Better Than Castles

One of Mia's favorite toys is a little nativity set that her Grandma got her last year. It's small, durable, and pastel colored. Very girly. I think Mia prefers it over her princess castle and farm house; she plays with it every day. But the way she plays with it usually never varies. It's so funny how preschoolers (it's not just this preschooler, right?) are so set in the way things must be done.

She'll get a book to set it up on, since the carpeted floor makes the people fall over. She'll talk about all the shepherds and Mary and Joseph, and set them up around the stable. Describing what they're doing, and who they're all watching. The tiny people are always huddled around the main character - who has a special place inside the stable.

But lately, the stable has a few added friends.




Jesus, meet your new admirers: panda, tiger, and chess piece. (I'm sure I should know what that particular piece is called. But I don't. Don't tell Justin.) I believe Mia named that chess piece Maria. It fits.

When she set the scene up earlier this week, she picked the closest book she could find, and, yes, it happened to be one of the Twilight books. I can't help myself. Everyone's doing it. I'm just a follower.

But because her nativity looked so cute sitting there (I didn't make her clean it up before bed that night - oops.) when I wanted to read the book, I couldn't bring myself to undo all her hard work. I did a few other things trying to forget how much I wanted to read. It's a problem, really, this reading habit of mine. Reading in general, and Twilight in particular. Eventually, I decided that I'd take a picture, put the nativity scene on the TV stand, and call it good. NOT reading isn't my strong point.

Isn't it sweet to watch kids' little minds unfolding to include imagination and creativity? I'm pleasantly amazed every day by such tiny things as this.