Things about stuff

On this particular babysitting venture, Taylor was nice enough not to be offended when I showed up wearing the same outfit: blue insulated shirt, tan cargo pants and a ponytail.

This one is an elephant hiding in the forest. Or maybe it's a portrait of Aunt Leigh.

For dinner, we're having Dora and Boots. Please color in your toppings of choice.

Last month I received my first two masterpieces from my niece. They were, of course, the most delightful things I’ve ever seen since my own masterworks at 20 months old. The even better part was seeing her in the act of creation.

Setting the paper down just so. Getting the crayon into position — eyes all focused concentration. Then the sweeping blur of that right arm executing a creative vision that I hope doesn’t indicate an early need for glasses, but more of an abstract mind making toddler sense of the crazy amount of stimuli it’s absorbing.

The bit that concerned me was one of the pages she was coloring in. Why are we having raw Dora the Explorer for dinner? And why is Dora so happy about it?