7 Quick Takes Friday Vol 11

--1--

I'm surprised preschool registration doesn't include a limited liability waiver for the small forrest that will be sacrificed in your child's name for the year.  

Personally, I feel a tremendous guilt for the environmental footprint she is making on her 4th year of life all in the name of artwork.  Wait, nope, sorry the guilt is for my filing system a la recycling bin...  It's not that I don't appreciate art.  Especially their sweet, innocent kid art.  I DO appreciate it.  In fact, some of her master pieces are higher quality than most modern art collections at world famous museums.  True story.   

I really should be much better at memory keeping, but alas, I don't really care for clutter and how many beautiful pictures of the same exact thing recreated in various colors and mediums can you save??    All you say.  Well, you're a better parent than I.  

We do a refrigerator rotation system, but we've got a lot of artists in this family and magnet rentals have a week long limit unless the creation has a great deal of comic relief, in which case we extend the lease by about a month before relocating it to the blue receptacle.  Blue Receptacle; slight euphemism Daddy and I have crafted to discretely discuss our "filing system."   

Don't worry though!  I am humane.  Before relocation I have taken pictures and/or scans of my favorite creations and now I am going to dedicate an entire 7QTF to them.  Oh good!  I'm so glad you find that just as rewarding as grandfathered refrigerator real estate! 

--2--

Sienna; The Excited New Sister

Revealing our baby secret a little early, Sept 2012
Marker on paper
8 in × 11 in

While some might focus on my less than flattering portrayal or maybe you're thrown a tad by my  tail (no, that's not the secret she revealed), this is my favorite picture of the year.  So much to analyze!  So much I hope you won't... yikes!   I was only 6 weeks along and we had just told the kids our special news.  We like to wait for the first ultrasound to share, but we were praying as a family for the baby to come and we were excited. End of story, they had to know right away. She didn't actually tell a single person the news before it was time... so we will cut her a little slack for answering the question 100% truthfully.  There were 6 people in her family at that moment. 

--3--

Sienna

I love going out with my mommy, Feb 2013
Water color and marker on card stock
8 in × 11 in

This is not anatomically correct. Those are sleeves.  I asked too.  

--4--

Sienna; future saint? 

How we adore Jesus, March 2013
Crayon on paper
8 in × 11 in

In her religion class she is given free time to draw or journal about Jesus, Mass, or whatever is on her heart.  I may have shed a tear or two when she came up with this.  Most adults can't even recognize a monstrance and to know exactly what it looks like.  Enter Grandpa to exclaim "They've done good. Real good over there at that school."

--5-- 

Sienna; The Scientist?

This is how food works, Jan 2013
Marker on paper
8 in × 11 in

When given the prompt:  "Draw a part of your body,"  Sienna's teacher explained most kids traced their hands, maybe drew a face or a stick figure...   Not my child.  She drew the digestive system.  Is it wrong that I'm equally as proud of #4 as I am of #5??    

It's hard to read, but she even explained the process pretty well: 

"First, food goes in the mouth (Pink part).  Then it goes down the throat (Green part) and swirls around and around and gets smooched in the stomach (Red part).  After food is done being used, the left overs come out (Not illustrated. Thankfully)."    

I should add the disclaimer here that I was an anatomy and physiology teacher, so when she asks what happens to her food after she eats it I tell her literally and accurately what happens to her food.  The pictures she imagined on her own! 

--6--

Sienna's hand

Hand Print Manger, Jan 2013
Paint, yarn and ink on construction paper
6 in × 5 in

I'll consider this her rendition of other classic pieces??   A reprinting of her teacher's model?   Yeah, I've got nothing.  It's just really cute.  We get a lot of hand and feet prints.  I'm sure they're growing. I haven't compared.  I know I will appreciate this down the road and this is such a cute idea that I saved it.  It landed fridge space for well over a month... That and we were on break, so not much new material was coming in.

--7--

Sienna the movie star

Theatrical performance of La Posada, Dec 2013

Casting, The Three Inn Keeper's wives
Costume design and make up by an old lady (or maybe young child) at a street market in central Mexico imported by her teacher.   

This is cheating.  She didn't kill a forrest for this.  But it is extremely precious and she took her little role so seriously!  La Posada is a reenactment of the Nativity Scene. As an Inn Keeper's Wife she had to help turn away Mary and Joseph when they asked for "Posada" or a place to stay. We practiced her lines "No room here!" for days.  First she tried it with some attitude.  Then with remorse.  Then a bit of humor.  She settled on a firm, but sympathetic rejection.  

Actually, I'm not sure how she ended up doing it on opening day. Unfortunately, I was trapped behind more eager picture taking mothers who weren't 70 months pregnant hauling around 2 other inappropriately vocal and rambunctious toddler boys while enjoying the performance.  

If you're still reading, wow, thank you!  

Go see Jen for some 7QTFs with likely better topic variety