All About Leafy by Natalie

My kids are like most -- they just love animals.  But, for Natalie, her love extends to include all of God's creatures...even those with up to 100 legs.  A few weeks ago she found a caterpillar in our yard and was all too happy to snatch it up and take care of it.  She was so in love with her new wormy friend, that she decided to write a book about him. However, after several days of feeding him leaves and rinsing out his jar, she announced, "Caterpillars are so much work!"

Yeah...so, if taking care of the needs of a pet the size of my pinky finger are too much for her, I'm pretty sure we aren't ready to add any furry friends to our family.

And, after reading her book, I realized -- caterpillars and kids have a lot in common.

Monkey Business

"Mom, this is Simon and this is Jeanette.  They are on a date.  They are going on vacation to Colorado and then to Six Flags and then to Egypt," said Natalie.

"Wow!  They traveled far," I said.

"Yea...well, they brought water bottles with them...a 100 of them!  Then, they went home on Tuesday to eat breakfast," said Natalie

"Where is their home?" I asked.

"The jungle," said Natalie

"What did they eat?" I asked.

"Bananas and mangoes," said Natalie.

"They used to live in a city called French and they brought bread from French...LOTS of bread and they also brought potatoes and potato chips and chocolate chips.  Then they went to the beach to show their kids the sea creatures in the deep sea," said Natalie

"Wait a minute...I thought you said they were dating.  When did they get married and have kids?" I asked.

"Duh...on Monday," explained Natalie.

"The End." she said.

(Wow.  Now, that's some serious monkey business.)

Don't Let the Skunk Drive the Carriage

Sometimes I think one of the most enjoyable things about being a parent is just watching my kids grow and guessing at the person they will grow up to be.  With our daughter, Natalie, her gift of the gab, has often included elaborate storytelling.  I've transcribed many of her stories and keep them in a special folder on my computer.  Unlike me, she requires no editing.  She seems to truly have a gift for telling a good story.  Today, she spun a tale called, "Don't Let the Skunk Drive the Carriage".  Those of you familiar with author and illustrator, Mo Willems, will recognize where she drew her inspiration.

Don’t Let the Skunk Drive the Carriage

by Natalie Grace ("and Noah also," she added)

“Can you all keep this carriage safe?” asked the carriage driver.

“Yes,” said Harry.

“And, don’t let the skunk drive the carriage,” said the driver. 

 “I thought he would never leave,” said Skunk.

“Hey!  Can I drive the carriage?” asked Skunk.

“No,” said Harry

“Just around the block?” asked Skunk.

“No,” said Harry

“Just a teeny bit?” asked Skunk

“No!” said Harry

“How about we play drive the carriage?  I’ll go first,” said Skunk.

“No!” said Harry.

“LET ME DRIVE THE CARRIAGE!” screamed Skunk.

“NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! said Harry

“Wah! I want to drive the carriage!  Let me drive the carriage! Wahhhhh!” said Skunk.  Then, Skunk leaves and goes and hides behind a big rock.

The driver returns and asked Harry, “Did you let the skunk drive the carriage?”

 “No!” said Harry.

“Good,” said the driver.

Skunk stops crying when he sees a pink motorcycle.  He gets on the motorcycle and says, “Skunk at the wheel!” and drives off.  Then, he crashes into a bus with children in it.  The driver of the bus was a pigeon named Dontletthepigeondrivethebus. 

The end