MARK MY WORD: THREE-YEAR-OLD'S PEBBLES MAKE FOR ROCKY ROAD ON HOME FRONT

The U.S. Senate leadership thinks the Capitol is a mess.

It's tired of uncollected trash, dirty restrooms, bugs and layers of dust. Political garbage is another matter.

But at least they don't have to worry that they'll step on a bunch of playground pebbles.

Our 3-year-old daughter, Bailey, may become a geologist some day. At least, we know she likes rocks.

She brings home more than her share of gravel from the day-care center every day.

She smuggles the rocks home in her pant pockets. Joni and I never see the rocks until they suddenly surface on her bedroom carpet or the kitchen floor.

I'm always stepping on the pebbles. No matter how many I pick up, more rocks seem to forever find their way into our home.

I never see her playing with the pebbles. They just seem to surface in unwanted places, scattered about like a miniature Stonehenge.

I'm convinced that Bailey is a pack rat. She loves to take food home in a doggie bag from our restaurant outings.

Like a squirrel approaching winter, she doesn't want to leave anything behind.

I'm not convinced she really plans to eat the leftover food. I think it's more a matter of collecting stuff.

Of course, Bailey loves to eat. Lately, she has been eating constantly.

She ate a ton of spaghetti this week. "I'm hungry. I'm hungry," she tells us morning, noon and night.

This week, I'm sure she could outeat a horse. It's tough to keep up with her appetite.

Three meals a day doesn't cut it when you're in the middle of a growth spurt.

No sooner than we've cleared the dishes, Bailey's back for more.

When it comes to the major food groups, nothing is more major to Bailey than bubble gum.

Like many baseball players, she views bubble gum as one of the staples of life. That and buttered bread are crucial to Bailey's existence.

She's also addicted to apple juice, which she views as one of life's building blocks.

They say the human body is mostly water. In Bailey's case, I'm certain it's mostly apple juice.

She can't imagine being without the stuff. Some people stock up on bottled water for emergencies. We stock up on apple juice.

There's nothing worse for Bailey at bedtime than being without apple juice, except perhaps being without her terry-cloth teddy bear.

Everyone should have a "buddy bear."

This bear has been through thick and thin. Right now, he's pretty much on the thin side, having been stitched up several times.

Buddy is a perpetual, dirt magnet. Keeping him clean is a constant chore.

Those senators may think the Capitol is a dirty mess, but then they haven't seen Buddy on a bad day.

Besides, life can be rocky when your 3-year-old hauls in more than her share of pebbles.

At this point, Bailey seems certain to go through life leaving no stone unturned.

~Mark Bliss is a staff writer for the Southeast Missourian.