, yesterday she sat out for gym class, sitting besides another girl who had twisted her ankle.  The two talked for a while, enjoying class from the sidelines.  Tonight, Madison was on the sidelines again, but not just talking:  she was practicing piano, and finishing up her homework for tomorrow as well.  The great thing about this new piano is that Madison keeps going to it first.  It still needs to be tuned (I might be saying that for a while!), but it sounds okay for now, and Madison likes the feel of it.

We're working towards a marriage conference at the church this weekend, cleaning up the church and getting ready for a whole lot of new visitors.  Daddy will be taking photos for a small portion of it, but it appears as if we'll have three areas for taking pictures as opposed to the one and then two we had last year.  That line was ginormous, and Daddy was pretty exhausted by the end of it all.  You wouldn't think that would tire you out, but it was a never ending line with a never ending amount of enthusiasm!

So tonight we were reading a bit in the Bible, and it wasn't the most exciting chapter to be honest:  Genesis 36.  It was about the lineage of Essau, which is basically a chapter filled with unusual names like "Oholibamah."  She was Essau's wife.

He would get home from hunting and call out, "Oholibamah, I'm home!"

That's a very fun name to say.  Which is a good thing, because it is listed seven times in this chapter alone.  That's pretty much all Genesis chapter 36 is though:  a list of weird names.  Essau moves away from Israel because he and his brother's operations are growing too much in size.  Then there's a humungous list of Essau's descendants.  And one of them, Anah, discovered some hot springs while he was grazing his father's donkeys.  I like this verse because the writer wants to make sure you're not confused about which Anah it is.

"The sons of Zibeon:  Aiah and Anah. This is the Anah who discovered the hot springs in the desert while he was grazing the donkeys of his father Zibeon." Genesis 36:24 NIV

Now I know you were probably thinking of that other Anah.  You know, Anah Gatadavida.  But it's not that one.  This is the one that discovered the hot springs.  Big difference.

And yes, Anah happens to be the parent of Oholibamah.  We know this because of verse 25, which goes as follows:

"The children of Anah:  Dishon and Oholibamah daughter of Anah." Genesis 36:25 NIV

This seems redundant, but when you read the entire chapter, you come to realize that Oholibamah's full name is in fact, "Oholibamah daughter of Anah."  I'm not sure if that's what she signed on her checks, or if that's just what her friends called her.  Her parents could have named her something short (like the name "Uz," which also appears somewhere in this chapter).  But "Oholibamah daughter of Anah" it was, and that's pretty much in permanent ink now.

Anyway, we read this chapter too, because the thing is, I promised we'd read the entire Bible.  I'd like to see a commentary on Genesis chapter 36.  I guarantee you there's some interesting nuggets in there that I've completely overlooked.  But for now, it appears to be just a list of names.  And some hot springs and donkeys.

Moving on:  afterwards, we read from "The Siren's Song," the next Jack Sparrow book.  Since we went to bed earlier than normal, we read a bit more than normal, some forty pages into the book or so.  They're much smaller pages, so it wasn't as big of a deal as normal.  But Daddy and Madison both are enjoying these stories so much that it's difficult to put the book down.  She's loving all the voices, and the adventure itself.

Madison wasn't coughing as much when she went to bed.  Mommy and Daddy were watching the movie "Dave" again tonight, mainly because the recent change in the executive branch, and the fact that it's a romantic comedy during romantic comedy month.  It's like the 25 Days of Valentine around here, so we've got to get busy and watch 24 more!

One more thought before going.  Madison keeps bringing home good grades to sign.  She writes so much whenever she's doing her classwork.  It's impressive to see how much she wants to get everything right, and she covers herself with writing longer sentences that impress the teacher.  She's doing so great in school, it makes me want to shout, "Oholibamah!"

But not too loudly.  People might stare.

LEGO Batman Valentines

I made a few LEGO Batman Valentine's Day cards!  The neat thing about these is that they're all little advertisements to come to church as well.  A lot of kids can't go out and buy Valentine's Day cards to hand out, so these will give them some cool options.  Of course there's a new LEGO Batman movie coming out this weekend, and that's definitely what the kids are talking about.  Okay, it's what a lot of us grown-ups are talking about too.  In fact - and this is pretty solid to say - this Batman movie might be the best Batman movie to come out in theaters since… well, the last LEGO movie.

Ba-ba is getting better, although it's slow going.  This is expected, of course.  But by the evening, his spirits were up, and a little more aware of things that were going on.  Medication is helpful with pain, but it is such a drain on the spirit.  Again, we're all relieved that he's doing better.   We have been seriously considering an emergency trip down to Florida, at least to be by Nana's side, offering help and support.

We'll be going down there, but perhaps not as soon as that.  But still, soon.  It may be better at the moment regardless:  Madison is still coughing and sniffly.  Each night, she coughs sporadically.  Daddy called out to her from downstairs, "Turn on your side, Madison!"  And she did, and that helps.  We've got her on some cough medicine to help her sleep.  Hopefully this will pass soon enough.

Madison did have enrichment again today, her art classes after school.  She's enjoying working on the still life portraits that are set up, and some Valentine's Day art as well, obviously a lot of pink and hearts and so forth.  But that's just perfect for her, isn't it?  Valentine's Day is coming up soon.  We've got the new garden flag out there, and some of the Valentine's Day decorations out, including the heart-shaped salt and pepper shakers, amongst other things.  Mommy and Daddy haven't really had time to watch any of our traditional romantic comedies lately, but we'll make time soon enough.  Lately, it's just been nothing but Neverland, which is necessary research for this upcoming series that will be here really, really soon.

Of course, Madison is doing piano.  She gravitates towards the big piano, and is getting really quick with certain tunes.  She's doing some Brahms pieces, including a waltz and his famous lullaby.  They sound nice coming from the other room.

Class went well tonight with the kids.  We had a LEGO Batman themed night, as you might suspect, and that was a fun time for everyone.  But now it's time for a little rest.  These Wednesdays are so full with work, and Daddy gets home around 10:00pm or so, and usually quite ready for bed!

Christopher Walken Impersonators

Tuesday, and instead of regular tacos for Mommy and Daddy, there were chicken tacos.  Which are probably better, at least the way Mommy prepares them.  But still, Madison is firm in her desire for beef and a few gallons of salsa.  That's all she needs on her taco, really.  The rest of the additions are just decorative, and don't actually need to be there.

It was a good day, although it was a cold one, with a cold rain.  This sort of weather brings on the sniffles and coughs, and we had those in abundance in the house.  We're on medication, some of us, with sore throats and extra boxes of tissues in various rooms.  Daddy had to escape the office, as they're putting down new carpet there, and carpet glue has a very strong headache-inducing vapor.

We had piano today, and of course that went well as always.  Madison is playing well, instinctively and reflexively.  All these years of practice are paying off - she doesn't even have to think sometimes when reaching for particular keys.  She just knows, and it's wonderful to see.

So lately we've been listening to the "Peter Pan Live" soundtrack in the car, which is surprisingly good.  Don't judge us.  For some reason, the entire world descended upon this live broadcast with such wrath that you'd think that a cast member wore a pro-Trump shirt or something.  Really, it wasn't that bad.  There are things that could have been better, but when you consider the live nature of it, and flying wires and Tinkerbell and live dogs and Christopher Walken... it's amazing that it all didn't collapse in upon itself.  It was ambitious, and again if anything, we're enjoying the soundtrack quite a bit.  Madison's favorite song is the Indian one about "Blood Brothers," which has a whole lot of words that may or may not be actual Indian words.  Like "Etch-a-sketcha."  Is that a word?  I know it's a toy.  Coincidentally, you can hear something just like an Etch-a-sketch shaking rhythmically in the background as this is said.  Anyway, that's her favorite song right now.  And - because she's Daddy's daughter - we have Christopher Walken conversations back and forth in the car.

Yes, Madison has her own Christopher Walken impersonation from the back seat of the car:  "Blast that...  Peter Pa-an."  Honestly, this is hysterical.  I didn't encourage or ask for it.  She just starts using this hybrid William Shatner/Christopher Walken voice in the back seat, asking to stop for taquitos or whatever.

It may have been a good day for us, but it was not one for Ba-ba.  He had to have gallstones removed this morning, but that proved to be more challenging to the surgeon than anticipated.  They had damaged the ducts there.  And normally, we'd make a joke about duct tape fixing anything, but in fact here they had to have another surgeon much later come in and take some fat from the abdomen, using that to plug in the damaged area.  And then... they took his gall bladder out completely.  Madison noted that our family now has two less gall bladders.  It's like a theme all of the sudden, isn't it?

Regardless, none of this is any laughing matter at all.  We were seriously discussing going down there tomorrow, or the next day.  Nana is very worried, and Ba-ba was not doing that well throughout the day.  Late tonight, we got word that the surgery went well, but it's a bigger incision, and therefore a bigger recovery time.  We'll be going down there soon, no doubt.  It may not be tomorrow or the next day, but it will be soon enough so that we can be there to bring some encouragement and smiles, hopefully.  Until then, we're praying.

Honor Roll Ceremony

This morning we joined Madison for her first Honor Roll Ceremony.  She got straight A's last semester, so she was recognized for her good grades along with the other students at the school.  It was a brief ceremony, and yet another one with a free chicken nugget card to a local McDonald's.  Madison now has three of these.  Obviously, the greater thing is the certificate you see her holding above.  She sat in the front, and despite being a bit under the weather, she was all smiles to be a part of this ceremony.

As mentioned earlier, she's a bit under the weather.  There is no fever, but there's some drainage and coughing.  This is going around, although Daddy and Mommy seem to be doing okay lately.

It was Monday, so we had a full day afterwards with jazz and ballet.  Daddy has been writing for the new Neverland series, and also some superhero devotional stuff.  Meanwhile, there's plenty of housework to do as well.  It's just been a busy sort of day!

We continued our Tinkathon with a shorter movie, "The Pixie Hollow Games."  We've really been getting into these Tinkerbell movies lately - but we've only got two left.  We don't see if they're making another one right now, so this could be it.  But they've been fun to watch.  Of course, we're reading too.  Tonight, we read into some tricky territory, about Dinah and her vengeful brothers.  Talk about overkill.  After that, we continued the story of "The Coming Storm," with Jack Sparrow.  We only have a few more chapters in this book - they read very quickly.  Still, Madison got about twelve of these books for Christmas, so we have eleven more to go after this one.  Yes, we're in this one for the long haul.  Coincidentally, there's a new "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie coming out soon, one that has a new trailer that just came out yesterday.  Yes, we'll be all out for seeing that in a few months.  Lots of new movies are coming out soon, including a new LEGO movie this weekend.

This is Blue Falcon.  He and Dynomutt were some of Daddy's cartoon favorites growing up.  Each Saturday morning, you could catch them battling crime.  Dynomutt was somewhat of a robotic Scooby Doo.  But Blue Falcon, he was sort of like Batman, only blue.  And a falcon. 

Today, we are in the land of the blue Falcons.  See what I did there?  There is this huge depression that has sunk in to the land of Georgia, a place where sports teams can rise up, but not that much.  We are an elite city, up there with Buffalo and San Diego as the biggest losers in the sporting world.  Sure, Chicago Cubs have just won a World Series, the first for them in over a hundred years.  But the people of Chicago had the Bulls in the 90's, the White Sox last decade, the Bears in the 80's, and their NHL team winning in 2013.  So the people of Chicago should stop whining, big time.  Oh, poor you.  Like we're seriously supposed to feel sorry for you?  Look, we're from Atlanta, and when it comes to hopelessness and futility, we own you!

Let's look at the stats again for Atlanta's big wins.  ONE.  Atlanta has had one sports championship in 1995.  One.  Since 1965 we've only been to the Super Bowl twice, and lost both times.  With baseball, we've been to the World Series five times.  We've lost four of those.  That's sixteen more losses (it takes losing four games to lose a World Series).  I vividly remember watching all those games.  

Moving on to the NBA:  The Atlanta Hawks have never even been to a championship.  And the NHL team, the Thrashers, didn't stay long enough to make it to one either.  The point is, this city is cursed.  It's clear as day if you watched the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl last night.  One team was anointed with awful, and there's only one explanation for it:  that team was from Georgia.  What's interesting is that there was a bit of hope for a while, and even a feeling like, yeah, they can do it.  They can win.  There's the lure that draws all of us older dreamers back into the trap, alongside the newbies.  Everyone forgets the basic rule:  teams from Georgia can't win the big games.  

We're all hardened, cynical fans, without any hope. Because once you get your hopes up, they're crushed time and again.  That's what happened in the nineties, what conditioned most of us.  And now I pity this new generation of fans coming up, these dreamers that think that we just need faith.  No, we've had faith time and again.  We're just tired of getting our hopes up, having seen them rise to such amazing heights, and then watch what happened last night.

So it seems kind of cold-hearted advice here, and maybe you just have to take it with the context of the biggest most brutal loss of them all, but never expect that much from a sports team from Georgia.