Wiley's imagination is so much fun to watch. He will sit and have his toys talk to each other for a while by himself before he'll assign York or me to be one of the toys and play with him. But what he loves the most is for me or York to "read" him a story--not out of a book, but for us to tell him made up stories, over and over and over again. Here's the story he asks me to tell him 99% of the time.
Once upon a time there was a chicken man who loved beagles and potato heads. He wanted a Mr. potato head and asked for one for Christmas, but santa didn't bring him one because the chicken man is not nice; he didn't listen to his mother or share. So one day mommy, daddy, wiley, and archer were watching a movie (wiley fills in what kind of movie we were watching) when we heard a strange noise up in wiley's room. Mommy, daddy, wiley, and archer went upstairs to investigate the strange noise. When they got to Wiley's room, there was the chicken man rummaging through Wiley's toy box. Daddy told the chicken man to stop, but the chicken man didn't stop, instead, he grabbed Mr. Potato head and ran down the stairs. The chicken man ran through the house and out the back door. Molly, Clyde, and roodie started to bark at the chicken man to get him to stop, but the chicken man didn't listen, instead, he grabbed roodie and ran out the gate. Mommy, daddy, wiley and archer yelled at the chicken man to stop, but he kept running (wiley will say, archer said goo goo ga ga). He ran down the drive way and out to the road. Mommy, daddy, wiley, and archer followed him, but couldn't see him and didn't know which way he went so they looked for a clue. (wiley will say "dog hair!"). Mommy, daddy, wiley and archer followed the trail of dog hair because roodie was such a hairy dog, he left hair wherever he went. Mommy, daddy, wiley and archer followed the dog hair all the way to the chicken man's house (Wiley will tell me that the chicken man lives in Raleigh) which is in Raleigh. When they got to the chicken man's house (wiley asks what it looks like?) It's a white house with a red door and yellow shutters and chicken wall paper inside. When they got to the chicken man's house they knocked on the door, but the chicken man said go away. Daddy said we want out potato head and roodie back. The chicken man said, no, they're mine now. So mommy, daddy, wiley and archer had to come up with a plan to get roodie and potoato head back. (wiley will then interject the plan, either climbing on the roof and coming down the chimney, but more likely, digging a hole). The family decided to dig a hole. They all took turns with the shovel. Mommy only dug a little because she had to hold Archer, archer only dug a little because he is a baby, daddy only dug a little because his back hurt, but wiley dug the most becuase he is so strong and has big muscles. Wiley dug a hole all the way under the chicken man's front door into his house then everyone jumped out of the hole into the chicken man's house and said surprise. Then Wiley grabbed roodie and archer grabbed potato head and mommy, daddy, wiley, and archer ran out the front door. The chicken man said stop, but daddy said no way. When mommy, daddy, wiley and archer got home, roodie was so happy to be back he gave everyone a big lick on the cheek and said ooooh (howl). the end.