Funny Stories

Sometimes, I think I must be too self assured. Just when I think my house is child-proofed, I realize that it's not. Last week, I was in the other room, away from whom I thought was a fully entertained, tuckered out Madeline. I was wrong.

She soon walked into my room with a "blackish" substance all. over. her. face.

At first I thought it was marker, and I was going to freak out a little because I have permanent markers in my house because of my recently found labeling obsession, which will come in handy in the upcoming move across town. Then I realized that it didn't really look like marker. The marks weren't quite dark enough or uniform enough. Then I realized that I hadn't fully unpacked my suitcase from the weekend before, meaning my makeup case is in plain reach.

"Don't I look beautiful, Mommy?"

"Yeeeees, but what did you put on your face, Maddie?"

"Eye lash stuff, Mama. I did it all by myself. Do you really love it?"

"Look in the mirror, Madeline."

She looked. She giggled. She grinned at me even wider, then showed me her famous "cross-eyed look."

"Let me help you put on some eye lash stuff, Madeline."

So, we did. I put that purple mascara that we used at Halloween on her. We played make-up until almost bed time. Then washed it off, giggled some more, and snuggled into bed.

"I love you, Mama."

"'Love you, too, sweetie. Next time, ask for help with the eye lash stuff."

"Of course, Mama."

***

The weekend before the fourth of July, Madeline, my brother, Erin, and I went to a fireworks show in SmallTown, USA. Madeline jabbered all the way there (thirty minutes or so form my parents' house. We picked up Erin and headed to the show. I think it was another 15 minutes or so. Madeline was ready to be out of the truck by that time. We were just turning off the highway and onto the gravel road, where every person in the county was when Madeline decided to practice her counting:

"Look, Mom! One cowboy, two cowboys!"

The three adults in the car were not entirely happy with the subject selected for her counting abilities. But we laughed for awhile anyway!