Story Time

As we were eating lunch, the girls started telling silly stories. It's fascinating to me how AJ's stories have a flow and a certain order and format to them, while M&M's are almost musical . . . she's more interested in the sound and cadence of the words than necessarily in the sense of the story. That is so true to their personalities.

After the first round or two of stories and giggles, I decided I'd better get out the laptop and document some of their creations.

I wrote the stories down exactly as they told them, with no suggestions or corrections.

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Okay, AJ, now I'm ready. You can start telling your story.

Once upon a time, there lived a tomato. She lived in a beautiful house with couches with flowers of green and blue.

And one day there came along a stranger, who said, "I am the mailman, who has come to deliver you a letter."

So Tomato took the letter and read it, and realized it was from some upside-down ketchup.

He had written, "Dear Tomato. Please fetch me a few tomatoes so I can make myself a wife. Love, The Upside-Down Ketchup."

[Giggle] Wasn't the letter silly?

And so, after she had read the letter, the tomato said, "Upside-Down Ketchup?" [I wish I could show you AJ's quizzical expression, with one eyebrow raised, and then the hands-up shrug that followed.]

And then, after that she had her lunch. And after her lunch she took a nap. And after her nap she called her husband home and ate dinner.

Her husband, which was another tomato . . . I mean, a potato . . . said, [insert deep voice] "I think I'll mow the lawn tonight, and then I'll grow a bit of corn."

And so, after the husband had mowed the lawn and planted a bit of corn, he said [deep voice again], "I think I'll go to sleep now." And so he did, and so did the wife.

The next morning, they woke up to find that the woman had a baby inside her tummy!

And so they waited, and waited, and at last the baby was ready to come out. And so, since he was a boy, they decided to name him John.

And they lived happily ever after.

The End.

Well, that was certainly an interesting story! Now what story would you like to tell, M&M?

One day there was a bowl. Its wife was some right-side-up ketchup. [Here M&M turns the ketchup bottle upright, accompanied by giggles] . . . Was some right-side-up ketchup.

I say, was some right-side-up ketchup. Upside-down ketchup, right-side-up ketchup. Right-side-up ketchup!

And it had a knife for its wife. And then the knife cut its wife.

The end.

No, wait, it was the husband! The right-side-up ketchup. [Hilarious laughter from all three kids.]

Well, that was some story! Baby E, would you like to tell a story?

No way! Eat!

Then M&M said,

Write, "Let's go outside." And it's a story from me, Okay Mom? M&M. That's what I want you to write. The end.