Imaginating

I know. Imaginating is not a real word. My brother Michael invented it when he was a little boy and could often be found sitting in a sunny corner completely oblivious to what was going on around him, lost in his own mind.

Lately, Moses and I have been doing a lot of imaginating together. It's one of the few activities I can fully engage in while laying on the couch. The latest trend is "making pretend blackberry cobbler." I have literally spent hours over the last few days making pretend cobbler. As it turns out, making pretend cobbler can be a very difficult and dangerous task, as seen in the following excerpt from one of today's cobbler-making experiences:

Mom: "Ok, go pick some blackberries for the cobbler"
Moses: "Oh - I don't see any blackberry bushes!"
Mom: (pointing to the corner of the room) "They're over there."
Moses: (While walking to the corner) "Oh - I can't reach them! They're too high!"
Mom: "Stand on this stool to reach them." (hands Moses a pretend stool.)
Moses: "Oh - it broke!"
Mom: "Here - I made you a new stool"
Moses: "No, you don't have a hammer!"
Mom: "OK, then you'd better jump up high to reach them."
Moses: "Oh - OK. (Jumping) Now we need eggs!"
Mom: "Here are some eggs."
Moses: "No mom. That's not eggs! That's sugar!"
Mom: "OK - you get the eggs."
Moses: "We don't have any"
Mom: "Well, go get some from the chickens."
Moses: "OK. AH!!! (diving to the ground)- A polar bear got me!"
Mom: "I'll save you!" (pretends to pick up Moses)
Moses: "You can't reach me!"
Mom: "Well then run away from him!"
Moses: "He ate off my legs!"
Mom: "then you'd better crawl"
Moses: "He ate off my arms too!"
Mom: "OK - I'll scare him away!"
Moses: "He can't hear you!"

And so on and so on. Who knew imaginating could be such hard work!