I'm A Really Good Artist

On a nice Saturday afternoon a few weeks ago, Kiefer and I were playing baseball in the backyard. I was impressed with how well he was hitting my not-so-great pitches and throwing the ball back to me.

"Kiefer, you are doing such a great job! You're really good at this!"

"Mom, I'm also a really good artist."

He followed with, "and you know what I'm going to be when I grow up?"

What?.....

"I'm gonna be a genius."

Well, that is an excellent aspiration. In the meantime, he's taking his "really good artist" title very seriously! Last week he drew a horse-drawn carriage on his easel, complete with the sun and clouds in the sky, a tree, some people and he asked me to draw some birds. Those two wing-dings in the sky were my contribution by request as he "didn't know how to make birds".


Last night, picking him up from school, he had just finished building a castle from legos. It was a very convincing four-sided castle-like structure. When Kiefer walked away from his design, two little girls, barbies in hand said "let's play with Kiefer's castle!"

So far, this artist thing looks like it's working for him. And...there's always the genius thing to fall back on if necessary.

Short Story

A Short Story... by Kiefer Ewy

"Once upon a time, there was a mean witch."

(pause)

"The End."

How can that not make you giggle? ;)

MagnaDoodle Message

There really are no special words necessary to explain a story here. I just wanted to capture this. Walking through the entryway tonight I had to step over Kiefer's MagnaDoodle that was left on the floor. It really made me smile. Big.

I'm so thankful for my sweet little guy. Tonight, walking through my quiet house and seeing this MagnaDoodle masterpiece made my heart grow three times it's size, Grinch style. Love you, little man.

Sweet Dreams

This morning, the first thing Kiefer said when he woke us was, "Mommy. God was reading me stories while I was sleeping last night." I did a triple-take after this comment and started asking questions. Sweet and interesting... Did he think he was dreaming, what kind of stories were they, etc.

He said, "the stories were not scary, they were nice!" I guess he associates dreams with nightmares - and I realized we probably talk more about dreams being bad than good. I asked if he could tell me what the stories were about and he said, "no Mama. I don't remember. That was just so long ago!"

I have noticed lately that it's not easy to "break it" to an innocent little guy that bad things happen in this world. I'm sure every parent encounters these topics around this age, but we've had several lately. Why is there dangerous weather? (earthquakes, tornadoes, etc) Why do people die? Why do accidents happen? But one thing remains - God is a part of all of these conversations and where there is bad....
there is also something good.

I'm thankful for God's Love and comfort not only for my child, but also for me on this journey called parenthood. It's not easy or always simple keeping up with a four-year-old question machine. I definitely don't have all the answers. But his questions keep me wondering, thinking and seeking God. Thank God for my son and for all the light He shines on this world - especially in the form of tender moments and sweet dreams.

Dinosaur 101

I received a little dinosaur 101 again this morning. Kiefer is still completely interested in everything about how dinosaurs lived, what happened to them and what makes them similar to or different from animals that live today. I suppose I can thank the Dinosaur Train on PBS along with every other book he's read or movie he's watched to gather all this knowledge!

"Mommy, did you know that pterodactyls are still alive today? That's weird. They must have just stayed away from the meteor. Or the cuddled up in a cave. And then made a little hole."

"And you know how dinosaurs got sick? Like if a great big T-Rex...SCRATCHED (insert reenactment scratching hands and scary mean face) them in the belly! Their bellies don't have anything to keep them safe. You know why they got sick, Mommy? Because back then they didn't have any MEDICINE!"

Leonardo Da Kiefer

Balloons by Kiefer Ewy

I haven't posted an update for a while, but Kiefer's latest interest in drawing is noteworthy.

This little guy picked up a perfectionist gene somewhere (hmmm...what?) and he's always been particular about how his ideas are portrayed on paper. Translate: he has the idea and tells you how to put it on paper. I remember a head-scratching moment roughly one year ago when I was being directed to watercolor an elephant that looked nothing like an elephant to me...yet I was doing it totally wrong and Kiefer was literally washing off my paper with a wet paper towel correcting me, "no, Mama, his tail is here." Anyone who spends much time with Kiefer has experienced the "hey, can we draw {fill in the blank obsession} and cut them out?" Again, to translate: you draw, you cut, Kiefer directs. Dinosaurs. Dalmations. Elephants. Pirates. Different Dinosaurs. More Pirates. More Dinosaurs.

Then about two weeks ago, he drew stick people. Just one day out of the blue...he drew people! And they were pirates. In a boat. Holding the sails.


A few days later he moved on to dinosaurs. These are "three horns" and one "long neck" that he cut out.


Today he drew these. The top one is a T-Rex with its eggs. The bottom two are a Triceratops family complete with three horns each and some eggs. Eat your heart out Da Vinci!

Definition of Help

This weekend, Kiefer and I spent some quality time building with the Lincoln Logs. We went off the beaten path and made a pirate ship, despite our lack of "constructions" (instructions). It didn't turn out half bad but after the ship had served it's time, it came down and Kiefer decided he wanted to make a cake next. So, he handed me a few pieces and said "here's the flour" and "here's the butter"...while I built. Then he went to the other side of the room and jumped up on the couch. I quickly requested, "hey, why don't you come help me?"

"I'll just tell you want to do. That's kind of like helping.."

Insert {you've got to be kidding me} mom response face here. Then a lot of giggling under my breath. Can't beat a zinger like that.