'Rillas continued

Just yesterday Rachel started pointing to herself while declaring, "Petty pen-cess!"

It took Andrew and I a while to realize that she was calling herself a pretty princess. We call her that a lot because she is our pretty little princess. Somehow she knows what princesses are, even though we have no princess movies or stories or toys. I know she's watched some of The Little Mermaid at the House's house and she's probably caught a few other snippets of princess life here and there, but it wasn't likely at our house. Wherever and however she learned about them, she's enamored by them.

She really confused her primary teacher today. Every time Anne said Rachel's name, Rachel pointed to herself and said, "Petty pen-cess!"

During sharing time when I asked Rachel to come over to me, she wouldn't until I obediently re-asked her by saying, "Yes, fine. Come over here, Pretty Princess."

Anne gasped as the realization sunk in, "Oh, that's what she's been saying all day!"

We just finished playing games as a family. Rachel likes to play a very watered-down version of UNO, using Winnie the Pooh cards, numbers 1 through 4, in all four colors, without any fancy wilds or draw 2 cards or anything like that. She also has a Winnie the Pooh memory game and a Bible Stories set of cards. So far we've only ever played with those.

Today, though, I remembered that we had a set of face cards, Disney Princess style. (I know I said we didn't have any princess toys; I don't think face cards really count as a toy--they're a game). We broke those out and played a very watered-down version of Go Fish, using only the portraits of Belle, Ariel, Snow White, Aurora, and Cinderella.

Rachel was very excited to be using princess cards and she quickly learned the names of the different princesses. She plays Go Fish very politely, saying,

"Pease, may I has more dis card?" while she points to one of the cards in front of her on the table.

When it was Andrew's turn, he asked Rachel if she had a Cinderella card, which she did.

"Oooh, 'Rilla!" she sang while she handed Andrew her card, "Petty girl-rilla! Petty pen-cess 'rilla!"

As if she wasn't confused enough, we've just introduced a whole nother dimension to the 'rillas!

**UPDATE**

Rachel and I just had a conversation in the bathroom. It was mostly Rachel talking, and this is what she said,

"I'm pen-cess! I'm pen-cess 'Rilla! I'm girl, too! I'm pen-cess girl 'Rilla!"