a better example...

i realized as soon as i sat down to write about tate's storytelling abilities that i couldn't think of a single good example.  this is generally what happens to me:  i come up with a really good post idea or the kids do something really hilarious, and i mentally write a really fabulous and humorous post about it.  then i sit down at the computer at the end of the day to write everything down physically and...my mind is completely blank.

today, i have worked really hard to tell this same story of tate's over and over in my mind so that i wouldn't forget, and you could get a perfectly amazing example of what i hear every day from tate.  you can feel free to thank me later...

we were at supper tonight.  as we got ready for our family devotions, we were looking at a picture of soldiers coming to arrest Jesus (i know, it was a really uplifting and positive story tonight).  tate looked really closely at the picture of the soldiers while bill explained to the girls about judas' kiss of betrayal.

"mom, these swords that the guys have?  they are the swords that come out of your arms, like this..." (he demonstrated but i still didn't get what he was talking about, so if you don't get it, don't worry). 

"these swords come out of their arms, and then, when they are on their horses, they ride toward each other and put their swords down then the swords poke in their eyes and cut their...necks."

"really?  how did you know about that?"  (this is me trying not to panic.  how on earth does he know about this?  bill and i just watched a show that had jousting in it, but i can't imagine how tate would have been able to see it...)

"it was on a show that i watched when i was a baby.  it had big bird and elmo in it.  big bird and elmo had swords and they rode on horses.  i saw it when i was a baby.  elmo and big bird fought in a big battle."

there you have it.  a perfect example of the kind of story that tate has been telling lately...

(just a side note:  lilianna listened carefully to tate's story and then started trying to find elmo in our story bible.  you can see what kind of warped theology our kids are going to have...)