Stories come to life

We got a good run in the other day and while running at a Nature Park by our house we saw a SNORT.  You know the story, right?  Are you My Mother by P.D. Eastman?  It’s one of Lydia’s favorites and a few weeks ago our neighbors started work in their backyard in preparation for an addition to their house.  They had one of those diggers digging dirt back there and Lydia saw it and told Jon and me that the Snort was taking the baby bird back to the tree so it could be with it’s mother.  Just like in the story.  Because if you ever see a big machine like that you know it’s returning baby birds to their nests.  Anyway, back to our run and the Nature Park.  We saw two Snorts and Lydia was thrilled!  I was wishing that I’d brought our camera so I could capture her standing in front of one of them and then write about it!  Of course I was not prepared that way, so later in the afternoon we stopped by and walked along the trail so that we could get a good picture before we went grocery shopping.  Lydia insisted on bringing her Mrs. Potato Head.  She may be turning up frequently in these pictures... Sophie rode in the Bjorn like a champ and we got the picture before it started raining on us. 

 But that’s not the only story that’s come to life for Lyds.  I pulled out some of our Halloween/Fall decorations and among them are ten apples.  Plastic apples, I believe, that Jon bought me a few years ago for my classroom.  We counted the apples and when Lydia discovered that there were ten she started putting them on her head, trying to stack as many as she could.  This was something she learned about in Ten Apples Up on Top by Theo LeSieg (aka Dr. Seuss).  She loves that book!  She loves the tiger.  She loves the Lion.  And she definitely loves the dog.  Anyway, we’ve had days of her trying to put apples on her head balancing them as best she could.  Today Lydia wanted to help me sweep the floor.  I guess our broom resembles the mop in Ten Apples Up on Top and Lydia starts talking about “the mop. The mop!  The mop!  The Mop!” Because there’s an angry bear trying to get at the lion, tiger and dog; trying to knock the apples off of their heads.   Lydia and the angry characters; I’m not sure why she loves them so!  But those are some examples we have of Lydia’s books coming to life. 

 I love saying a phrase like, "and then Bear went back to the business of making his breakfast."  Just so I can see her light up and start talking about A Visitor for Bear written by Bonny Becker.  We went to Tracy Aviary and Lyds fell in love with this  peacock.  She tried to feed it a stick. The bad guy from Kung Fu Panda 2 is a peacock...  Maybe she didn't remember that??  Anyway, Lydia really does have an active imagination.  I love it.  Right now Lydia is looking out the window telling me she can see a will of the wisp.  She loves books and movies and says things like “Mordu a coming a soon.  A better to hide.”  I can only guess how long this stage will last or if it will ever end... All I know is that I'm loving it!

Sophie loves books for other reasons.  Don't they look so tasty?

And both girls enjoy hearing from Granny and Grandpa when they come to read and sing.