Painting on a LARGE scale

Several months ago Brady made the switch from crib to "big girl bed" (a toddler bed). I know, I know we waited a little late to move her. We tend to believe in the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" philisophy. So, we decided to make the transition when she turned 3; then she was so close to using the potty all the time that we added that to the prerequisites. Well, once both of those milestones hit it still took us awhile to have the bed purchased and assembled.

It's gone really well. And I've loved having a toddler bed despite once thinking they were kinda dumb. She can easily manuever her bed and it has added a good bit of space to her room. Also, since we knew we'd only be in this house for a year or so after the switch, it made sense to not have to purchase a pricier bed, new mattress ,and new bedding. She's using her crib mattress, crib sheets, and quilt. A new pillow and case and we were down. (Stay tuned for pics of her big girl room soon after I finish up a few more things.) Anyhow, this post is really supposed to be about large scale painting. Once the bed was up and in use, we had this large box, actually a top and bottom to contend with. I plopped them in the carport until I could take them to a nearby recycling center. There they sat for days, weeks, perhaps. Finally, I was ready to be rid of them and then it struck me that this was the perfect oppurtunity for large scale painting.
It's rare that a kid is encouraged to paint on something this large. What fun! I asked Brady what colors she'd like, got them ready, grabbed some brushes, smocked her up, and let her go to town. In hindsight, I would've protected the carport driveway. Or at least quickly tended to scrubbing up the paint spills that were left behind. The paint is washable, but has soaked in for quite awhile and I've yet to face it. As you can tell from this post, I'm quite the procrastinator.

Constant Chatter #5

Brady's first words upon entering my bed for a little more snoozing yesterday morning: "Mom, it's already morning. When I first woke up, I didn't realize it, but then I saw the light and then I knew."

Today while shopping Brady was pretending the mall was her house, a new constant anywhere we go.  "This is my house.  Did you recognize it?"

What's funny about that? What three (and a half, it's important, mind you) year old says realize or recognize completely out of the blue. Brady Lane, that's who.

Playing Store

One of Brady's latest obsessions is playing store. Recently during rest time she turned her room into a store, complete with all the hanging clothes she could get her hands on hung onto the foot board of her bed. She will pretty much take any opportunity to play store.



One afternoon in June we had a grocery store out on the deck. She choose some food items from her play kitchen, basically grabbing whatever she first got her hands on because she was anxious to set up shop. Then she told me the name and price for each item. My favorite product was the hamburger top (one half of a bun). I still crack up thinking of that. We displayed the signs and food stuff on her picnic table. And then we took turns playing the roles of customer and cashier.
This was a great way to review number skills. She can count with the best of 'em, but doesn't always recognize numbers after 10. So, when I was the customer I would ask questions to prompt her such as, "How much are the cookies? What does that say... twenty....?" And when I was the grocer I would say things like, "The drinks are fifteen cents (while pointing to the price tag), is that okay with you?" She loved this. And got better and better at recognizing the numbers and grasping the concept of twenty-nine being a 2 with a 9 on it's right side and forty-three being 4 and then 3,etc. (I have no idea of the technical name for this.) I love when I can sneak a little learning into our playtime. She also used her imagination to the fullest adding a doll to be the customer's baby and such. It was a fun, long-lasting activity for a not-too-hot summer day.

Constant Chatter #4

The other day I made some lemonade popsicles. Brady had one as her after dinner treat. As I walked out on the deck after cleaning up I hear, "Mmmmm... ummm...mmmmm....it doesn't get any better than this." She continued to sing it's praises as she pranced around the deck in her little mini skirt one hand upon her hip, the other holding her popsicle. "Nothing ever, ever, never was as good as this." Offering me a taste, "Here mama, suck on the straw, slurp it, now lick it." Oh, boy is this girl dramatic!

Fancy Nancy Parade

One day in the early Summer the Little Miss came out of rest time declaring a Fancy Nancy Parade was in order. She fancied up a few stuffed dogs and pulled them in a little wagon. She gave me the boa to wear and I twirled a rhythm ribbon as we walked up and down our street a half dozen times. Thankfully for me nary a neighbor saw us.


I'm grateful for my girl's imagination and sense of adventure. It was a wonderful spontaneous afternoon.

I heart Pullen Park.

During my parents' recent visit we went to Raleigh's historic Pullen Park. This isn't just any park. It has many special features. There is a wonderful old carousel. The animals (which aren't just your run-of-the mill horses) are over-sized and beautifully hand-carved. Brady and Gammi enjoyed two rides. Grandad and I joined in the fun for the first ride.

TV Land bestowed this sculpture of Andy and Opie from The Andy Griffith Show to the park since it is in the heart of the capital city. The fictional town of Mayberry was based on Mt. Airy, North Carolina where Andy Griffith once lived. My parents actually visited Mt. Airy on their way to visit us. They now have their own copy of this statue.

There are plenty of play areas throughout the sprawling landscape. There's a kiddie boat ride and a train for all. The best news is that every ride is one ticket per person and tickets are a dollar each. (The only exception is the 6 ticket paddleboats, which were of no interest to the adults, anyhow.)

It was a great way to spend an afternoon. I highly recommend it to all Triangle residents and anyone who visits the area, although I'd avoid it on hot days. Look at this picture. I love my girl's sweet profile.

Constant Chatter #3

Brady went to Vacation Bible School all last week and loved it. But, a great deal of time at the beginning and end of each day was spent sitting in pews in the sanctuary. On the morning of the second day she said, "I don't like to sit and sit and sit in the rows."

One morning she chose to wear her 4th of July dress. When I asked which socks she wanted to wear with her tennis shoes she said, "Red, that'll be more Americanish."

Embrace the Strange

So, I've been avoiding writing a post about Michael Jackson. But, I can't hold back any more. Here is my quick take.
Like most children of the 80's, I have strong memories of Michael Jackson. For a period of time watching the Thriller video every hour on the hour was not only a top priority, but also a major bonding experience for me and my brother. So I was quite sad to hear of his death. I choose to remember the good. I truly believe that while he did some questionable and even inappropriate things, he never did anything to hurt a child in any way. I just don't think he was capable of that. A few years back I had the unique privilege of working at a party held for Cher and all her tour crew. One member of the entourage was a costume designer who had worked with Michael Jackson. He felt that MJ was a really good person who was completely out of touch with reality. (Not earth-shattering news, but interesting to hear that from an insider.) I think that pretty well sums up his life.


I was struck by Al Sharpton's words. When speaking to Michael Jackson's children, he said that there was nothing strange about him. Huh? This man won countless awards, gathered many records for his albums and singles, had a giant amusement park on his home property, lived with lots of different exotic animals; the list could go on and on. That's all pretty strange. Strange, unique, different, dontcha think? I get what Rev. Sharpton was getting at- he was telling the kids not to think about the negative things they are going to hear; as well as telling the world not to bother them with that. His intention was good, but the wording wasn't quite right. I wish I could tell those kids to embrace the strange. (at least the "good strange") Because the strangeness is what made him who he was. And the same is true of all of us. Our unique idiosyncrasies are what make us who we are. Don't think you are strange? Well, either you are wrong or I feel sorry for you. We are all created unique. Embrace the strange.

Constant Chatter #2

Tuesday at Harris Teeter Brady was doing some sort of imagining in her rocket grocery cart while I was working my coupon magic when I heard the word "cusidy" (custody) come out of her mouth. I was initially shocked and then I realized I might have let a little too much Michael Jackson coverage seep into our lives! (Don't panic, I've only had it on once in front of her!)

Brady's love of books (a post will be coming soon) has morphed with her love of movies. Now she asks me if I want to see a movie and then she flips through each page of a book and asks often, "Do you see that?" On the way home from the library she said, "Mom, do you want to see this movie? , it's PG-13." This is thanks to the book Big Words for Little People by Jackie Lee Curtis. They talk about the words inappropriate and appropriate and use the example of a PG-13 movie as being inappropriate for young kids.

1 Year To Go

Today marks the 1st day of Adam's 3rd year as an Emergency Resident. That means only one year left! It is very exciting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Our countdown begins. We are so proud of our Dr. Daddy and all the hard work he does to be a good doctor and provide for us.