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!

"The South Land," by T.S. Eliot

Nam Maddam La Crescentis ipse oculis meis vidi, et cum dixi, τί Θέλεις; respondebat illa: εσΘιειν Θελω.

February is the cruelest month, blowing
everything everywhere, mixing
short days and chilliness, bothering
Maddie Mei with too much rain.

In the San Gabriel mountains, there you feel free.
I play with trains, much of my naptime, and watch Dora when I wake.

I will show you fear in a handful of juice.
Those are jellybeans that were his eyes.

And mama and daddy saying,
HURRY UP PLEASE IT'S TIME
HURRY UP PLEASE IT'S TIME

So rudely forc'd!
What you get married for if you don't want children?
O ces voix d'enfants!

I Madster have foresuffered all.
Maddih Maddih Maddih(1)

____________________________________________


(1) -- Maddih. Repeated as here, a formal ending to a blog posting. 'The Uproar which passeth understanding' is a feeble translation of the conduct of this word.

Free fallin'

Our seemingly interminable week of rain* finally ended, and so we headed to Millard Canyon to hike -- certainly the most serious mountain climbing I've ever done.


... and the payoff at the end:


Mostly, though, I was my usual subdued, contemplative self:**


--Maddie

* -- If Mom and Dad stay here long enough, eventually I will probably start saying things like this with a straight face.

** -- It will probably never be possible to say this with a straight face.

Blast from the past

It's easy to forget that I have always been this cute...

Perspective

As you can tell (again) from the last post, my parents think I'm pretty d*** special. But at least they're not pompous enough to give me my own gallery show for my art.

Giant Madster, redux

Almost three years old, almost 40 inches tall.

I had lunch with daddy at his work today. Someone who met us in the hall said, "I have a son about her age. He'll be five soon."

Visiting neighbors

I finally went to visit my neighbor Mickey today...


Unlike Daddy, Mickey lets me drive...

One from the archives

To keep the support base happy while we experience technical difficulties.

Dear Maddie fans

You may be wondering about the blog. The new camera went back to the store because it had a dead pixel on its screen, so we are cameraless again.

Just as well, really -- this week's news is not very photogenic: I'm learning to use the potty!

Male role models

It's important for a girl to have male role models to look up to. (Mama could probably cite you the literature on that topic.) Yesterday daddy carried me up the mountain behind our house...



Then we came home and I practiced being daddy...




...after which I practiced being Gandalf:

Camera

I had a run-in with the papa-razzi this week and ended up dropping our camera on its lens. So, uh, no new photos for a week or so while we wait for the new one to arrive...

Colorado

Now that our bitter cold snap here in La Crescenta has broken and temps are back in the mid-70s, I can think back with some fondness on our week in arctic Colorado.







This is the very dangerous Magic Carpet lift that injured daddy's knee:








It wasn't captured on video, but this was my reaction to my first time skiing:

"I want to go faster! Faster!!"

"Stop holding my hand! I want to do it myself!"

"I want to ride the big ski lift with the bar!"

Once I get potty-trained, look out mountain...

--Maddie

Four more years!

Just four more years until I can drive!
Just four more years until I can drive!

Sea World and Christmas Eve

The Pasadena area has been bitterly cold for the last couple of weeks--we're waking up to temperatures below 50! So we fled south to San Diego to hang out with Mom and Dad's old friends the Fergs and check out some marine life.

Here, I have to say, pictures probably tell the story better...

(I saw my first movie in a theater, and it was in 3D, for good measure!)

Finally, we went to a Christmas Eve service at church. This church is apparently a bit imagination-impaired -- they brought in real animals to help them picture the nativity scene! No seriously, we love La Crescenta Pres. But just as seriously, these Angelenos like a bit of showbiz, don't they?


Unlike the flamingos pictured above, that donkey is not actually trying to eat my hair.

--Maddie

How to fall asleep

The scene: Maddie is in bed whispering to her stuffed lamb.

Mom: What are you doing?

Maddie: Talking to lambie.

Mom: About what?

Maddie: Sleep. Pause. How do you sleep?

Mom: I close my eyes and think happy thoughts. What do you do?

Maddie: I close my eyes and think naughty thoughts.