Monkey Say, Monkey Do

If you ask Missy to please chew with her mouth closed, she'll shut her eyes, squint has hard as she can, cover her ears with her hands, and announce proudly, "I close now, Mommy! I close gooooood."

I've decided not to rate this peculiar behavior as part of her native intelligence, or lack thereof. It's her art, you see. It's an interpretive thing.