A Work in Progress

Today was a snow day. I do not mean to imply that there is any actual snow on the ground, because there isn't any. School was cancelled because the roads were a little slippery, and we wouldn't want anyone to crash their Lexus SUV in the carpool lane, now would we? O. K., it was a little worse than that, but not much.

An extra day off in a week already shortened by the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday was cause for celebration at our house. For Ian, it meant a day to play and grace period for not doing his homework last night. For Ainsley, it meant another pajama day. For Steve, another day to work from home without taking a shower (that's two in a row hun - it's about time you met a bar of soap!). And for me, a day to paint.

The kids enjoyed a six hour play date with Jack and Georgia. It astounds me how well 4 kids - 2 sets of siblings - can get along. Ian and Jack studied the ant farms he got for his birthday and Christmas. They watched closely to see which ants were digging tunnels faster. Never in a million years did I ever think having huge red ants on my kitchen counter would be something I would condone. Now I have allowed them to be present during lunch. What has gotten into me?

This afternoon the kids got together to watch Robots for the hundred millionth time. Toward the end of the flick there was some unusual giggling and running around. When I went upstairs to check it out, Ian was doing his Captain Underpants impersonation. No, really. This is a real dude. A superhero extraordinaire. The idol of every first grade boy on the planet. I AM NOT KIDDING! Ian's favorite book thus far is Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy, Part 2: The Revenge of the Ridiculous Robo-Boogers. With great literature like this on his shelf, I just know the Ivy League is in his future. Probably not in the academic sense though. Maybe "Janitorial Science"?

All kidding aside, days like today help to remind me that even though I think of him as the worlds most brilliant child, Ian is still a work in progress. He has to experience the things that all young children do. There is no skipping anything. His quirkiness allows him to see things differently, sometimes magically. His perspective of the world is helping him build the framework for whatever castle in the sky awaits him.

Meanwhile, I continue to paint visions that are inspired by my children. They have no idea how they challenge me to test my own limits and grow with each piece. They push me to see the tiny details that make life interesting. The other day Ainsley found a tiny string on the floor at Kinkos. It kept her intrigue long enough for me to have a photo of Cragside Castle enlarged so I could paint it. At least the string kept her eyes and hands away from the candy display just next to where we were standing.

Perhaps I'll paint a minuscule detail into this picture that only they will see.