Princess Stories and Reading

Emiline asked me to tell her a princess story tonight, "one with a prince!" I unimaginatively obliged by telling her a princessified version of how my parents met. She liked hearing about Princess Julie and Prince Lloyd and their first ball.

But then, Emiline told me a princess story. This one was about Princess Marcee and Prince Daddy-Eric and how they didn't know how to get to Grandma's house (where the ball was) and then they disappeared. Into the grass. Under the tramp. And then Princess Grandma-Queen and Prince Lloyd didn't know what to think and then they were scared because of the bad guys. And then Jane and Emiline got the guns to shoot the bad guys. Here I interjected with "where did you learn about guns?" and she said "at the store! I learned them at the store."  So Jane and Emiline shot the evil queen and saved them all. Oh, and then they went to the ball.

She sat there, sprawled out on my lap, and I got to stroke her hair and face and just soak her up. She's such a character! My sister pegged it the other day just what is so cute about the way Emiline talks. She has the typical problem saying Rs that most 2 year olds have, she talks non-stop with an advanced vocabulary and pretty clearly for 2, but the thing that makes her so endearing is that when she says a word, her whole face makes the effort to pronounce it, and often her whole body. She doesn't just radiate energy, she creates it, especially when she tells me stories. I have no idea where this bad guy stuff came from.

Tonight I'm supposed to be grading essays. I have a big activity for the youth in our church tomorrow that I'm in charge of, I spent the afternoon running around for that and in the doc's office and getting prescriptions because now Adam has bronchitis, we were there just a few days ago for Emiline's bronchitis and just opening my computer tonight after putting the kids down made me totally overwhelmed. But before that, Jane, Emiline and me had cuddle time on my bed and we read stories, and they tried to hide in their blankets and I tickled them.

All while we were in town today Jane was reading signs like crazy "Mom, that says 'drop off,' 'pick up,' 'Speed Queen,' 'Smiths,' 'Headstart,' and more I can't remember. It's like she can't help herself reading words, and I remember what that feels like. I remember looking at cereal boxes and labels and being surprised that I could read them without trying and that my tongue just had to say them, like scratching an itch.

While we were at Walmart, we stopped to look at a jewelry display and there was a friendship necklace and Jane reads:"'Be Fri" all confused then "Mom, why is that heart broken?" I explained to her that it is a friendship necklace with a message on each side of the heart. It says "best friends" because a best friend is someone that makes your heart feel a little broken when you are not with them. Immediately she says: "that's like me and Emiline! We should get it for her for Valentine's day!" How could I say no to that?

I guess I just wanted to take a minute tonight to dwell on the sweetness of the day. Sure, I'm putting off things that will make me crazier tomorrow. But I'm in a "big picture" kind of mood. I read this today and it just sort of resonated with me, helped me tone down the demands and disappointments in my life right now that would otherwise take too much of my attention. And you know what? I'm the teacher, I get to say when things are due, right? I mean, seriously! So maybe I won't grade papers after all...

But to all you "Be Fri"s out there, here is one "St Ends" saying, I'm glad our hearts make us both more complete, even if that does mean a little heartache when we are apart.