Whoever said creativity was not a messy endeavor? Certainly not moi. The kids have recently claimed a little nook in the house as their personal artists' studio. Cate got an art kit for her birthday (thanks Kaes and Abigail) and the two have spent hours and hours in the past few days making all kinds of creations. I clean up the mess, only to find the supplies brought out an hour or two later so that more creations can be made. They've made paintings, drawings, books, signs, evangelical pamphlets (the "God is reel" pages he made for each person at Friday's bible study), get well cards (for mom when I was sick this weekend), and sticker scenes using another birthday gift, a Star Wars sticker book. Ah well, the rest of the house is a mess right now with the remodel under way -- what's a little more?

Actually, this weekend, I was impressed with how well the kids managed themselves with me stuck on the couch with a Janet Evonovich book trying to get well. I would peek over and see Christopher teaching Cate the difference between oil pastels and watercolors and crayons. Is it me, or is my son maturing into a lovely child? Something about first grade -- he all of a sudden is becoming incredibly mature in the way her interacts with others (most of the time). I don't know if this is a common 1st grade thing, or an effect of being in a 1st/2nd grade combo class, or just a milestone for him, but truly it's wonderful to see.