the apple tree

Tuesday we spent the day at the state fair. While there, Charlie got to pick apples from this great little apple tree. Tonight she had taken all of her alphabet letters off the refrigerator pretending that they were apples and she was picking them off the tree. She disappeared into the entertainment room playing with her "apples". When I went to check on her she was standing on the arm of our "high" chair. Now to explain this I would have to explain our entertainment room. As you can see in the picture below, we have a box that stands 2 1/2 feet off the floor. It goes the entire length of the back part of the room. On this box is our desk with computer and a lazy boy recliner that rocks. Charlie calls this the "high" chair and the lazy boy on the floor the "low" chair. So, in this older picture you can see Charlie climbing in the high chair. Now look closely at the metal curtain rod in the picture. Now imagine, that you can see Charlie standing on the arm of the "high" chair reaching towards the metal curtain rod that is laced with refrigerator alphabet magnets.

So in order to keep Charlie safe I drew an apple tree on the back of our front door which is a metal door. I figured that if all else fails and I can not get the washable marker off the door it would be a really good reason to have to paint the dirty thing. Tada, Charlie and her apple tree. Cute, huh?

Now, for the whole reason for this post. I was humbled earlier this week by a comment a friend made about Dusty and I being fun parents and how we welcome imagination and creativity. I had never really thought of us that way, especially me. I scrapbook things like this so that when my kids get older they will remember that "Mom" was not always that crazy lady that yelled, lost her temper, and battled depression. I want them to remember that she could really be fun and relaxed. But as I was drawing the tree on the door I remembered the comment by my friend Jonnelle and I thought maybe she is right. What normal parent would encourage their child to "write on the wall." Thank you Jonnelle for this piece of encouragement that just brightened my day.