Morning Activities

This morning, as I scrambled around the kitchen getting breakfast together before school, Julia came running over to me with a revelation.

JULIA: Mama!  I think I figured out why they call Sponge Bob "Sponge Bob Square Pants!"
ME: Oh yeah?  Why?
JULIA: Because.  He's a SPONGE, and he wears SQUARE PANTS.


NO.  WAY.  Really?!?  Way to crack the code, Jules!


After dropping Julia at school, I settled down at the dining room table with Madeleine while she attempted some more art work.  Today was an experiment in self-portrait, as she decided to draw herself wearing the very dress she has on:

The first attempt was discarded because the dolphin on her dress was "just really HORRIBLE":

Look at that dolphin.  EPIC FAIL, Madeleine.

ME: Madeleine, why are you crying in this picture?
MADELEINE: Uh, no, Mama.  That's SWEAT.

Next attempt went more smoothly, especially since Madeleine enlisted the help of her head-cold-addled, working-from-home father to draw the dolphins:

This picture is of Madeleine playing in the snow, wearing her short-sleeved, summery Georgia Aquarium dress.  Thanks to Ethan's help with the dolphins, this picture was deemed acceptable to the main artist, and it is now en route to Nana's house to hang upon her refrigerator!

Not only did Daddy get to participate in Madeleine's art work, but he inadvertently wound up with a role in her pretend-play game during lunch time.  Madeleine decided that instead of eating her blueberries, she would rather run around in circles on the living room rug, flapping her arms and yelling "Flap flap flap!  Flap flap flap!"  When I tried to encourage her to have a blueberry, she gave me this utterly logical response: "Uh, no, Mama, this is a NO BLUEBERRY game."

What was she pretending, exactly?  Here is some of the dialogue of her game to give you a sense of what exactly was going on in her head:

MADELEINE: (pausing from her flapping and running to give me a kiss and hug)
ME: Oh, thank you for my kiss!
MADELEINE: I gave you a HUG too!  Now can I keep flapping?  So Jesus doesn't get STINGED by the BEE?
ME: Where IS Jesus?
MADELEINE: (solemnly) He got TOOKEN.  The BEE taked him away.  I have to FLAP over to find the bee.

Madeleine then flapped off to the kitchen, where Ethan was sitting at the breakfast bar, working on his computer.

MADELEINE: Daddy?  You're GOD.  And that's JESUS.  I'm MARY, and...I'm...I'm...I'm a little girl that can get Jesus.  I GOT JESUS!  Lookit!  I'm holding Jesus!  (running into the dining room)  Mama, lookit!  I'm holding Jesus!

Madeleine then resumed her flapping and running in circles in the living room, only to trip on something and put a halt to her momentum.

MADELEINE: Ow!  (stopping to rub her leg)  It's okay.  Jesus is still in his cradle.  Oh no!  Jesus is gone AGAIN!  Mama?  Every day when we STOP FLAPPING, Jesus gets thrown in the DUNGEON!

Madeleine finally discovered a solution to her problem that allowed her to take a break from her endless flapping AND keep Baby Jesus safe.

MADELEINE: (running over to me and throwing something invisible at me) Mama, HERE!
ME: Uh, thanks.
MADELEINE: Mama, that's JESUS.  YOU can hold Jesus now!

So now, here I sit at my computer, guardian of Baby Jesus.  Thankfully, I don't have to do any flapping to keep Him safe.

On another note entirely, I'll give you readers a little hint of the latest Julia Rowe novel that the author began last night.  Get ready for an upcoming review of "Tabatha Tibby Talk" in the near future.  I truly can't wait to read the finished product.  And when I do, Jesus and I will post our review on this blog for you all to read.