Day 4

Last night, we took the girls out to an Indian restaurant for dinner.  During the drive there, the car was suddenly filled with a foul odor.  I immediately suspected a Madeleine fart.

ME: Madeleine, do you need to poop?
MADELEINE: (cheerfully) Yes!  And Mama?  I also need to go PEE.

Excellent.  So I spent the first few minutes at the restaurant in the bathroom stall, holding up Madeleine's dress.

MADELEINE: Mama?  On the show "Wild Kratts,"-
ME: Madeleine, focus on getting your poop out!
MADELEINE: Oh, yeah!  (turning beet red and straining.). Mama?  Sometimes it takes awhile, when I've been WAITING a long time.  (straining and turning red again).  Mama?  This time I *definitely * feel poopies... (straining one last time, then relaxing.)
ME: Did you get poopies out?
MADELEINE: Yes.  And Mama.  It was ONE BIG LOG.  EWW.  Mama.  I don't EVER want to look at my poop.  But...I just DO look, because...I'm just CURIOUS what it looks like.

Great to hear.  Mushy Indian food was a perfect dinner after that bathroom experience.

All kidding aside, the food was delicious.
While the kids were wise enough to stop eating once they got full, Ethan and I stuffed ourselves silly.

ME: Ugh, I feel like I'm gonna barf.
MADELEINE: (not AT ALL in an indoor voice) Mama, to BARF means to VOMIT.  And-
ETHAN: (cautioning) Madeleine.  Madeleine.
MADELEINE: (paying no heed) So when you BARF, you VOMIT-
ETHAN: Madeleine.
MADELEINE: And when you VOMIT,
ETHAN: Madeleine!

At this point, the waitress approached, and even she was cracking up.  Nice fine dining etiquette, Madeleine.

Today has been a lower-key day, since we spent the afternoon in North Conway.  The girls had a ball at the town playground:

Madeleine roped Ethan into an involved pretend-play game of McKenna (American Girl of the year in 2012) and Harry (Potter.)
Two characters I would never have imagined together, but they sure worked hard to beat their foe.

MADELEINE: (leaning over to study the in scripted plaque on a park bench). Harry!  Look what this says.  ("Reading" the plaque.) Voldemort!
ETHAN: Quick McKenna! Do you have a spell we can use against Voldemort?
MADELEINE: Uh, yes!  My Severe Thunderstorm spell!  It shoots severe thunderstorms down on anyone EVIL!

I guess those severe weather alerts from a few days back have really ingrained themselves in Madeleine's brain.

For some unexplained reason, using the Severe Thunderstorm Spell involved building multiple birds' nests out of wood chips.  But hey, if it gets the job done. I'm not going to question the methods.

Madeleine with one of her magical bird nests.

While McKenna and Harry fought evil, Julia and I wandered across the street to check out the store of her dreams:

We bought a few inexpensive Spirit Stones, but it was clear Julia could have shopped for hours.

JULIA: Mom, the minute we walked into the store. I was just, like, FALLING IN LOVE with everything!

Julia certainly doesn't have obsessive interests or anythinng.

Off to enjoy more vacation adventures now!