What are you going to do with your life?

Over the past 3 months, I have had the opportunity to sit down across a desk or table with a lot of students to talk about upcoming classes, possible employment and the direction that they see their life taking.  This isn’t unusual, it’s my job.  What has been unusual is the number of students, even incoming freshmen who bemoan the fact that they don’t know what to do “for the rest of their lives”.  For them, this big question mark complicates everything: what classes should I take?  Will they help me get a job? Should I even be at college? 

When I find myself in one of these conversations, I always get a sly smile on my face and gently lean in to let students know I’m getting ready to share some important pearls of wisdom.  I say softly, “I’m 37 years old, and I don’t know what I’m going to do for the rest of my life.”  Most students respond to this statement with a look of concern. “What do you mean you don’t know?”  This conversation gives me the opportunity to share something that I have come to believe deeply during my time at Trevecca:  the time that we spend in college is about more than just getting a job.  It is about more than getting a set of skills that we will use to earn money for the rest of our lives.  This may sound radical, but the truth is that the time that we spend in college should be about learning about the world that we’re a part of, learning who we are, learning about how to ask good questions, learning about how to be a good conversation partner and learning to listen closely for the still small voice of God that will guide us for the rest of our lives.  Yes, we will pick up some skills that will hopefully help us to get a job. Yes, we will learn a lot of knowledge in our major.  But if that is all that we have walked away with from our college education, we have missed out on an incredible opportunity.

One of the exciting things about being a Christian is that we never know where God will call us.  I graduated from my undergraduate program with a degree in Biology planning to attend medical school.  I never imagined that I would be a pastor, a staff member in the Chaplain’s office, or a college professor.  But, as God called and opened doors, I began to follow.  Things that I learned in my college classes, in conversations with my roommates, with ministry that I did in the community all have been a part of shaping me to answer God’s call on my life.  And now, I have the opportunity to challenge my students look at their college education in this way.  We are preparing for a lot of things during our time at Trevecca.  We are preparing to be citizens of our world who know and care about our neighbors near and far.  We are preparing to appreciate good books, beautiful art and masterful music.  We are preparing to faithfully and justly manage our money and take care of our world. We are preparing to listen for the call of God and to answer, wherever that takes us.

So you don’t know what you’re going to do for the rest of your life?  It’s okay, it’s better that way.

Should You Ever Start?

A few years ago, I wrote a post about shopping and why I don't like it. Mostly it's because it causes something in me that I don't like, covetousness. It makes me unhappy with what I have and long for me. I've been thinking about this same idea in several areas of life and it has led me to the question, is it better to never start.

For almost a whole year, I have not slept more than 4-5 hours in a row. Unsurprisingly, this timing goes back to when my darling Alistair entered the world. I've been doing okay, but this week, after 3 very bad night in a row I looked in the mirror and saw that I had a grayish complexion with very, very dark circles under my eyes. I'm not much of a make-up wearer, not being able to wear it until I was 16 probably contributed to this, and usually just use a little eye make-up each day. On that third day, sad about what I saw in the mirror, I pulled out the make-up bag that I use for special occasions with powder, blush and other various items. I put some on in hopes of looking human for the day. It worked, I was pleased with what I saw in the mirror. So the next day, I decided, "Hey, I looked good, let's try it again." And on Friday, I found myself applying a face full of make-up for the third day in a row.

Is there anything wrong with wearing make-up? No. Is there anything wrong with wanting to feel better about yourself? No. But I wonder if there are times when we begin to do things that change the way that we life our lives, the way that we think about them. Simple things really: starting to drink real coffee, so that I have become a coffee snob turning up my nose at coffee that isn't freshly ground and locally roasted. We started eating locally grown fresh food, and I find very few restaurants that satisfy my tastes and aren't overly processed. After 6 years of being a one car family, we bought a 2nd car, and now can't imagine life with just one. These are all fairly small, but slowly, life begins to change. And perhaps looks a way that we never thought it would.

There are changes that are definitely good, but there are also those that complicate life, call for more of my resources, and make me less content with my life as it is. It leads me to the question, should we ever start?

The Goods of Lent

It seems as though every year I give up the same things for Lent. Every Sunday during the season of Lent, I feast on them (gorge might be a better word), not to be deprived of something I love, and every Easter Sunday marks a return to the old, as though Lent didn't just happen.

This year seemed to be no different. I gave up sweets (a regular in the Daugherty household) and buying coffee at coffee shops (this was becoming a habit, and keeping me from some commitments to simple living that our family tries to keep). Simple things, but both something that really seem to have a hold on my life and serve as distractions to living the way that I feel I am called to live. It seemed as though many of the groups that I am a part of were talking about Lent differently this year. In my Sunday School class, we talked about fasting for Lent not just as something that we "sacrificed" to more deeply know the suffering of Christ on the cross, but instead as something that we did to create new paths of deeper discipleship in our lives.

I began to think about Lent this way, but also began to wonder if I would truly be different when the 40 (or 46) days were over. I still found myself most nights in the kitchen after we had put the kids down wondering how I could get something kind of sweet to satisfy my cravings and how long this fast would be over so that I could get back to life as usual. Easter came, and still not much had changed. But, in this week, I am finding that during this season of Lent, new pathways, however simple, were being created. I had a few days were I indulged in sweets, seemingly as though Lent had never happened, but then I realized that I found myself not wanting sweets, not needing or craving them as I had before. I also found that they weren't as satisfying, and after I ate something, I wished that I hadn't. And so, I find myself making some small decisions that shape my relationship with food (which has never been an especially good one). I don't know how long it will last, but for now, I want to make changes and am making steps to make them. Don't worry, I'm not giving them up completely.

Do I think that not eating sweets is some kind of great spiritual feat? Not really. But, in this one thing, I see how God is continuing to shape me. As I am obedient, God's grace will transform my life, even in the small things, and hopefully that leads to the big things as well. As I clear out the voices clamoring for attention, I can begin to hear the small voice of God speaking into my life. I pray that this is only the beginning.

And you know what, I don't miss it all that much anyway.

My Kids are Amazing

So, I'm pretty sure that I have the cutest kids on the planet. I might be a little biased, but take a look.

Alistiar just after tasting sour cream for the first time!

This is Ella's first tooth that she lost. She's lost one more since






The end of the Easter pictures. They were both pretty tired of it.









Taking some Easter shots after we got home from church. She is quite the ham, as you can see.

Going Gray

Memories of my grandma are filled with a woman with beautiful silver white hair. I actually don't remember seeing many pictures of my grandma without this hair. My mom tells me that it's because gray hair runs in our family, both she and my grandma were completely gray by the age of 29. As I have gotten older, I have been excited to see that I made it to and past 29 without much gray hair.

However, this summer I gave birth to my second child, and haven't slept much since then (no, he's still not sleeping through the night). And in the last 8 months, the gray hairs on my head have increased exponentially. Ella has mentioned it, my mom has mentioned it, and my hair dresser on several occasions has said, "You know, it's probably time to start thinking about what you're going to do with your gray that's coming in." (and they are not the only ones) She's given me several suggestions on what I might do. Those who know me well know two things about me: 1. I am not so much into things that take a lot of maintenance, 2. I don't like to spend money. These two things have made me more than a little hesitant about dying my hair to cover the gray.

I've spent a lot of time over the last several months thinking about what I will do with my gray hair (Ella thinks that this year, my hair is going to turn all gray and I'll look "weird"). I must admit that I cringe when I think about the thought of being in my mid-thirties and almost entirely gray. But, I have finally come to the decision that I'm going to let my hair change naturally and not dye it (which my incredible husband is in total support of).

Why you might ask? For two reasons:

1. I have a 5 year old girl at my house. She is already very concerned with what she wears, how she accessorizes and can't wait until the day she can wear make up and high heels. I hope that my choice can teach her that who we are is about more than what we look like on the outside. That we do not need to make ourselves into something that we are not, it's okay to be the way that God made us, no matter what that looks like.

2. Much of my work is with young women at Trevecca. The world makes it their business to give them all kinds messages about what they should look like, what makes them significant, and what they should do with their bodies. I can be one voice in their lives that says that whatever they may look like, it's okay.

I am probably being idealistic, it's probably not that important. But, I feel led to take this step and be a different voice in the midst of all those calling from our culture. I wonder what my all-gray head will look like. Only time will tell.

Memories and Images

I was up late with the baby last night. I was trying to convince him that he really didn't want to eat 2-3 times a night. In the interim (read - while he was crying in his crib and I watched the timer slowly click down until I could go in and comfort him) I sat in the living room, which was pretty cold.

After all was said and done (Alistair won, I was too sick and tired to go more than about an hour) I headed back up to my room to get some sleep. I laid in my bed and I was absolutely freezing, no matter what position I was in, how closely I cuddled up to Brad, I couldn't warm up. I finally went to the closet and got out a few blankets to pile on to keep me warm. As I laid in bed trying to go to sleep, a few memories came to my mind:

The first was of laying in bed in my Grandpa Gerbsch's house. It was awfully cold there in the winter at night, but grandpa had lots of (scratchy) blankets that he would pile on. So, my nose and face were a little cold as I drifted off to sleep, but there was a heavy pile of blankets on top to keep me warm.

The second was yet another from my grandparents, this time Grandma and Grandpa Lipa. I was often sick as a child and had a really nasty sounding cough (my mom says that I bark like a seal). When I would spend the night with my grandparents, my grandpa would give me a shot of Nyquil (the green kind), slather Vicks on my chest, and send me to his very warm and cozy bed with blankets piled on top. I would settle down and quickly fall asleep, waking in the morning feeling much better.

These aren't big memories, but these grandparents have been gone for over a decade, my Grandpa Lipa almost 20 years. I will often get a fleeting thought of them, but I am thankful for moments (even freezing ones in the middle of the night) that bring back to me vivid pictures of the grandparents that I love so much, reminders of the people that they were, and the way that they loved and cared for me.

I miss you Grandma and Grandpa Lipa and Grandpa Gerbsch!

Life Really Does Go on!

It's hard to believe that it's been since January that I've posted. Certainly much has changed in life with the arrival of Alistair Joseph in June. Since I'm waiting for him to fall back asleep in hopes of weaning him off of one of his two nighttime feedings, what a better time to post!

Ella turns five on Monday. It's hard to believe that we have had her in our lives for that long. She is such a blessing. Daily, she is a reminder to us of the goodness of God, the beauty and laughter of children, and the ways in which our children can delight us with even the small things that they do. I appreciate her sense of humor, her amazing intelligence, and her kindness and generosity towards others.

Alistair is just over 5 months old, and is one of the happiest babies I have ever seen. When he makes eye contact with you, his face lights up in an amazing smile that will melt your heart. He is a stubborn boy (I say he gets it from his daddy), and likes to get his own way. And, he's certainly making life interesting. Over the past few weeks, he's started eating real food and loves avocados and sweet potatoes. He's turned over a few times, but working on doing it more. I can't to hear his first word and get a sense of his little voice. What joy he brings to our lives.

And, they love each other! The joy that I see in their eyes as Ella goes in to greet Alistair in the morning, or reaches down to show him a new toy, or holds him in her arms is awe inspiring. We couldn't be more blessed than to have these two wonderful children as a part of our lives. We look forward to watching them grow and become the people that God is calling them to be in our world.

Dexter is a boy!

I had my 20 week ultrasound yesterday, and we got the wonderful news that Dexter is a boy. Big sister, Ella, who really, really, really wanted a sister is in a state of shell shock, but says, "I'll love the baby anyway, and give him lots of kisses." It's fun to know, and we look forward to meeting him in early June. And, in case you were wondering, no, Dexter will not be his name :)

Presidential Scholar?

On our drive to the Midwest for Christmas, we somehow got onto the topic of presidents, and who was president when. On a stop at a local K-Mart (we were early for a dinner date in Upland, IN, not much choice around) we found a place mat with all of the presidents and when Ella asked us to buy it, we decided that a parent couldn't go wrong. What we were not prepared for what would happen after we actually started using the place mat. Each meal is now filled with questions about the presidents: who was good (Abe Lincoln was the best, we tell her), who was bad (I'm not even going to post our opinions about that!), how long were they president (She finds it fascinating that Grover Cleveland has two pictures because he served in non-consecutive terms), who is alive and who is dead? She now has favorites which include: Andrew Jackson (who let all kinds of people into the White house and they got mud on the chairs), William Henry Harrison (who had the shortest presidency, dying after he refused to wear a coat or hat during a freezing inauguration, giving the longest inauguration speech in history) and William Howard Taft (who was so large he got stuck in a bathtub). We didn't think that she would enjoy it so much! Unfortunately, Brad and I are running out of presidential trivia to share with her. Do you have any good trivia on presidents that we can share?

An Advent Prayer

Pray with longing for a better world and the arrival of the Kingdom of God.

In our secret yearnings
we wait for your coming,
and in our grinding despair
we doubt that you will.

And in this privileged place
we are surrounded by witnesses who yearn more than do we
and by those who despair more deeply than do we.

Look upon your church and its pastors
in this season of hope
which runs so quickly to fatigue
and in this season of yearning
which becomes so easily quarrelsome.

Give us the grace and the impatience
to wait for your coming to the bottom of our toes,
to the edges of our fingertips.

We do not want our several worlds to end.

Come in your power
and come in your weakness
in any case
and make all things new.

Amen.

Walter Brueggeman
Awed to Heaven, Rooted in Earth: Prayers of Walter Brueggemann

An Addition to the Family

We just wanted to let everyone know that we are expecting a new addition to the Daugherty family! I am 14 weeks pregnant, and Baby Daugherty (whom we affectionately call Dexter, and no, we don't know if the baby is a boy!)will arrive sometime in early June. We are all excited about the new addition to our family, particularly Ella who told us a few weeks before we let her know, "Mommy, I think I'm ready to be a big sister now!".

We'll keep you updated as the time draws closer!

Ella on Advent

Sometimes I like to write things down just for me, and perhaps that's what this post is :) Last night, Ella and I were in the car on the way back from church, and we were talking about Advent. Sometimes it's hard to convince a 4 year-old that we really do need to observe Advent before we get to Christmas and Baby Jesus. So, as we were talking about what Advent is, I was trying to prompt her to tell me that we're waiting for Jesus to come again. Instead, I said, "What are we waiting for in Advent, Ella?" Without missing a beat she answered, "We're waiting for the resurrection of the dead." I thought for a moment and said, "Yes, Ella, yes we are." It's amazing what comes from the mouths of little children!

Our Little "Mama"

For anyone who knows her, it is no secret that Ella loves babies. She loves playing with her dolls, is always within arm's reach of any baby in the same room as her, and talks a lot about having a baby brother or sister (well, really she just wants a sister, we tell her that you get what God gives you.).

On Sunday night, Ella's class at church talked about Abraham and Sarah and the special plan that God had for them. The class ate birthday cake and ice cream to celebrate Abraham and Sarah's 100th birthday. I came in right as cake was being served, and stayed for a few moments. The preschool director asked the children while they were eating to think about what God's special plan for their lives might be. Ella thought for a moment, then looked at my with big eyes and huge smile on her face. "Mommy," she said, "I think that God's special plan for me is to have a baby when I get big."

I've heard many women say that all they've wanted since childhood is to be a mom and raise their families, perhaps we're raising one in our house.

Learning Together

I like to listen to the radio in the car. As I have grown older, I have stopped listening to music as much (kind of funny for the Director of the Center for Worship Arts, huh?). I like to listen to talk radio. For a few years, I have been addicted to sports talk radio. When we were in Boston I loved to listen to Dale & Holly and the Big Show with the Big "O" on WEEI. Since we moved, I started listening to ESPN radio in Nashville, and fell in love with Mike & Mike, and could tolerate some of the others. About a month ago, 106.7 the fan unexplicably left, and I was suddenly listening to hip hop/top 40. Definitely not for me. So, I turned to trusty NPR, and listen as I drive to and from work (it's amazing how much more I know about what's happening in the world!).

In the evenings and in the middle of the day, they don't have talk programming but instead play classical music. I've never been much of a classical fan, but I have found it relaxing when I get into the car and listen to the sounds of soothing music. On our way home from church tonight, Ella hasked what kind of music that was and why there wasn't any words. I told her that sometimes Mommy liked to listen to this kind of music, and imagine what it is about. She began imagining with me: "This part is really scary, Mommy." "Now it's not scary, it's like a big, giant parade." "I can't hear the violins anymore, where did they go." And on it went for the 10 minute ride. I found that I, too, began to imagine what the music was describing, and it was wonderful. What a fun time to share together on an ordinary Wednesday night.

I LOVE my job!

So have I mentioned that I LOVE my job? Well, I loved it already, but adding the Worship Arts component has some good perks. Today, I got to sit in on a video shoot with Michael W. Smith while he talked about the Nashville Predators, and then did a spot about the Center for Worship Arts. After the shoot, he introduced himself to me, and we spent a few minutes talking about the center, and about how he would like to be involved with something that "has been needed for such a long time." Just in case you can't imagine it, here's what it looked like:



Tomorrow, I'm going to call Michael Card to talk with him about the event that he'll be doing with us in May. It's exciting!!

The Prayers of a Child

I haven't blogged in forever. Not because of a lack of things to blog about, only for the time to do it :) Over the last few days, we have begun to witness something in our household that I thought was definitely blog-worthy.

Last night, we were eating dinner quickly getting ready to go to the big 4th of July block party at our church when it began to rain. It wasn't a light rain, but it was pouring sheets of rain. Ella, obviously, was very interested in going to see the fireworks and was distraught because of the rain. Suddenly, she bowed her head and began to mumble. After a few moments she said, "I was just talking with God, and God told me that it wasn't going to rain anymore tonight." No matter what we said about the rain she was assured that God would stop the rain to allow her to watch fireworks. We had never seen her do this before, so we were quite surprised.

Then this morning, while getting ready for breakfast, the subject of a sibling came up (it often does as Ella really, really wants a sibling). Again, she bowed her head and mumbled for a few moments. She then looked up and announced, "I asked God for a sister, God will give me one."

So, it seems, we have entered into a new phase of Ella's communication with God. It is amazing to watch her internalize what we, and the church, have been seeking to teach her for 3 1/2 years. She is sincere and earnest in her faith, and I can only pray that this will be a pattern that will continue as she grows older.

A Pastor in the Making?

I'm never really quite sure what to do when I arrive to pick Ella up from school and her teacher immediately gets up to come over to see me. My heart leaps up into my throat as I wait to hear whether she is sharing good news about Ella's day or bad.

Today, I arrived at Vanderbilt to get Ella, and Ms. Allison jumps up from her place with the kids on the floor and comes over to see me. "You'll never believe what Ella did today," she exclaims. It seems that before their afternoon group time, the children had a little free time. Ms. Allison turned around to see Ella and a friend, Jerry talking with one another. Jerry was lying on the floor completely straight and Ella was saying to him, "That's how you get baptized Jerry, you're a Christian now." It seems that Ella was baptizing her classmates! I asked her later if Jerry wanted to be baptized, and she said, "No, I just baptized him."

For a while now, Ella has had a slight obsession with baptism. She often baptizes herself and her dolls during bathtime and sometimes even asks me to baptize her (I'm not sure what to do with that request since I am ordained, and she has already been baptized). This coupled with a strong tendency that she has for making up songs about God, church and Jesus, her love for reciting the Apostles Creed, and her recent practice of preaching from any one of daddy's many "Jesus Books" found in his office makes me wonder if we are seeing Ella's vocation in action.

And, did I mention that she told us today that our neighbors weren't Christians because they weren't keeping the same Lenten fast that we are? What are we going to do with this girl??

Merry Christmas from the Daugherty Family

Hello! We hope that these Advent days are treating you well. Just last week, I commented to a friend that I had chosen not to send out a Christmas card and letter this year because nothing new was happening in our household (not to mention that the life of a PhD student and a college administrator can get pretty busy). And then, a big surprise came our way, so I thought that I would post a last minute holiday greeting.

So, I'll begin with our most exciting news: today, I accepted a job as the Director of the Center for Worship Arts at Trevecca. The center is brand new at Trevecca, and I will be in charge of creating both a major and minor as well as to provide continuing education and conference opportunities for worship pastors. The job will give me the opportunity to help to train and encourage the next generation of worship leaders. The job is a little overwhelming, but also very exciting. I will still keep my current job as the Director of Church Services, which will be about 60% of my job, and the other 40% will be dedicated to the Center for Worship Arts. I am loving my job at Trevecca, and look forward to the new challenges that lie ahead in the new year. I also started running this summer. I ran my first 5K in September, and dad and I ran another 5K on Thanksgiving Day. I'm still not sure that I want to be a runner, but I'm considering running the Country Music Half-Marathon in April.

Brad is keeping quite busy with his work at Vanderbilt. He has two semesters left of classes, and is very much looking forward to being done with his formal class work. He is enjoying his program, and knows that he is doing exactly what he was meant to do. This spring, he will be presenting a paper at the Wesleyan Theological Society meeting, and we're all looking forward to a trip to Anderson, IN in March. Brad will spend this coming summer doing some traveling with me (including a trip to Poland with a group of Trevecca students) and studying Greek to prepare for classes in the fall.

Ella continues to be the absolute joy of our life. She turned 3 in November, and certainly keeps us on our toes. She finally found a daycare home at the Vanderbilt Child and Family Center which is just a few blocks from Brad's school. She loves school and can't wait to go each day. She and several of her girlfriends call themselves the "Lava Girls." She is learning all of her letters and loves to sing and read books. Her favorite thing to do is play pretend in the kitchen and with dress up clothes. When she grows up she wants to "be a mommy or a daddy so that I can make breakfast and dinner and have a baby in my belly." She also has become quite the sports fan, loving the Red Sox and Colts, although she tells us that basketball is her favorite sport. She is very much looking forward to visiting our family in Illinois and Indiana this Christmas.

This year, we have been reminded again and again of the goodness of God. When we have least expected it, God has provided for our every need, and some even before we knew we had them. We are astonished at the paths that we continue to be led on, and look forward to what lies ahead in the year to come. We pray that the grace of God would be evident in your lives in the coming year.

The Things We Teach Our Children

I'm pretty sure that part of the point of parenting is to teach your children things about life, and how to navigate through it. But sometimes, even the good things that we teach us come back to get us.

For the past 5 months, Ella and I (sometimes Brad) have gone to East Nashville Cooperative Ministry on Sunday evenings to help with a meal for the homeless and working poor. Each week we help to set tables, serve food, and spend time eating and talking with our new friends. Ella loves Soulfeast, and know that on Sundays we go to church and Soulfeast. On Sunday night, a local youth group was helping out, and one of our very best friends invited us over for dinner. We made the decision to forgo Soulfeast this week, and come back next week. When Ella learned of this, she was not going for it. She said that she wanted to go to Soulfeast, they needed us. So, Brad went over to our friend's house alone while Ella and I went to Soulfeast to set things up and get the meal started. After we had done that she was "so excited" to go for dinner. I guess that she is our little humanitarian.

Then, this morning, I had given Ella her waffles and dried cranberries for breakfast, and came to the table with my own breakfast of toast with butter and a banana. Ella looked at my breakfast and said, "You have two pieces of toast?" I told her that I did and then she said, "God likes it when we share, Mommy," while greedily eyeing my piece of toast. I asked her if she would like a bite of my toast and she said, "Yes Mommy, God likes it when we share." And with a sly smile, she ate my toast!

She's obviously learning some of the things that we're trying to teach her, which is wonderful. Perhaps I should be thankful for the times when she reminds me of ways to act in our world.

For the Holidays

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is already here! I can't believe that December is just around the corner. Ella turned 3 this month, and we had a wonderful party. Unfortunately, our camera broke and no one one at our party brought one. So, it will just have to be a party that lives on in our memories. I thought to celebrate the holidays, I would share a few Ella stories.

#1 - For her birthday, Ella received a gift card to Target. And, as much as I wanted to spend it on something practical, we decided to take her to Target and let her pick out whatever she wanted. For a few weeks now, she's been telling me that she needs her own laptop (I guess that Brad and I spend too much time on ours!), and so I brought them to her attention in the toy department. Immediately, she decided that she wanted one, so we took it up to the register and she bought it with her own "money". Ella loves her laptop, and for several days we would be doing things around the house and Ella would randomly yell, "I'll be right back, I've got to check my e-mail." She would run into the living room and spend a few minute on the computer. Today, however, I was looking for a way to distract her in the car and asked if she needed to check her e-mail on her laptop, she said to me, "My laptop doesn't have any e-mail, just games." Very astute!

#2 - One of Brad's favorite things to do when we're taking a few moments to rest on the couch as a family is to yell "Dogpile" and we all pile on. Ella has also developed a liking for the game. This week, as we were sitting on the couch, she decided that we needed a few rounds of Dogpile. After we had done that a few times, she yells, "Duckpile!" Brad asked her what that was, and she proceeded to show us: for the game of duckpile, you pile on top of each other, but with everyone on their backs, facing the ceiling. Ella loves this game even more than dogpile, and proceeded to yell "Duckpile!" over and over again until we told her we couldn't take any more of the piling. We'll see if it, too, becomes a family favorite.

Hope that you have a wonderful holiday!