Halloween

Sugimaru is a neighborhood friend. Every year we go trick-or-treating together through the neighborhood. Last year we were both princesses. This year we went different directions. We must be growing up.

Beginning my education in earnest

You will want to click on the photo to enlarge it, so you can see what I'm reading.

And it wasn't even Halloween yet

Yvonne to Fiona (Chinese exchange student): "Do you want to get your hair cut?"

Fiona: "No, I want to grow it out long."

Maddie: "Then you'll look like a hobo!"

There's some backstory here, but it's funnier without it.

Fire and Water

Another belated post...

We went to the Channel Islands recently, which you get to by a shuttle boat. Practically no civilization on the islands at all (that lighthouse is no longer in use). They call them America's Galapagos...



Here's a shot of the boat we took the first day:


We saw these:


Really, though, this was the highlight:



Don't worry -- those dolphins are not about to become oceangoing roadkill -- they're surfing!

Seriously.

Oh, right... then we came home to this:


That photo was taken from our front yard. While we were gone, they had evacuated our neighborhood. We actually missed the worst of the scare; what you see there is a controlled burn on the hill above us, intended to rob the fire of fuel so it couldn't spread to the houses.

So we came back and had to breathe smoky air for a few days, and brush the ash off everything outdoors. Inside, though, things were fine. And now it's mostly back to normal. Well, as normal as Southern California gets...

In other news, I'm back to school again, and settling in a little more quickly this time.

--Maddie

My portrait of Daddy

I drew this today:



You may wonder: "Has Chris grown a beard?" No, silly! Those are teeth!

--Maddie

Summer, cont.

We went to the Norton Simon Museum yesterday. I found a lot to like. We looked at ballerinas...



... and a girl with a book:


And also some partly-used bars of soap:


(please pardon the obligatory cheap shot at modern art)

It's a nice place:


Maddie in your face! (wait for it):






Happy summer, everyone!

--Maddie

My most photo-intensive post ever

A reader recently drew our attention to the fact that we had gone all of July without a post. I'm not quite sure how that happened, but I have appointed a special investigative commission to look into it.

In the meantime, this is what's been going on:

We went to a train museum...


...helped raise some baby birds that hatched right outside our back door...


...enjoyed a visit with my fairy godmother Debbie and Orion...


...during which we visited the Griffith Park observatory and I got to study under a master...


...and in keeping with the celestial theme, we camped out at Deukmejian Wilderness Park to see fireworks on the 4th.


We also said a very sad goodbye to an old friend who was suffering...


...and the next day a little cat showed up at our door and wanted in...


...really wanted in:


We have not acquiesced just yet, but we did give her a name: P.C. (Paloma Cat).

I also started a new school and made new friends...


...then went to a great beach at Carpinteria...


...followed by a very civilized afternoon of wine tasting with fromage and charcuterie.


Apart from these highlights, if you want to know what we've mostly spent the month doing, see the post below.

Swim floats?

We don't need no stinking swim floats...

"I am not a mixer"

Maddie to Mama, upon being told to keep stirring a bowl of ingredients:

"I am not a mixer; I'm an artist." (gets down off stool and walks away)

Flipping out

Disneyland, Take 2

These days, if you want words from me, all you have to do is call me. I usually have mom and dad laughing for the half of the day they're not grumbling, but they're too tired afterward to remember any of it. So the pictures will have to do.

This is me on Splash Mountain. The nice young lady in front of me is my buddy Ashley:





On the Davy Crockett canoe ride:


Getting my face painted:


Meeting my favorite princess, Ariel:


I'm working on Mom and Dad to get us yearly passes. Dad said something about them "costing more than our car," but not to worry. I can be very convincing. -- Maddie

My archaeological dig...

...at the Skirball Center in Los Angeles.

Daddy was helping me read a faux Proto-Semitic inscription that we dug up.








Next summer, maybe we'll do this for real...

--Maddie

Back in Cali

It's been a long time since I last posted. After being exiled to wintry Chicago for the past 9 months, I finally made the long journey back to Cali to join my family.

The tiny human has grown. Now she thinks she's supposed to take care of me. Here she is trying to tuck us in to bed. On the kitchen floor.



Do I look amused?

--Paloma

Growing like a weed!

Mama and I grow many things in our garden: lettuce, tomatoes, strawberries, green onions, tiny deformed carrots, lots of flowers -- you name it.

But the plants neither demand as much care nor give as much delight as I do.

--Maddie

Wet wiped

We spent the afternoon today in Ladera Ranch, in Orange County, with Ellen, Jeff, and my new cousin, Jasmine. She's so cute! I can't wait until we can play together. Today I settled for rocking her vigorously in her car carrier.

Let me tell you something about the OC -- it may be sort of a weird subculture, and it may feel a little like Dallas, but they've got themselves a killer water park:





I include this video of the superbucket in action because you could hardly envision the violence, carnage, and joy if I did not:



So I was pretty much wasted on the way home, melted down in the bathtub, etc. All in all, another average day in the life of the Madster.

--Maddie

Rachel Alexandra -- You go, girl

This is just a quick shout out to my fellow fast and overachieving 3-year-old, Rachel Alexandra. Way to take it to the boys.

You go, girl!

--Maddie

The Hays Pool is Officially Open

I love to swim more than just about anything. It's the first thing I want to do in the morning. I will swim for hours if you will, and when you finally drag yourself out, I will beg you to stay in.

On the West Coast, we don't wait for Memorial Day. A week of temps pushing the 90s, and the pool is already at swim temperature... well, uh, competitive swimming temperature. You won't break a sweat in there.

Nonetheless, the water is just as refreshing as I remembered it - maybe even more so. Dad finally had the pool cleaned but he forgot to switch out the pool lightbulb when the water was drained. So, I guess no night swimming this year.


Here's me practicing my jumps:

In California with Dakota

It's been a while since I last blogged, but I am picking up right where I left off: Hollywood.

People often wonder what an L.A.-based kiddieblogger such as I does on the weekends. Mostly, I hang out with other child stars. Like today, when I met up with Dakota Fanning at Griffith Park:


She's really unbelievably charming, and she keeps asking me when I'm going to costar with her. I keep telling her that my schedule is too crazy...

HOLLYWOOD

A Natural Teacher

Both my parents are educators. So it's not really surprising that I have a little of it in me, too. Just see for yourself.

Here I am teaching mom and Gram how to dance.

Here I am teaching Gram how to slide without picking up too much static.

Here I am teaching Dad how to wave to the adoring crowd below. It was just Uncle Jerry down there but I told Dad, "You got to start somewhere."

And here I am teaching the boys at soccer practice how to stretch on the white line.

Reverend Daddy

Daddy became a Reverend last week at church. I went up, like Gram and Gandalf, to pray for him.

But I was told that I had to be at least a deacon. Sorry, my misunderstanding. I thought Princess (TM) trumped everything. (Exit left.)

Catching Up 2: My Second Third Birthday Party

Imagine my surprise when I woke up from my nap to another birthday party, this one just for family:


My favorite present was a ballerina musical jewelery box that Gram brought back from England, which earned my best fake smile, and real joy:


Naturally I broke it the next day, but Mama fixed it, and so far entropy has not taken it.

Anyway.... after I opened this one, I pretty much lost interest in the other boxes, but I did humor my parents and parents by playing dress-up. I think Mom and Dad can remember when these flapper dresses were in style the first time. (Old folks are so adorable.)


We're still on last Saturday. There's a lot of catching up still to do...

--Maddie

Catching up: Installment #1: My Birthday

Wow. What a weekend. Gotta start somewhere...

It started with my birthday, for which Mama imported Disneyland to our house:




(I have video of a very prominent New Testament scholar bouncing in that thing, but I am withholding it in case I need help paying for college or something.)

My magical day continued...



(That's Dad doing the Twist-n-Shout with me. Aunt Abbey said it was awesome and she wished that she had captured it on video for posterity!)


That's Belle, by the way. I don't think she played guitar or painted faces in Beauty and the Beast -- but it's a tough economy, so I guess even a Princess (TM) figures she should give a little value added.

And Aunt Abby brought fabulous homemade cupcakes!


So, now I'm three, and I will tell you so if you ask!