i DID it!

a year ago this christmas, my mom and lee got me a beautiful life application study Bible. and i absolutely love it. the only problem? it didn't come with the notes, dates, underlines and highlights of my other beloved Bible. special to me, it was a gift from my goodwill family- niv Bible complete with "smile God loves you" cover... does it get any better than that? i've wanted to transfer my notes and dates to my new Bible, but frankly, it was a daunting task.

but last night, i DID it! what an amazing walk down memory lane! seeing passages dated 1/10/05 and remembering that very day. seeing notes on rom 7:15 and feeling all over again the relief to know that paul felt this way too! knowing those words were for me. hearing God's voice in them. page by page. chapter by chapter. note by note. on the one hand, i wish i had done it a long time ago. on the other, i know that i tackled this job at just the right time.

tali saw what i was doing, and let me know in no uncertain terms that when i was "done" with my smiley face Bible, she could really use a new one. after all, she's too old for a picture Bible now. she doesn't seem to mind that it's gently used. and maybe some day, she'll find comfort knowing that her mommy heard God in that verse too.

for better or worse [but mostly better]

marriage is a funny thing... intimate, frustrating, comfortable, disappointing, wonderful. i've been thinking about marriage a lot lately. my marriage. marriage in general.

God has focused my mind on this topic lately. i've known for about two weeks i wanted to blog some about marriage... and as i thought about what picture i would use to accompany the blog, i considered some photos of jim and i together. nice, but not exactly what i had in mind. i took numerous pictures of my rings on my hand. it still wasn't right. Then i pulled my rings off, and took the picture you see above. there was purpose in my removing my rings... i noticed some things that i hadn't really thought about before.

the first thing i noticed was this little piece of fuzz hooked on one of the little prongs. hmmm... wonder how long that's been there? who knows, really. and marriage can be like that. you can get caught on something little, and it just hangs there, unspoken, unnoticed... yet detracting from the beauty of your relationship. i've done it. let something ridiculous hang there between us, not even realizing it's there, knowing that something's not right but making no effort to remove it.

then, as i pulled my rings from my finger i noticed that my engagement ring has actually molded to my finger... no longer the perfect circle jim placed on my finger ten years ago. i'd never noticed that before, but it too says a lot about a marriage. over years, the spoken can go unspoken. all the jokes are inside jokes. entire conversations can be had in glances. knowing there will be someone home when you get there. having a soft place to fall. comfort.

comfortable, yes, but not perfect. as i took this picture i was a little surprised to notice all the nicks and scrapes in the gold. ten years of daily wear evidenced all over both rings. ten years of the daily grind, evidenced in our marriage. a little scratch here when i took his dinner for granted. a little cut there as he spoke unkindly. without a little time to polish and care for it, a marriage can end up completely marred by these tiny hurts. [and now is the time to polish]

finally, i took note of the stone itself. not impressive in size. not the kind of ring that people comment on it's beauty. just a simple single-stone ring. but absolutely beautiful to me... for the stone in my ring is a diamond my dad bought for my mom. ahhh, and who do you learn marriage from if not from your mom and dad. now i realize that their marriage was not perfect [none of them are]... but it was as close as i have ever known. our life was not easy. money was tight. dad had to work as a truck driver- gone all week. but there was so much love. unconditional love. they fought, sometimes so loud they'd have to take it to the garage! but they always made up, and they always reassured my brother and i that while sometimes grown-ups don't get along... no matter what dad and mom loved each other. i remember a marriage of fun and laughter. a marriage of forgiveness. a marriage of joy. a marriage of compromise. a marriage of generosity.

their marriage is the foundation of ours. we were married on their anniversary, in fact. but sometimes i forget the example i have to go on. i get my feelings hurt and i hold a grudge. i get offended and fail to forgive. i take for granted and fail to appreciate. and i want to make it [his] fault... before i know it our life is marred with a bunch of tiny little scratches- so many of them that it becomes hard to see the amazing man that jim is. the person that God ordained for me. the man that God wrote into MY story.

but lately, God's been opening my eyes to how blessed i truly am. and as i slide my rings back onto my finger, i'm thankful that after all these years... it's still the perfect fit.

overheard...

[check out that smile... a real ladies man, right... guess again]

Jim, sitting on the couch with Tali who has been under the weather all day sends Zach on several errands. First, find a hair brush. Zach is able to accomplish that with no help at all. Next, need some kleenex (not the Vicks kind, refer to post below). This task required only minimal assist in locating the correct kind of kleenex. Third, get the thermometer...

Jim: "It's right there on the shelf"

Zach looks around aimlessly.

Jim: "No, there next to you, look up a little"

Zach: "I not see it. Why do I hab to det eberything?"

Jim: "Because today you're my little slave boy, there... it's right by your hand"

Zach, finding the thermometer and taking it to daddy: "I'm not your slave... her is" pointing to me.

Jim: "Oh, yeah, right buddy."

Zach: "Well, her is your wife, her is your slave."

Our little comedian. Because that was obviously a joke.

It seemed like such a good thing...

I love Vicks Vapor-Rub. I love the smell. I love that it actually works. So when I saw the Puff's Tissue with Vicks it was an easy sell... anyway we've used our fair share of kleenex lately, so it was time for something new and exciting. I was so thrilled by this treasure [it's the little things, folks, the little things], I photographed it for inclusion in my blog. Who wouldn't want to share such a joy with their friends? Just the smell of the tissue next to the loveseat kept my sinuses nice and open.



But, alas, it was too good to be true. Tali, the most recent to succumb to the nasty-bug-of-the-century, also a lover of the Vicks Vapors, used the tissues for about six hours. And promptly broke out into a rash. Sadly, no pictures of the rash to share. The tissues don't seem to bother me, therefore their purchase was not in vain... but those of you with sensitive snouts may wish to stay away (and Seth, you better not even think about it!)

overheard...

Jim was sorting through some things this morning, as I listened from the other room I heard:

Jim: "Here, take this to your mommy"
Tali: "But who is it?"
Jim: "Who do you think it is?"
Tali: "I don't know"
Jim: "Well, look at it, who does it look like?"
Tali: "Zach?"
Jim: "No, Zach's not even that old, look at it."
Tali: "Me?"
Jim: "No, that's not you... look at it."
Tali: "I don't know..."
Jim: "That's ME when I was a little boy."
Tali: "Then where is your moustache?"

Update: Jim spent the rest of the day trying to convince the children that he was in fact NOT born with a moustache. At Kaden's birthday party he even made his mom tell them that he had a sweet, smooth little baby face... but my kids simply refuse to believe it. Apparently their daddy without a moustache just isn't their daddy at all.

guest photo blog

Today's guest photo blog is brought to you by Tali. Mommy is particularly proud of the portrait of the white kitty. Nice composition, huh? She worked very hard for these shots (the one below especially). It is NOT easy to get two dozen unruly animals all settled in and looking at the camera at the same time. And the COMPLAINING... the penguins were too hot, the frogs too cold... but she is a determined photographer. It took an hour before she was able to take her first picture.


This is a regular kind of occurance at our house. Walking into the living room to find Tali has strategically stacked, arranged, and organized her beloved stuffed animals on the couch, or floor, or loveseat... or all three. We have now actually granted her a small shelving unit on which she can fit exactly 31 of her beloveds. Thirty one. She counts them every time. And given the opportunity to take pictures... these are the special treasures we get. A glimpse of the world through a little girl's heart.

eclipse... gravity... atmosphere... OH MY!

As we were leaving the church Wednesday night, Jim called and told us to check out the moon- it was in the midst of a lunar eclipse! Call me a nerd- but these sort of earth events really excite me. I'm the idiot staning out on her porch in 12 degree weather to take pictures of the moon getting darker. I'm that person who really does stay up late to watch a meteor shower. It's all just amazing to me, the pefection and beauty you can find throughout the universe.

And my kids aren't much different- except that they have no clue at all what's going on. Seth tried to explain it to them as he climbed into his truck... "That's caused when the earth passes between the sun and the moon". Sounds simple. Not when you are five and seven.

Putting our seatbelts on, Zach immediately inquired to the area of biggest concern for both him and the ancients... will the moon come back after it gets dark. Ah, I can handle that- of course it will come back! It's still there. It's just like a shadow on the wall- the wall is still there, the shadow just makes it darker. The eclipse is really just the earth's shadow. Easy. I've got this "Mommy-Why?" thing licked.

Then Tali starts thinking... "How does the earth and moon go around the sun?". Trust me, I totally tried the "Because that's the way God made it" here... but that wasn't working, she wanted to know what made it go in circle.

Gravity.

Explain gravity to a first grader. It took humans thousands of years to figure it out.

"What happens if you throw something in the air?" I ask.

"It hits you on the head" Zach matter-of-factly answers. [I'm fairly certain Sir Isaac Newton would agree.]

Mom explains how this is evidence of gravity (as well as Zach's tendency to injure himself with anything he attempts to do). Bigger things have more gravity. The Sun has a lot of gravity- so that holds the earth in it's orbit. The earth isn't quite as big, but is still huge and has a lot of gravity, which holds the moon. The moon is still big enough to land a rocket (in our house, it's a rocket, not a space shuttle) and walk on, but it's gravity isn't as strong. Ta-da... moon goes around the earth... and together they go around the sun... and occasionally they line up and an eclipse results. Done! I'm winning the Mommy Olympics, and getting a little cocky about it. Gravity is fun! Let's keep talking about it.

"How does an astronaut walk on the moon?" I ask.

"They jump all over the place" comes Zach's answer.

"Yes! Why?"

"Because there's no air."

Oh. Not exactly, was going for less gravity. Now we're talking about atmosphere. I try to skim over it- "the moon doesn't have air, but they bounce because of gravity"... Tali and Zach weren't buying it. Why doesn't the moon have air? Won't you die without air? What do you mean there's no air in space? Do astronauts die in space? I don't want to be an astronaut then...

Huh? How did this happen? I did my best to explain, realizing with a sinking feeling that I was far from defeating this "Mommy-Why?" thing. Inquisitive kids mean a lot of questions. I did my best to answer, and I know I was about five years over both of their heads. We arrive home and as a family, observe the lunar eclipse over the next thirty minutes. I took pictures. The kids, apparently giving up on their mom saying anything that makes sense, just enjoyed it and trusted us that it was a normal thing that happens.

Divas!

for the love of dance...

Dance hasn't been a bed of roses this year. As far as Tali is concerned, it's been the same dance classes with the bonus of a weekend in St. Louis and the opportunity to dance with the big girls... but for her mommy this has been a very different year than last. Personalities have clashed, lines were drawn, sides taken, confidences shared, feelings hurt... and over what? Over who's daughter is a better dancer? Not really... Over someone's child being put in the back of the line? Nope, not that either. Over the cost of classes or competitions or costumes? Nah, we work that out fairly well. No... the problems have been a result of competition among the otherwise humble dance moms... over who's fundraiser is better.

Ouch.

Just typing that is convicting. How ridiculous. Honestly, how absolutely ridiculous. Now, this isn't the first time I realized how ridiculous this competition among fundraisers is... I realized it months ago. In fact, I pulled from fundraising entirely because of it, thought it would be better for the group at large if I gracefully bowed out. Ok, maybe not so gracefully. Maybe instead of just no longer fundraising I had to send an email to explain myself. Note to self, email is a bad medium in which to explain oneself. Yet we tried to move on. Tried to be a part of the "team". Tried to get beyond it all...

But it just wasn't happening. Other moms gathered and left us out. Fellow dance moms sat in the same waiting area, obviously talking about us. They went to dance warehouses and called it "running to get a few things". I don't want these things to hurt my feelings, but they do. They did. Don't invite me, that's okay- but why be shady? I know what you are thinking, dear friend. "This is ridiculous". And it is. The instructor stopped greeting my beautiful Tali. Our class was left out of special choreography in the Christmas Show. No showcase dance for the little girls in St. Louis.

Still thinking it's ridiculous? Me too. But did I rise above it? No, I sunk right into the muck. Purposely left others out. Said mean things. Thought mean things. Became a mean thing. So I started thinking that for my own sanity, maybe we needed to move on. For the very good of the studio, it was time for us to leave. We were seen as trouble makers, difficult parents, those kind of people that our instructor informed needed "weeded out". (yeah, that hurt too).

Then we have competition this weekend, and Tali is so ALIVE. Vibrant. Excited. Coming off of stage she is glowing. Were the performances perfect- no... but watching her, she was perfection in my eyes. So we start talking about dance, and our previous intentions of taking a break. We discuss tumbling, cheer... all these other opportunities... even other studios. And finally Tali tells me in her sweet little voice "mommy, I really don't want to quit dance". There it is. I was ready to go. But it was for me. Were the girls slighted at times? Probably, but in the end, she still loves dance and her friends at the studio. How much? How important is dance to her? As we continued to talk over the next day... I finally told her if she had to choose one thing, what would it be...

her answer...

"Mommy, this is the hardest thing, because I like them both... but dance is the thing that God put inside me."

And it is. And it is a special gift that she recognize it at such a tender age. I'm still not sure what God has put inside me... except a desire to be a better Child of His each day. Not to sink into the muck but to treat people with kindness, love, and respect- regardless of how they treat me. To be a light. To bring with me the joy of the Lord into every situation.

Some of you are thinking, "this is just a dance class, Becky"... but it's not. This has been a time of learning and growth and trial and temptation and failure and success. It has been a time of finding priority. And a time for my daughter to discover her passion... the thing that God put inside her... the love of dance... and I get the distinct joy of watching her enjoy her passion and learning a little myself along the way about patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, self-control, joy, love... and peace. And I have that now.

Have you heard the saying "dance like no one's watching"? Well the truth is- people ARE watching, and I know that what they've seen lately hasn't been what I want them to see. I look at my daughter and I learn so much about how to treat people. As I watch her dance through life I come to understand what "unconditional" really means... so please, darling girl...

...dance on...

Lord, I apologize

For making fun of my dear, sweet husband and his recent illness... because this is a nasty little bug that kept me home from work today (can't expose sweet little old ladies to the flu, you know). I think we're all on the mend now [i hope] and will be back to blogging and taking pictures in no time.

This is not a test.

This is an urgent message from the emergency broadcast system...

Hurricane Flu is apparently spawning multiple smaller tornadoes. These tornadoes have been spotted in the small town of Zachary, the island of Tali, and the much larger region of Becky.
At this time we believe these to be isolated storms that are not expected to create any real damage. Some sniffling and sneezing is to be expected over the next couple of days.

This concludes our message from the emergency broadcast system... please stay tuned for future updates...

I love my job.

Not many people can say that... I love my job... today, as I packed up my files, paperwork, pens [the necessary tools of the trade] I realized that I was actually excited about the day facing me.

My job is not perfect. But it's perfect for me. It's a gift from God, tailor made for who I am, and who He wants me to be. I get to help people. I get to work from home. I get to work outside of my home. I have the opportunity to meet some of the most interesting individuals. The other day I got to spend an hour and a half visiting with an elderly lady (nearly a 100 years old!) who had been a missionary in foreign lands most of her life. Modest, independent, strong in her faith... she shared with me the stories of her life. They pay me for that! I walked from her home thanking God for this gift.

There are frustrating days. Frustrating clients. Frustrating vendors. Frustrated coworkers. There are times coming, I'm sure, that I'll wonder what kind of blessing this really is... and I'll have this blog entry to remind me of the good. The amazing people I get to meet. The sweet old lady that tears up because she knows the help you have will keep her out of a nursing home. They pay me for that! Visiting with the lonely widow who just needs a little company. They pay me for that! The freedom I have to run Tali to dance class or Zach to speech therapy. The ability to work from home when school is cancelled due to snow. In the big scheme of things, I'm not that important... but to a few I am, and I get to be there for them. Meet them at their point of need- my clients who want to be in their own homes, and my children who need their mommy's time.

God is faithful to His faithful. I don't deserve this blessing, but I'm so grateful for it. I know how lucky I am to be able to say, I love my job. And you know what else I love? The fabulous teal and brown Vera Bradley bag my sweet husband got me for Christmas.

Life is good :)

Tryin' hard to treasure it.

Category Listing

Thank you Lauren (see comment), this is Becky and I'm at the scene of the storm. I'll tell you, we are having a tough time categorizing this one. According to our extremely sensitive meteorological instruments, it looks like a slow-moving category 2- you can expect minor repairs necessary after it blows through but there should be no problem weathering the storm in place.

However, the man I have in the eye of the storm is reporting much stronger winds that may necessitate evacuation for all in the area.

It's difficult to explain the discrepency in reports, but for now I must go tend to the needs of my team in the eye of the hurricane. I will continue to keep you updated.

Tropical Storm Jim

...has been upgraded to the flu.
Take cover immediately. Board up your windows.
It's going to be a long night.

How to eat a cupcake.

Tali had cupcakes at her birthday dinner today... cute little tiny ones. Kaden, concerned with getting his hands messy, chose to improvise. The picture speaks for itself.

Finding normal.

Don is home. Susan cooked a delicious meal. Tali finally had her birthday dinner. The kids rode their little bikes through the house. We sat around the kitchen table and talked. Jim worked in the shop. The most normal things in the world... but none of it felt normal. Dynamics have change. Strong men are vulnerable. Wives are nurses. Emotion abounds. Baskets filled with gauze and tape instead of magazines and toys. Making a plate for Grandpa instead of the grandkids. Assistive devices on silverware. Lotion on grafts.

I thought we'd find normal at Grandma and Grandpa's today. Lives that have been turned upside down somehow steadied by the comforts of home. Instead I found the reality that we must seek out a new normal.

I don't intend to be dramatic, We are eternally blessed that Don was not injured further. We are amazed at the progress he has made already and have every hope that he will blaze the trail ahead of him and come out the victor in the end. But to see this man, who I've always known to be stoic, unemotional, strong... coming to the point of tears at the mere sight of his grandchildren... I know life has changed, and I'm left praying that God can make His way into that change.

Enter at your own risk

I'd take a house full of sick kids, a dozen cats in heat, a month's worth of snow days... in exchange for one sick husband. Anyone up for a trade? He's cute. Quiet when he's sleeping. Good cook. And sick. Did I mention that?


Don't worry, it's nothing serious. Just your garden-variety head cold. A little congestion. Occasional cough.


With all the drama of full blown tuberculosis. I'm prayin' for a healing. Fast.

Without Walls

I've spent most of the afternoon painting a sign with the new name of our Sunday School class on it to hang in the classroom. In doing so I've had literally hours to contemplate what a life Without Walls embodies. For our class, it describes the nature of Who We Are within our congregation... rather than a defined group of individuals coming together based on age or gender we are a wonderful hodge podge of the Body of Christ. Retirees, college kids, marrieds, singles, widows, men, women, deacons, and new Christians... yet we all have in common a thirst and hunger for the Word which brings us together week after week.

During my quiet time in His service today, I came to understand that without walls is to be more than the name of a Sunday School class I attend... it is the kind of life He is calling me into. Allow me to sort through some of the many whisperings of the Spirit over the last few hours... no new revelation... just gentle reminders from a loving God of the kind of people He calls us to be...

A life lived without walls is...

• a life of transparency... tearing down the protective barriers we build around ourselves and allowing others to see who we really are, experience our failures, and share in our triumphs. No longer working so hard to keep up our outward appearance that we allow our inward person live a life unchecked. No longer pretending we are the one who escapes the declaration of Romans 3:23 "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". Rather being open and honest in our failures, repenting, and then moving on in the work the Lord has laid before us. Romans 8:1 reminds us that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. We need not fear our failures, but learn from them. We no longer face condemnation!!! This isn't a free ticket to sin... as the Apostle Paul would say,"Certainly not!" Rather it's a freedom to realize who we really are, an understanding of who we become in Christ, and an ability to grow more and more like Him each day!



• a life of unity... how much effort is spent within the Christian community pointing out differences? How much time spent arguing over the importance of immersion baptism, methods of receiving Holy Communion, what kind of worship service is most appropriate... but Christ came so that we may be ONE! For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility. (eph 2:14). His desire is that we get beyond our differences and develop a Kingdom Focus that unifies us as one Body. I often wonder what the world sees when they peer into our community and witness denominational differences and congregational in-fighting... who would want to be a part of that? Christ said "I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." (jn 17:22-23) Let them be brough to complete unity to let the world know... what are we telling the world?



• a life beyond the church... we have to take Jesus outside the four walls of His House. He's called us to be His hands and feet in this world, not just in the Church! We can serve on every committee, assist with every dinner, shake every hand in church and still miss the mission laid out in Matthew 28:19-20... which as well all know says to Go! Go! Go! Go! GO! So let's get going! Let's take Jesus to the people who are reluctant to come to Him. Meet them at their point of need. Listen to their hurts. Care for their pain. Grieve in their sorrow... just as Christ does for us.



• a life lived reconciled... Jesus' life and death does more than tear down the barrier we build around ourselves, or destroy the walls we put up between each other... He destroyed the wall between us and Father-God. At the moment of His death the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split (mt 27:51). He destroyed the barrier between us and God, the veil that separated the Holy from the Most Holy... and we are now able to approach the throne of our Creator boldly. Oh, how we take for granted this gift of reconciliation! A life lived reconciled is a life that recognizes the power of grace and forgiveness in their lives. I'm not talking about lip-service here... I'm talking about really recognizing the work of Christ on the cross, the work of the Spirit in our hearts, and the work of the Father in our lives!

A life without walls... it is an idea worth consideration. I'm examining my life for the artificial barriers I've created. I'm examining my obedience to His call to take His love beyond the church. A life of transparency, unity, reconciliation... a life beyond the one I know... a life lived in the light of His grace.

Break through (almost)

So, Tali has this thing where she is completely grossed out by thought of food mixing, or touching, or otherwise becoming contaminated by the texture or flavor of another food... which means that she cannot keep herself from wiping her fork off between bites, especially if she is switching from one food item to another. Naturally, this handicap combined with the fact that Tali eats like a bird anyway, means that Zach almost always wins the clean-plate contests in our house.

But not tonight. It was a changing of the guard of sorts. The triumph of the underdog. And a break through for Tali as she realized she COULD eat a piece of potato and ...gasp... take a bite of scrambled eggs without doing dishes in between! This was such a big deal that she actually exclaimed "Look! I didn't wipe my fork!" And I pointed out that for the first time in recent memory, she was actually beating Zach in the clean-your-plate-contest.

But as with everything involving Tali, there's a catch. Apparently, her OCD will allow her to eat a piece of hash brown potato and then move on to the scrambled eggs without wiping. But it doesn't work in reverse. When I pointed out that she was cleaning her fork after a bite of scrambled eggs she looked at me incredulously and said "Couldn't you see all the ketchup on my fork?"

Uh, sorry.

The end result, however, was that Tali did defeat the Titan. She did get to pick the after-dinner-viewing for the evening. And Zach was okay with that. He promptly proclaimed that he let her win because he got to pick last night... or so he thought (see last night's entry). And Tali got to have her picture taken for my blog. Which I secretly think was her motive for wanting to win tonight anyway. I'm not sure what gives me that idea, the sudden change in heart... or her standing up in the chair with her clean plate and saying "get your camera, mommy".

Feelin' the heat.

It may be cold outside... but my cat's not feeling it. Of all times, it chose today with a houseful of people to demonstrate in no uncertain terms that he is not a he after all. He is a she... and she is in heat. Have you had the good fortune to be trapped in a house with a cat in heat? You've honestly never experienced such crying as a cat with...errr... needs...

mMmmRRRrWoooRRrrRWRooooWwrrooorrwoomMMmrrrrrRRRRR

But it's not her fault. I actually feel kind of sorry for her. As she spent the day on the dining room chair, looking at times beautiful and at others completely miserable, I became mildly obsessed with photographing her. Something about the way the natural light filtering in through the window danced in her gorgeous, big, kitty cat eyes... I couldn't help myself. I was supposed to be working, yet I found myself time and time again snapping pictures. And she liked it too. Although I was not speaking a word, I didn't pet her, no offer of treats for smiles- just me taking pictures... I could hear her purring over the click of my shutter. I'm ashamed to admit I took twice as many pictures of the cat as I did the kids today, but how could I resist my sweet Tiger ... hmmm ... Tigress.

Snow day...

We had anticipated bundling up in scarves, mittens, and coats. We had visions of snow angels, snow ball fights, snow men... and waking this morning there was only one thing missing...


SNOW.


Sure, there was a puny little dusting on the ground... but not nearly enough for angels or men or fights. Nope, just enough snow and ice to cancel school. And trap us in the house. All day.


Never fear, however. My kids are the creative sort, and they had a blast. Zach went through nearly every costume in his arsenal while Tali was satisfied wearing her favorite "gown" (a bridesmaid dress her grandma wore in the '70s) and tiara all day. This naturally made her a princess... and she referred to me as Queen for about two hours. I'll take that. It was hard not to laugh out loud when I walked into the living room to find Batman and Princess T playing checkers- as though it's the most normal thing in the world. Frankly, in this house... it is!