"Swashbuckler" Mormon Ad

I came across this cute little ad again on youtube and it reminded me of my house. This is just like my boys. When its's not homework time, it's crash... bang... swipe... "Avast!"

"Ahoy!"

"En-garde!"

"I'll save you!"

"Nooooooo!"

"I'll get you for this, you villain!" and "You'll never escape!"

I guess I'm a little to blame for this. I love playing pretend, myself. And I have always encouraged dress-up or ahem... costumes. I love watching them put on an alternate ego and solve a ginormous problem. I hope it will help them in the future when they are faced with situations in which they have to put on a brave face and fix whatever is wrong with a wrench or a soothing conversation.

This encouragement has flowed over into our bedtime routine. It is becoming a longer and longer experience as each boy has asked for his own tailor-made story over the past few months. I can't do a whole story a night for all of them, so I have to do it in serial format....

Believe me the plots get confused sometimes

My nearly 3 year old wants to be "Thomas the Tank Engine" or "Lightening McQueen" That's easy enough to come up with a story he likes.

My 5 year old is obsessed with robots right now and his favorite color is orange. So "Tech-Orange" (He came up with the name, not me!) has adventures in the future saving the universe or maybe just planet Earth.

My 7 year-old longs to be a real life cowboy. He is Wild Phil. He lives in Chesapeake Falls, Texas. This has been the longest running serial adventure. Wild Phil has had adventures with stampeding cattle, run-away trains, cattle rustlers, a skeleton ghost in the Grand Canyon and a pick-pocketing ostrich who ran away from the circus (don't ask!).

My 9 year-old wishes he had his own Pokemon, so he has adventures with his own little Charmander.

My oldest hasn't asked for his own stories for a while, but he listens to all the other boys' stories.

I remember my mother telling us "head stories" when I was little to me and my sister. So the tradition continues with the next generation!

Thanks Mom!