Happiness = painting with children

I love painting with Dan sooo much. Painting isn't, however, one of his activities of choice so I felt a bit bad when, after declaring several times that he could not decide what to do and implying that the responsibility for this fell to me, I declared in response that we would paint. There were initially of course the usual groans...mostly I think because painting can all too easily be about the perception of the picture you end up with, rather than the joy of creation. I know I can be guilty of this when doing creative things with Dan, but school has a big influence of childrens' approach to art too. So I love seeing pictures like the top one here which is one of several similar ones he painted for Abi to look at. We stuck a couple up in her corner of the kitchen where she often gets bunged at breakfast time so we don't trip over her.

Hopefully she will enjoy having some shapes and colours to look at now.

We painted a few more too which I've stuck over the crib and I would have taken a photo of but she is in there right now. Dan loved thinking about how she will be looking at these pictures, and he loved using the watercolour pencils and paints in a free way.

I didn't try to take a photo of Dan painting, much as I would have loved to, as he was so absorbed (and to be honest, so was I!) but here is a sneaky one from yesterday's jam tart baking session
and a (possibly) better picture of abi in her sling - I usually make sure she is more symmetrical than that if we were going out!