Once Upon A Time...

As of late, we have been playing a new game in our house. A LOT.

Matthew: Sing a story to me

Kevin/Christina: Say please Matthew.

Matthew: audible sigh - PLEAAAAAAAAASE sing me a story.

Kevin/Christina: Twinkle, twinkle litt...

Matthew: No, no - SING me a story.

Kevin/Christina: OH, you mean 'tell me a story', right?

Matthew: Yeah, Sing me a story (one can practically see the eyes rolling at us) about a _______ (Insert the theme - for me it seems to be tractor - I must look like tractor kind of a gal to my son.)

Kevin/Christina: Once upon a time...

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Mostly Kevin does the story telling because I do the reading at night (by Matthew's choice.) Also, I think Kevin is much better at making up stories to be told to a two year old than I am - you know match the level of the mind to the level of the mind - Matthew may have a year or two on Kevin (I am SO kidding...)

This story telling game is not limited to the bed time routine any longer. We also do it in the car and when we are eating. It is actually quite fun and we have been encouraging Matthew to participate in the story telling though I am not sure he is quite there yet. He does try but he mostly likes for Mommy and Daddy to tell the stories. We offer in between to let him add on or tell his own. One day he will.

SO the other night at dinner we were all seated in our usual locations - Prince Matthew sitting at the head of the table (how wrong it that? Is that setting him up for some kind of Freudian let down later in life?!) and Kevin and I in our appointed positions flanking the Prince in the Kingdom Of Matthew.

Matthew started to tell a story out of the blue. He said "Once upon a time, there is an old man named Daddy. Daddy and Matthew were out for a walk with Matthew's bike on the trail when a bunny hopped onto the path. The end." Can you hear the laughter from where you are? The old man named Daddy about killed me. Little did I know that Matthew was essentially repeating a story Kevin told him the night before. It is quite humorous and I am thankful he is not saying an old lady named mommy. Though I have been added into the story along with the dogs - it is an evolving story apparently. I am not sure I should feel good or bad about being parceled together with Santana & Lucy but hey it works for Matthew so whatever.... There is also a fox and a river now.

Kevin and I started discussing our story telling methods and Kevin fessed up and said he often will cut a story short and end it for absolutely no reason in the middle. Just like the old man story. I confessed that Matthew actually CUTS me off because my stories get to be so boring - they sort of ramble on and become to fused with details (SHOCKING I know!)

So once upon a time there was an old man named Daddy... add to this story and let's see how we can change it up for poor Matthew and his story challenged parents!