A 21st Century Imagination

I have a very active imagination
Always have.
It keeps me quite amused at times.
It also keeps me wide awake at times.
It also was the reason my father got woke up in the middle of the night way too many times with my moaning voice leaning over him saying "I had a bad dream."
(Poor guy.)

However, despite my active imagination,
And my love for theater and acting,
I was never a kid who did imagination play.
(Now...my younger sisters, they are another story.)

Then I became a babysitter
And I hated it even more.
I never knew what to say.
What to pretend.
I never could stand how long it seemed to go on
And on
And on.
I was the master of "other activities"
(That usually involved chasing, running, hiding, etc.)

Miss M loves imagination play.
All her dolls have names.
Background stories.
Jobs.
Family.
Drama.
Pets.
Wardrobes for special occasions.

And....
Thankfully for me
She's great at it
And she doesn't need
(Or ask!)
Me to play along.
It's just her and her imagination.
Out Loud.

And today
Her socks,
(And mine),
Were blessed right off her little feet
When a large box arrived from my cousin and her teenage daughter
Stuffed with toys that every little 8 year old would dream of.

Miss M's eye about bulged out of her head.

It was like Christmas.

Dolls
Toys
Jewelry
Hair Stuff
Games
Stuffed Animals
And more!

(Kristi and Alli -
You totally made Miss M's day.
Week.
Month.)

We were supposed to have a visit from her stabilization worker.
At 5:00.
At 5:15 she called.
She said she'd be here later.
At 6:30 she still wasn't here.
I finally texted her and said "Don't bother."
One, because it was late.
But, two.
Miss M was having the time of her life.

Her new dolls and animals joined her old dolls and animals.
Introductions were made,
New backgrounds were entwined together,
The living room became a living map of a town,
And animals, and dolls, were transported around town the cardboard box everything showed up in.

This is now what my coffee table looks like on a regular basis.  And, honestly. I love it this way.

Now
I grew up without a TV my entire childhood.
People always asked me
"But what do you do all evening?"
I never knew how to reply.
We just did.
I didn't know any other way.

Some nights Miss M and I struggle with the
"No tv" tonight
Or
"Let's do something else" options.

But NOT tonight!

Tonight, Miss M proved it.
Imaginative play is exciting
Fun
And a little crazy.
(Oh, I wish you could hear some of the songs her animals were singing to each other.) 
No technology needed.
I was thinking to myself how cool it was that she was just playing.
Just imagining.
Just loving life.

Then she got out her purse and her money
And she decided to make a store.
But to go shopping, she needed a cell phone.
(In case there is an emergency).
And the next thing I knew,
Miss M had designed her very own technology.

I thought it was hysterical that her imaginative play time
Incorporated the 21st century that she has lived in her entire life
She never asked to borrow or use the real things
She just got the art supplies out and worked
And created
And designed
And talked to herself the entire time.

After she went to bed tonight,
I could help but pull out her technology items that were in her new purse.
See for yourself.

This is 21st Imaginative Play at it's finest.
No detail left off.

The cellphone

The iPod

The outside of the DS

The inside of the DS - with the map of how the living room was set-up for her shopping trip game

The outside of the laptop

The inside of the laptop with the similar map because "Well, Mommy - the DS is really just a mini computer but sometimes it's better to see it on full screen."

And the iPad.  (With letters representing all the apps on my iPad and iPod that she loves to play.)

Praise Reports:
-I am just constantly overwhelmed by the generosity and support of others.  I know without a doubt that the Lord has called me to be a foster parent, but I can't tell you how many times wonder to myself "how is this going to work", "where is that going to come from", "who can I find to help me", etc. and within days, hours, moments - these internal thoughts/prayers are answered.  I am humbled.  I am grateful.  I am in awe of His care to every single detail. 

Prayer Request:
-The last two Saturdays Miss M's visit with her mom has been cut short for one reason or another.  She hasn't complained, but I did make plans for this Saturday for while she is supposed to be gone and I am selfishly praying that I don't receive a phone call this week (like I have the past two) telling me they are dropping her off two hours earlier than planned.
-It's disappointing when you rush home for a set appointment only to have nothing happen.  I need to have more grace in these kinds of situations.  I am realizing that this is the norm and I need to prepare my mind ahead of time for that fact.