Josiah's mind and imagination are always active--he regularly surprises me with his questions and comments and pretend play. I so enjoy the conversations we have. And of course, with all he has to say, he comes out with plenty of hilarious stuff to put on the blog! So here's another installment of Josiah's recent funnies, in which he stars in plenty of different roles (and with a new haircut) . . .
Law Enforcement
Josiah picked up the play phone yesterday and said, "Hello? Police? Come and get Grandma!"
Josiah is a budding policeman himself--arbitrating spats between his sisters, deciding who gets what toy, trying to ensure the girls don't transgress rules, reporting misdeeds to Mom (especially when Abby climbs on the dresser after bedtime), and generally attempting to keep things fair or in his favor. It's a challenge to deal with three misbehaving children and one corrupt policeman!
Enforcing speed limits for lawn mowers
In addition to trying to enforce all the rules on everyone else, Josiah also likes to order everyone around! He really enjoyed Grandma's willingness to go along with most of his games. "You tount, Gramma," he'd say many times a day, and scamper off to hide while she obeyed and counted. Sometimes he switched the roles: "You hide, Gramma! I tount!" And he'd count to ten with eyes squinched shut after a quick glance to see where Grandma might be headed. The girls loved to join in and often gave away hiding places--much to Josiah's frustration when it was his turn to hide.
Josiah counting
Bedtime Fun and Falsehoods . . . and Boogers
Josiah loves to play "roly-poly pudding" with Jeremy during our bedtime routine. He says he's "Tom Titten" and Daddy is "Samuel Whiskers." Daddy "butters him up" with a soft blanket and then wraps him up tight in a "dough" quilt, and then he rolls him back and forth while Josiah tries to wiggle out. Sometimes Josiah transforms into John Joiner (a dog in the Beatrix Potter story) who brings his saw to deal with the rats. Sometimes I'm supposed to help rescue Tom Kitten, and other times I'm Anna Maria, the bad rat wife who helps prepare the sooty pudding. His laugh while wriggling out of the blanket is something to hear.
Josiah and Lydia
A couple nights ago, I checked on the kids after lights-out because I heard Lydia crying. I found Josiah sitting in his bed with a crocheted blanket over his head. When he hides like this, it's usually a sign he did something wrong. I asked what happened, trying to phrase it a few different ways to figure out the truth: "Why did Lydia cry? Did you do something? What did you do? What happened?" etc. He claimed he stayed on his bed and was playing there. "Why do you have that blanket over your head?" I asked. He proceeded to stick his finger through a hole in the blanket and into his nostril. "So I can pick my nose through it!" he said.
Going Pantsless
Josiah was playing outside with Grandma when he suddenly stopped and stripped off his pants and underwear. "They're not right for me," he explained. Aspiring nudist? He certainly planned to play in the buff rather than get something else to put on!
This was not during the incident with Grandma above--here he was soaked and so had a more legitimate reason for stripping . . .
Big Brother in Charge
A few times recently I cautioned the girls to be careful or kind to each other at the table (eating a snack, doing puzzles, etc.) as I step out of the room to get something. Josiah, sitting nearby, assured me, "I'll keep an eye on them, Mom."
He also sometimes tries to comfort the girls when they're crying or upset. "It's otay," he says, "I'm here!"
They look up to him!
Sweet and Something Else
Several times a day Josiah says, "Mama?" When I respond, he says, "I love you!"
Lately if some instruction displeases him, Josiah objects by saying, "That's not fun, Mama!"
Bully or Bible Hero . . . for Real?
Between all the books we read and the Davey and Goliath shows Josiah watches, he has plenty of material to re-enact . . .
The past couple days Josiah pretended a mini woven hot-pad was his "slingshot." (He pulled one of the loops out part way, sucked on it some, and then swung it around over his head. You've never had a spit-soaked hot-pad slung in your face? Come visit!)
"I'm David killing the giant!" he reported to me at times as he whipped around his hot-pad. Other times he said, "I'm a bully!" (In one Davey and Goliath show, Davey encounters a slingshot-wielding bully.) I told him I didn't want a mean bully around, to which he replied, "I'm only a bully for real," confusing "real" with "pretend"--a telling slip, since I think the lines between reality and imagination are blurry in his mind.
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