Shameless Fool

Yup. That's me lookin' oh-so-purdy for one of our many tea parties. You thought I was kidding about the dress up? Oh, no. This time she didn't make me wear an old prom dress, but the requisite fancy attire could not be escaped.

So what am I wearing? Let's see ... there is a pink fairy princess Build-a-Bear dress tied around my neck. That's on top of the pink and purple ballet scarf Granny knitted for Ellie. The blue headband is one of the many Cinderella tiaras my daughter owns. Oh, and how could you miss the wedding veil? The actual veil I wore for wedding almost ten years ago. What you can't see in this picture is the Hawaiian lei bracelet and another silky something or other tied around my waist. Who handed this child a camera with me looking like this??

I never hesitate to make a fool of myself for my children. I sing (loudly) through the grocery store and will jump on any accessible mall stage to entertain my offspring. I blow bubbles and roll down grassy hills without thinking for a second about the more distinguished adults watching me. I'll do just about anything to make them smile. And a laugh? A child's laugh is greater than gold, more precious than owning the world.

This begs the question: why am I so inhibited when it comes to my faith? I'm an incessant, shameless fool for my kids, but too frequently stop short when it comes to sharing my faith or praising God. While filling our grocery cart, the kids will shout praises to our King. I smile and inwardly acclaim their witness, but then choose a Beatles hit for our next song.

"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes." - Romans 1:16 (NIV)

I want to claim this verse wholeheartedly and live in a way that shows it.

Before I leave, one more shot of my gorgeous-ness and my buzzing photographer. Usually Zach wears the bee costume (since his father forbids him to wear princess dresses), but he didn't feel much like tea this day. He opted to play trains while we did "girly" things. Ellie snatched the bee costume.

For more embarrassing photos, visit We are THAT Family for the 'Fro Me to You Carnival. For more examples of preschooler photography, visit Life in the Crazy Lane on Saturday for a brand new blog carnival.