Lily Didn't Do It

Nope. Lily didn't do it. She didn't write on her table. My three year old is very clear that her friends Roar and Robot did it!

I love her imagination. Her imaginary friend, Roar, is the monster from her room that used to scare her until I told her to introduce herself to him. Now they are besties! Her friend Robot came along after we watched the movie The Iron Giant. Then, of course, she has to make her other friends help clean up. These would include the Fisher Price Corn Popper and the Fisher Price Little People City Skyway.

So, yes, this video is primarily about Lily, but I can't help but notice all that unfolded laundry. I think there's three baskets full. Yes, all clean. This is like an everyday event around here. There is always at least one basket of laundry hanging around needing to be folded and put away. Hey, there are five of us, or more accurately, one three year old and two six month olds who go through clothes and bibs and burp cloths and blankets like it's the coolest thing to constantly be doing laundry. Well, it is the coolest thing, isn't it? Please tell me it's cool.

Just Like Her Mommy

My daughter, Lily, is 3 years old and is so very sarcastic, witty, and funny. Of course she drives us crazy at times, what 3 year old wouldn't? But some of the things she comes up with are just amazing and she has such a wonderful imagination. Here's a few examples:

1. It was bedtime, I forget when. I'll say about 6 months ago. Anyway, Lily said she couldn't sleep because she was scared of the monster in her bedroom. I told her she should introduce herself to the monster. Maybe he is scared of her. Well, needless to say, "Roar" has been her friend ever since. She plays with him and they hold hands. It's kinda creepy the way she "looks" at him as if there really is someone there. She refers to him as "My Friend Roar" and he goes almost everywhere with her. Oh, and we just watched the movie Iron Giant and now she has a robot friend, too.
2. Lily closes her door for bedtime. She stands there for a second then starts rubbing the door. She hugs it, as best as you can hug something you can't put your arms around. Then she whispers, "I love you door" and gives it a kiss.

As a young child, I too cared for inanimate objects. I thought everything had feelings. Everything. I slept with a chair because I thought it had feelings and I didn't want it to feel left out while all of my stuffed animals and dolls were on my bed. Yes, I was that weird! I guess the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree.

Me, circa 1981 (about the same age or just a tad bit older than Lily) with my favorite chair

Flowers

I melted. Right there in bed, I melted as my 3 year old daughter, Lily, reached out her arm to me and said, "Here Mommy, flowers." A few minutes earlier she had rolled over to the side of the bed. She leaned down over the edge and it looked as though she was picking something up off of the floor. Little did I know, she was.

I love my daughter and her imagination. It inspires me to be more creative, more imaginative. I love when Lily, out of nowhere, hands me some imaginary food to eat or hands me some flowers. She does this with her brother and sister too. Lily will be sitting next to them and pretend feed them food from her hand. It's funny because her brother and sister, my twins, are only 4 months old and yet, they seem to play along. I'm sure it's just a reflex thing, but when Lily offers them "food" they open their mouths to take it.

I relish moments like these because I'm not sure how long they will last. Today she pretends to give flowers to me, tomorrow she may not. I will keep all those imaginary flowers so when she no longer does this, my heart will be a field of her love.