Ari's drawings over the last few days have been becoming more and more intricate. Suddenly he is putting pupils in eyes, his figures have arms + legs, things are really looking like what he says they are. I suppose all parents say :: feel this, but Ari seems to have quite a talent - when he puts his mind to it. Sometimes he just scribbles, and is silly - which is fine, though it normally happens when I'm asking his to make a card for someone (to show off his talents!).

And lately his drawings are predominately hot-air balloons or fireworks. So, to see him drawing more specific things - and not just one or two, but page after page after page - is so special.

Well, it's just the next step in him growing up. And being our oldest means that Sam + I are going through all that parent pride for the first time. Its like, you don't take real notice and remembrance of what other kids do at certain ages, so when your first kid does it, well it seems so important and as if no other kid has ever done that before. You've all done it - don't pretend you haven't. (I used to work in a mainly kids toy :: discovery shop, I know the parent / grandparent pride that can exist - some really full on).

Anyway, today Ari was drawing me. He hasn't done that before - not actually drawn a person and said this is Mummy. If it hadn't been so amazingly cute, and clever and special I may have been hurt at the portrait - but I suppose the thing is, it was quite an accurate portrait.

Telling us about it - he showed off my hair, eyes, and then - my soggy bum! Take another look at that picture - that little bump down the bottom is my bum. We all had a wonderful giggle about that bottom. Ari gets quite giggly crazy sometimes - and can't stop. And then the long hair, standing on end - well I do have long hair, normally hanging limply down my back or tied up into a bun. Then he drew another picture of me, with spots all over - and hey, I do have spots most all over my body :: freckles.

I guess he has been getting a bit more curious about things, combined with being able to articulate what he wants to know into a question. The other day he asked me why my tummy was bumpy. Because of you two kids my darling. It's called fat. And a few days later he asked me what the spots on my arms were - I tried to think of something more than the usual that freckled kids are told :: "It's the sun's kisses".