Growing Pains

I love listening to little kids go in to great detail about their imaginary lives and friends. I always wonder where on earth they got the idea from in the first place. Just before Christmas, Carl and I bought Ella a Barbie movie based on the nutcracker story. And ever since, one of Ella's favorite things to do is dance like a ballerina with her boyfriend, Eric.


This amuses Carl and I both because up until very recently she spent a lot of time talking about her imaginary friend, Randall. It was always Randall did this, and Randall did that. Once I even overheard her in the bathroom trying to convince Randall to leave the room while she used the potty.


So when we heard she had this boyfriend, Eric, Carl started asking her a bunch of questions about what happened to Randall.


'So what about Randall?'


Oh, he punched my baby in the head so we aren't friends anymore. (I can only assume any references to 'her baby' is based off the fact that her mom is pregnant right now and I assume there has been a lot of talk about babies recently).


'Huh, so where did you meet Eric?'


At Wal-Mart. (Ha-Ha! Classy.)


Anyway, there has also been a lot of talk about her upcoming marriage to Eric and several detailed descriptions of how gently he will put the ring on her finger and how they will dance...this is usually followed by a demonstration of dancing around the living room with her arms out...


Needless to say the arrival of Ella's Christmas present from my sister, Elizabeth, and her family, only encouraged Ella's imaginary world of being 'The Sugar Plum Princess' as Barbie is called in the Nutcracker movie, since they sent her a princess crown, necklace, earrings, and *gasp* a ring, along with a little dress up skirt.

Ella admiring herself in the bathroom mirror

There is barely a moment that she spends at the house without requesting to be wearing her new accessories, if we leave the house she immediately asks if upon return she can wear her jewelry once again. She has even taken to wearing her ring to bed each night.

But my favorite part of the whole dress up procedure is that when we saw the little skirt, Ella and I decided we should complete the look of a ballerina with some white tights and a swimsuit top under her skirt. But, apparently we are going to need to invest in an actual leotard because once we had her all dressed up she took one look at herself and said, 'This is so silly to wear in the winter, it barely even covers my biscuits!'

Apparently, one thing she doesn't need is a lesson in modesty. :)