Cows come from Milk and Other Connorisms

It has been an interesting week already. Yesterday was a "Teacher Workday" at Preschool (yes, I know how lame it is for the preschool - ahem, daycare for working parents - to have a workday on a Monday, but whatever). We love her school so whatever keeps them rolling.

A sitter came the first half of the day. Connor loved Ms. Kym and Kirk's back-up daycare benefit proved invaluable. I worked a half day and spent the rest with our Peanut. Maybe that was really the crux of the school's purpose? To be sure we spent quality one-on-one time together? During our afternoon I was amazed at how engaged Connor has become in 'pretend play' and in using her imagination. Certainly I see it come out sporadically on the weekends when we are here and there and everywhere. But the low key time at home really helped bring it out. Perhaps I was that much more vigilant to it as I just started reading this book about "the creative family" and encouraging imagination.

Here are some examples of our "creative family" in action:
These show Connor's "goldfish" she spontaneously made and identified from her beads!
We are big into "being ghosts" under the covers at bedtime. It makes Connor laugh hysterically and it wouldn't be right without a hiding ghost saying goodnight.
I guess this snuggle time is one of the advantages of sleeping on a queen mattress on the floor. Ample room for kisses and cuddles and sheet-ghost fun!

One morning before school Kirk and Connor had a tea party. Looks like a yummy spread. See how proud Connor is of her handiwork?

A favorite activity is to go to our bathroom and grab as many sticky lint rollers as she can find. She calls them her "lollipops!"

This weekend a haircut was in order. Connor was very excited to get into her "car" at the shop and no telling what was going through her little imagination as the hairdresser clipped away.

Connor's teachers instructed us to bring in a shoebox. This is a tough task for the family whose belongings are still in storage with no shoebox in sight. I thought it a good excuse to buy new shoes, but our neighbor jumped in with a box in the nick of time.

The art Connor brought home from the shoebox was quite abstract. Yet there was a logical story for every little piece. What was it, you ask? But of course a castle with a prince and princess. Connor pointed out each piece to us. The "prince" is the larger, red piece on the bottom left.

And yesterday Connor's imagination led to playing "airplane" on the white couch with me...zipped up tight in her coat and her purple plastic high heels. I am not really sure where the chill came from on the makeshift plane. But it was awfully cute. Lazing around in PJs is certainly a novelty for us.

Here are some other products of Connor's imagination:

- She told me recently, "Mom do you know cows come from milk?" I didn't have the heart to correct her.

- "God made me like that" - she is big into saying this about every thing she notices about herself.

- She is in a new classroom and I asked about her naptime routine. She told me her new mat in her class has "LEGS, but not real legs! Not legs like these" she reports, tapping her legs.

- In her new class they are doing a unit on community helpers. She has learned to "call 911 in an emergency" and also all about, "stop, drop, and roll" My absolute favorite time of day is hearing about what she learned that day.

- We made our first Costco trip this weekend since moving back to the States. Only in America would such a place exist. I bought a super size pack of fresh mangos. Connor devoured them eating them by the fistful. Ask her what she ate though and she proudly and matter-of-factly answers "Flamingos" (instead of mangos). It is priceless.

Childlike imagination is contagious!