Sometimes when I'm lying in bed with Alek or Erin at night, I tell them their own bedtime stories - just like my dad used to tell me, the one that always started "There was a little girl who lived out in the country...." Except I tell them about the little boy/girl in the brick house with the Mama and the Dada and the sister/brother and the dogs and the cats and the red car and the green truck and the blue minivan. And inevitably Lightning McQueen. Well after I told Alek a story about Lightning McQueen and his star headlights (inspired by Alek's ladybug night sky night-light, which happened to be shining on the front of the big stuffed Lightning McQueen), Alek wanted another story. This is the conversation we had:

Alek: “Can you tell the story of Lightning McQueen and his friends and the moon headlight tattoos and how they went to Carburetor Canyon and then how they went to my house?”

Me: “I think you just told it.”

Alek: “No – that’s just the NAME of it.”

Me: “Well it sounds like a good story – I think you’re off to a good start.”

Alek: “Oh OK. This is the story of how I was out on my driveway waiting with Lightning McQueen, and ‘Mater and Chick Hicks came by, and they all wanted moon headlight tattoos so they went down to Carburetor Canyon and found a guy who had them. And he put them on and they went outside and turned on their headlights – and they saw ALL KIND OF MOONS! And then they came back to my house and they were driving around but they fell in the big hole in our backyard! And they couldn’t get out! And their headlight tattoos fell off! But I had a cold glue gun so I fixed it – they had to sit still for a little while so it could dry.”

"Now can you tell me another one?"