the duncan family: The Elevator

"C'mon, Annabelle," Jacob yelled down the hall. "We have to huwee (hurry) and get in the elevator before the door closes! Huuuuuweeee!!" I closed the pantry door just in time to see Jacob turn the corner with an armload of treasures -- two toy lanterns, a Clemson flag, a microphone case that Heath brought home from church after band practice one night (no doubt, filled with more treasures), and a tiny magnadoodle. He quickly ran towards the coat closet with Annabelle trailing closely behind. Her arms were full of stuffed animals -- a little gray bunny, old Minnie Mouse (the beloved), new Minnie Mouse (not so beloved), a pink toy lantern and a ziploc bag full of crackers. Jacob opened the closet door, threw his belongings inside and crawled in atop his things as well as the other things we keep hidden away on the closet floor. Annabelle did the same. Jacob pulled the door closed and off they went.

Going up! Or maybe they were going down. Who knows? :)

This is a typical scene at our house lately. The elevator...errr...coat closet....is a busy place. Jacob and Annabelle are constantly riding up and down the elevator. This elevator makes several stops. Sometimes, it takes them to the hotel (one of their bedrooms), where they'll stay and play with toys for quite a while. Other times, it takes them to a campsite (their bathroom). The bathroom is one of the only rooms in the house with no windows, so with the lights off and the door closed, it is completely dark. This is where the lanterns come into play. They set up their three lanterns around the bathroom and pretend they are camping at night. Side note: Several weeks ago, our power was out for a couple hours. Jacob and Annabelle were overjoyed. They were so excited to carry their lanterns all over the house in the dark.

I love to see and hear them playing like this -- their imaginations hard at work. And I'm always curious to see which toys they take with them into the elevator. The lanterns are ever present, and Jacob almost always has the microphone case, but everything else changes depending on whatever story is being played out in their minds. I once saw Annabelle crawl into the elevator with three baby dolls and a diaper bag. I thought it was cute until she threw a fit because the doll's stroller wouldn't fit in the elevator with her. Annabelle screamed on the floor while Jacob closed the door and went to the hotel without her. But, never fear, he came back later and asked if she wanted to go camping with him.