The other day after quiet time my oldest emerged from his room with his first book.  I knew nothing of his project until he emerged but was blown away by what he produced.  On the cover page his listed himself as the “osr” and “iliusha” (author and illustrator).   For his first book, he pretty much spells out the gospel message in word and pictures.

Page One:  “God loved us”  (I must say the spelling on this one def made me chuckle).

Page Two: God made the stars.  God made the moon, God made the sun. God made the flowers.

Page 3: Jesus Loves You. 

Page 4:  has the tomb with the stone in front, and then Jesus outside of the tomb (notice the marks on his hands?) and the angel in front of the empty tomb.

Last page:  The End.  (notice the bar code at the bottom?)

When he showed it to us, my husband immediately said he wanted to scan it into the computer.  When my son heard this he said, “Oh, if you want to scan it then hold on…and he went and drew the “bar code” on the back.

I have many pictures and cards he’s made over the past years, but this is def one of my most treasured.  I love that he spelled it all on his own, I love the pictures he drew, but most importantly, I love the story he chose to tell.

My oldest two have gotten into the habit of “e-mailing” each other at the beginning of nap time.    And by e-mailing they really mean they are drawing pictures and writing messages back and forth to each other.  We’ve worked out a system in which they are allowed to e-mail for the first 30 minutes of nap time.  Then, they have to have quiet time in separate rooms for the remaining hour and a half.  

I have become a huge fan of the e-mailing time.  It is quite precious as a mom to hear them whisper and slipping messages to each other under their doors.  It is the most peaceful, argument free time of my day.  And sometimes I permit the e-mail time to extend past the designated 30 minute time slot.

These e-mails are not paper less however and quite a lot of drawings and messages are created each week.  I simply can not save them all as we’d be drowning in paper trails. 

But, from time to time I set aside some gems that I simply can’t part with.  Some for sentimental reasons, some because I am impressed with the art work, some because they just make me smile, and serve as momentos of days gone by.

Here are a few recent ones my son drew for his sister.

I loved this one because it was obvious, to me, upon seeing it who he drew.  Can you identify the princess he drew for his sister?

Then there is Dora’s mom.  This one gave me quite a startle.  It was one of the original e-mails he drew months ago.   I had no idea Dora’s mother was so heavily endowed!

I know I have mentioned baby Eli here before.  Eli is one of my children’s cousin’s and he is adored here at the circus.  In fact, both girls  have renamed their baby dolls Eli.  And my son has taken on the roll of Eli’s dad. 

Here is a picture my son drew of my daughter when she had baby Eli at the hospital. 

On the left side, you’ll notice the doctor and my son holding baby Eli.  Then there is my daughter on the hospital bed in the middle.  And lastly there is my daughter holding baby Eli.

I greatly enjoy seeing the drawings my son makes for his sister.  I never know what he’ll come up with next.

Isn’t it funny they call this e-mailing instead of letter writing?  Sign of the times, I suppose.