So, I started writing this post a couple weeks ago and in the time that I've been lazy and up to no good (at least not writing the blog), things have evolved. So here's the story:
Maddy and I were downstairs finishing lunch or something and all of a sudden, I see her wandering around with the extremely large (probably only seems that way since she's so tiny) and pointy fork from my grill. Now, I don't know how it got in the house and I don't know how she got a hold of it, but all of a sudden, here's my two year old waving around a deadly weapon with Blitz and I the next possible victims of her deadly slashing attack.
In my best patient and fatherly tone (I think everyone knows what that sounds like), I said "Maddy, give Daddy the fork. I don't want you to hurt yourself." Now, we all have battles that we know we could fight and simply choose to battle for something more important. Apparently, Maddy was thinking that giving up the fork would make room for a floor sprawling temper tantrum in Target on a future date because she simply thought for a moment and then presented the fork to me as a knight would present a sword to a king (I'm just making that part up).
I said "Baby, I don't want you to hurt yourself or anyone else with this. We don't poke people or Blitz or anyone with things like this." And here's where it broke down..."just monsters."
Maddy: "Just monters?"
Daddy: "Yes. Just monsters."
This was followed by a quick scan of the room from Maddy, a sudden widening of the eyes, her finger shooting out at the end of her stiff, straight little arm and an exclamation of "monter dair!" otherwise known as "monster there."
Daddy: "Where's a monster?"
Maddy: "Dair!" (pointing to a spot behind the couch)
Daddy: (with fork armed hand over the couch) "Poke poke poke."
And so went the afternoon.
It has now evolved into imaginary forks and both of us "poke poke poke" ing the monsters whenever we see them.
Paparazzi - Thought I would get this on the internet before it just started appearing. We were checking out of one of the thousands of Topeka WalMarts and my lovely daughter decides she is going to play with the "Wet Floor" sign. Well, everyone just thought it was SO cute and SO funny. All of a sudden, Maddy had a little crowd around her with their cell phone cameras out. Can't the press just LEAVE HER ALONE?!
Bouncy Thing - Now, I've taken Maddy to Chuck Cheese (as she says it) and Kangaroo Joe's, but nothing, it seems, compared to the filthy, mouse chewed bouncy thing that was available to her in my Mother's back yard. Cousin Stan's bouncy thing had been in storage for quite a while and it could barely stay up from all the holes (forget about TWO people bouncing), but every morning was "I jump now, Daddy? I jump now?"
Baby Goats - I had suggested to my mother that we spend the day in Kansas City when we arrived, so she did some research and found the Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead. It is an operational farm that is supported entirely by donations. We spent nearly four hours there just wandering around petting sheep and GIANT cows, feeding baby goats, and looking at the huge Koi the had in one of the ponds. I was going to send her on a pony ride, but I couldn't walk with her and I don't know if she realizes how far down it is from the top of a pony. The highlight of the jouney was when Grandpa Joe grabbed a rooster and tossed it back into its pen. Talk about exciting!
New Socks - Maddy, being the brilliant and imaginative little girl that she is, decided to take Grandpa Joe's new bag of socks and make a toy. So, with Daddy's help, we got socks all the way up to her shoulders and to about halfway up her leg (over her PJs) and she danced around for about 20 minutes.
Coming Home - I think the trip really wore her out. As soon as the plane took off, my daughter's head was drifting down...down...down. I had to find a blanket to put on the arm rest because she kept bumping her head (even though she never really woke up).
