Lillie Lately v.5

Lillie’s off spending the week with her grandparents for “boot camp” – where basically they keep all the grandkids for a full week and do awesome things with them – zoo, museum, swimming, fishing, etc – and no technology is allowed. She’s technically only 2 miles down the road from me but I’m missing her something terrible (she’s been gone since Saturday evening) so I thought I’d share another Lillie Lately. Enjoy!

Lillie Lately v.1; v.2; v.3; & v.4

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I was in the kitchen cooking dinner when I walked into the living room to grab a dirty cup on the coffee table.

Lillie: What you doing?
Me: Picking up a cup & cooking.
Lillie: I want to play a game.
Me: Well, I can’t play one right now but when dinner is done we’ll see.
Lillie: But, but, if we don’t play a game I won’t stay at your home.
Me: Oh, you won’t?
Lillie: No. I will go.
Me: Well, where will you go?
[Lillie stares at me with an a confused expression on her face. You can practically see the wheels in her head turning to find a good response]
Lillie: Uh…, I don’t know.
Me: Didn’t think that through, did you?
Lillie: (Shrugging her shoulders) Oh, mama. You so silly. I will stay and be your best friend.

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We have a collection of Disney Princess Bedtime Stories and lately, Lillie has been picking out which princess to read about. This particular time, she chose Ariel.

Lillie interrupts me to point out that Ariel is now on land with Prince Eric in the picture provided in the book.

Me: Yes, she pulled him from the shipwreck.
Lillie: But why?
Me: So, he wouldn’t drown and die.
Lillie: Why?
Me: Because she loves him, I guess.
Lillie: Oh.

I continue to read. She interrupts me again.

Lillie: Mama, mama. She has to live in water.
Me: Yes, she’s a mermaid.
Lillie: She can’t live in a house.
Me: No, she has to live in the water or she’ll die.
Lillie: I think, I think she probably needs to live in a water house. (She whispered water house like it was a big secret)
Me: (laughing) Okay then, what would it look like?
Lillie: Like dis house. (She raises her arm to indicate her room) Filled with water. She will not die dat way.
Me: That’s a great idea, Lillie.
Lillie: Yeah. I know.

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Lillie notices the book I’m reading on the end table – Allegiant (from the Divergent Series).

Lillie: Mama, is dat your book?
Me: Yeah.

Lillie touches the book cover gently and looks up at me.

Me: You can look at it if you want.

Lillie excitedly opens it up and starts fanning through the pages quickly.

Me: Hey hey, slow down. Don’t tear my pages.
Lillie: WHERE ARE THE PICTURES?

She seems fairly frantic now, still flipping through.

Me: Mama’s books don’t always have pictures.
Lillie: WHY? WHERE ARE THEY?
Me: Because I don’t need them. When I read the words, I listen to them and make up the pictures in my head. That way I can imagine anything I want too. Sounds neat, huh?

Lillie furrows her brow, takes one last look at all the words on the page, and I think maybe she actually sees my point as she looks into my eyes. Then she closes the book with a flick of her wrist and simply says,
“No. I want pictures.”