And, yet each time I whip out my Garfield coloring book and crayons I think back to a time at my Aunt Suzanne's house. My cousin Kelli apparently had quite a knack for coloring because I can remember so vividly the beautiful leopard she colored perfectly complete with shading and thick outlining to give it some life. I've always wanted to color like that. Granted she was in high school and I was probably somewhere near fourth grade. I think even today though, I don't color as well as she did.
I am not an artistic person in anyway shape or form. I know how to appreciate art, creating it's another thing. It's probably why I enjoy coloring so much. Takes the need for artistic ability almost completely out.
**Side note** Apparently it's monsoon season in Bartlesville. I haven't seen it rain as hard as it is right now since the great floods of the summer of 2007. **End side note**
A couple of weeks ago I decided to introduce my crayons to Gabe. I didn't pull out the Garfield book. I'm saving it for myself. I've had it since my first year of college. Each page I have left is precious and the signifigance would probably be lost on my 17 month old son. So, we settled for Daddy's spiral ring notebook instead.
Gabe spent the first twenty minutes of crayon time getting acquainted with the colors (throwing them like 52 card pick up and then stacking them in piles), then just as he was getting really close with the crayons (attempting to eat them) I finally convinced him they could make pretty lines on the paper if you held them just right. And, after approximately three strokes of the crayon he was done. I think I'll invest in some big crayons and see if they aren't easier for him to handle next time.
I know Gabe looks really solemn in the photos, but I promise you he was having fun. That is his studious "I gotta figure this out" look.
Removing the crayons began like this....
....progressed to this....
....and ended something like this.
My poor crayons...
His bottom lip likes to protrude
when he's intensely concentrating.
Fistfuls of crayons.
Please don't break them, please don't break them....
"Like dis Mommy?"
Success! Coloring!
Gabe's vocabulary is expanding by leaps and bounds each week. This week the new thing is "tuh-hiss, tuh-hiss" (kiss?, kiss?). And, this morning I thought he was trying to say book, but I was confused because he wasn't saying it right and he has said book for a long time. After we got him dressed he went right to his highchair, as he usually does and said, "Chair? Bull-kah?". Then, I was really confused until I got in the fridge and he started repeating "bull-kah" very excitedly and it hit me...."bull-kah" means milk. Ah, yes Gabe, I would love to get you some milk.
If only all of his words could be so easily understood...
You are lucky, Bryson loves to tear the paper off and split every crayon in half. He WILL NOT be content coloring until every crayon is broken in half. I bought him the plastic twistable crayons and those seem to work the best. He loves them and believe it or not they all made it home from the airplane. Lord knows he wanted to throw them on the ground and watch them roll all the way to the end of the plane. :)
ReplyDeleteSide note, it does his uncle's heart good to see his Thomas whistle in this drawing adventure. Hopefully he makes beautiful music with it. I know Bryson loves his drum.
Aww!!!! Thanks Jules! I loved coloring and at 32, I still do!!!!! I'll never grow too old to! Luv you cousin!!
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