Busy Jacob

Every afternoon we have the same routine.  I am big on routine for the sake of constancy in my little children's life.  But I must admit that sometimes the routine feels like we are on a hamster wheel and we all need to desperately jump off before our tiny legs break.  I wish this included a beach somewhere, but unfortunately that is nowhere in sight.  

Jacob's early afternoon routine is always the same - only now he really wants more projects to keep busy.  We eat lunch together.  I put Scotty to bed and he watches a short movie to just chill (and I eat lunch in peace and quiet with the Ensign magazine!).  Before I can clean up my dishes he is ready for projects.  For the past week he has been making paper towel snowflakes and then dipping them in dilluted food coloring.  They soak up the color and it is quite a thrilling and satisfying project.  We now have a stack of about 30 snowflakes.  I can't believe I don't have a photo of it.  At first I loved the project (he learned it at school and was eager to teach me how to do it).  But I started to dread the big set up and wet paper towel snowflakes all over the kitchen counters every afternoon.  

Yesterday he finally was convinced to try another project...painting on the easel.  The counters were fully occupied with making shortbread cookies for Michael's class' Fairytale Author's Tea.  Very frustrated with my use of the kitchen counters he was finally persuaded.  He has been learning all about artists in school and loved the idea of painting a portrait.  He told me that portraits have no bodies - just heads.  This is one of Peter.  He then signed his work - because that is what artists do.