Art 101

During the long months spent waiting for word of our Rulings and subsequent travel to bring Tyler home, one lifeline was the arrival of our monthly updates which included among other things, photos and a short video. Oh, how we cherished and studied these with great scrutiny and care. I know of at least one month that we viewed our video, all 1 minute of it, 50 times and that's a conservative estimate! And though it was bittersweet, often marking the swift changes in our baby boy that were taking place without us, we treasured these incredible keepsakes and still do!

Early on we noted in the videos that Tyler appeared to favor his left hand. We wondered and speculated whether this indicated a tendency towards lefthandness. Being all "righties" LOL we marveled at this and spent many a chat musing over this mystery. Once home we just were not certain. At barely 7 months he was using both hands equally and mastering new skills with both.

Now its true that with your second child, said munchkin will in all likelihood be introduced to certain things sooner than with your first. I know for a fact that while I started Lauren using crayons and markers at an early age, it was not quite as soon as with Tyler. But of course he is always always watching his beloved big sis and SO wishes to do all the big kid stuff that she can do. Hence he was introduced to markers, coloring books, crayons, etc. months & months ago! And..........

Our little man simply loves to draw! Before he even took his first wobbly steps, he had grasped a piece of sidewalk chalk outside and began sweeping it across the pavement. Sidewalk art remains his favorite, though it may have more to do with being outside than the actual medium. :) Inside, Tyler colors with markers or crayons almost everyday and YES, he uses his left hand! This is interesting because we had just about decided he was in fact a "righty" as he feeds himself with his spoon using his right hand. What a fun discovery it has been!

BUT OH, when he draws ~ it is something to see. Our little guy, normally a whirling dervish of activity at 16 months can attend to it for upwards of 40 minutes or more. I mean he REALLY loves it! AND he will be drawing outside, take a step back as if studying the "big picture" of his work in progress, then step forward adding some small slash or mark before nodding his head & moving on. Its a hoot! His love of coloring has helped him to learn a few colors already too ~ Tyler can say and indentify both yellow & purple.....well,most of the time anyways! Ok, Ok, some of the time anyways.......LOL. AND red he calls, "Mo Mo", short for Elmo. Woe be the guest who arrives wearing red only to have Tyler label them "Elmo". LOL And it can be messy too! OH yes, it can!! :) Will he be an artist one day? Who knows? But it sure is fun being on this side of the video and wondering about his aptitudes than on the other side looking in!

And one more indulgence, er story, since we are chatting about art: This past weekend while visiting at my folks, all of us ladies/girls spent some time in the madness, shopping their downtown area. At one point we popped into an art gallery of local artists.....very neat stuff! I was a bit behind the group so when I entered I was immediately called over to a viewing bench in front of one collection by both Lauren and our niece Alyssa. They were so insistent and excited...."Mama, Mama" ~ "Aunt Lisa" they shouted in chorus; please come have a look.

Well, of course inside my Mama's heart just swelled to gigantic proportions. Ah, I thought, look at their deep appreciation for this artist's work ~ look at their joy of this piece of self expression. How proud I was feeling. I expected & anticipated that they wished to show me a piece of this work.....................not so much. :)~

Yes my friends, I was called over with such urgency to witness the "bum" impressions they had made on the faux leather cushions on said bench.Nothing was said about the art. Oh, that is until they stumbled onto the nude in the corner. LOL Ah well.....I suppose its just another form of art appreciation! ;)

Enjoy a few art pics and an indulgence or 2 also!

Yes, Tyler has discovered that while markers are not toxic, they are in fact NOT so tasty either. I also call this, "Groucho Marx".

And a sweet lil bear came to our house to draw one day. Please just ignore my art contributions on the pavement. Its funny too, cuz Tyler always has "to add to" or "correct" Mama's art too!

This one is for you Wanda........mighty cute tush, chalk & all! See, he already suffers for his art! LOL

I can't hardly catch him in my frame as he is SO busy looking for that new canvas. Actually I can hardly catch him on film at all anymore......he's way too quick!

And a few "fun ones" just cuz.

Have you spotted the rarely seen Taiwan dragon in your backyard? Don't worry, he's harmless and oh so sweet!! He only has 8 teeth afterall!! :)

And of course our best girl, doing something she loves best!

I wonder where she is running to?? LOL

OH, and it IS starting to look a bit like Christmas around here. I have been SO relishing seeing snippets of Christmas on your blogs. I promise some soon too!!