Last Friday, Jefferson had an Inventors'Club meeting. He had come up with this on his own. Right before school was out, he wrote a letter to his friends inviting them to join him in the Inventors'Club, where they would invent and play together. Not all of his friends were able to make it, but what we had was enough. I had gone to Michael's the day before and had gotten them creative kits to build and paint, as well as other materials that they could use to make their own inventions. I think the meeting was a success. All the boys had a great time making things, cutting, gluing, coloring, creating. We ended with ice-cream cones. Later Jefferson gave me big hugs and kisses for helping him with the event. I was so proud of Jefferson for having such amazing ideas and seeing them through.
This whole week Jefferson has been in cub scout camp. This was the first camp I had sent my kids ever, and the rest of us felt lonely without Jefferson. My friend Christina was Jefferson's den leader so I wasn't worried about him; my children at home were another issue. They kept complaining about how life was boring without Jefferson. And they didn't like that they had to do his chores either. I tried to take every other day off and do something fun. We visited friends and attended water parks, but my kids were still missing their brother.
As for Jefferson, he was making a name for himself at camp. He won every competition and answered every question correct. The leaders and parent volunteers were all astonished at his accomplishments. On their last day during a BBQ lunch they kept asking me what I was doing with Jefferson to get these excellent results. Besides being a high achiever himself, we try to help Jefferson and all of our kids to have high expectations and then help them them achieve those expectations. Whenever they complain of working hard on their chores or wanting to watch a movie instead of read, we always ask them what would a Renaissance man/woman do. They sigh, but the complaints stop. It feels good to let Leonardo da Vinci take the blame once in a while.
Here are some of the fun stuff that Jefferson accomplished in camp this week:
This Friday, after Jack and Jefferson were done with their camp, Christina and I took them swimming. We thought they would be too tired to swim or play, but these boys had plenty of energy to enjoy themselves all day. We were at the swimming pool for over three hours, and when we got home Jefferson still wanted to play some games with dad. Ah, the joy of being a child!
One of my favorite things that my kids do is their art. They each have their style and favorites. Jefferson is amazing with his drawings, James loves to color, and Gillian astonishes me with her imagination. This week they did something different with their art. Jefferson finished a great many projects by using "how to draw 50 things(people, cars, ships,etc)" books, and then allowed James to use some of his finished art for coloring. What an amazing idea and combination of skills! As for Gillian, she used her art for practical reasons as well; she made 'thank you' or 'I'm thinking of you' cards for family and friends. When her voice teacher received a thank you card from Gillian for having helped her with her sacrament song, she was so amazed and pleased that Gillian had taken time to make a card just for her. I wish I had a talent that was so practical. I'm so proud of Gillian, and of my boys for coming up with such great ideas.
Here are some of Jefferson's drawings:
Here are a few of Jefferson's drawings colored by James:
And here is a sample of Gillian's cards:
Speaking of art, today is one of my favorite artists' birthday: Gustav Klimt's 150th anniversary. It would have wonderful to have visited Belvedere this day rather than last summer, since most of his paintings will be available in various rooms of the museum accompanied by a myriad of pictures and personal effects. There are usually 24 of those painting on display at all times in Belvedere, but today they will have a display of his life as well. A very eccentric (as all artists are) and quite original in his view of art, Gustav Klimt started an artistic revolution in Vienna called the Vienna Secession. His art was symbolic in theme and unconventional in the usage of color. He loved painting women the most, and his paintings were quite the scream in his time for the touch of eroticism found in all of them. I love the way he uses color and shapes intertwined together creating with such originality ordinary themes. Here are just a couple of my favorites (a poster of the Kiss has been standing on my bedroom wall since college time):
When I went to Vienna last year, I got each of my kids something, but I hadn't found any thing for Charlton. He was very young then, but I finally decided to get him a memory game with paintings of Gustav Klimt. Since then that is one of his favorite games; he carries it with him everywhere we go (they come in a small box so it is very easy for Charlton to carry them in his pocket.) This is the best way to introduce art to kids (although I have had to take away a couple of the cards because they were a bit too much art for my boys). Here is Charlton playing with them while I cook:
Speaking of Charlton, let me end my post with an utterly adorable picture of him. All my kids know that if they wake up earlier than mom, they don't wake her up. Instead they are advised to find something quiet to do till I get up. Charlton is no exception. There have been mornings when I have woken up and found him reading in a quiet corner all by himself, or playing with his cards in the guest room. One morning this week, I woke up hearing some noise outside. As I looked out from my door, I saw Charlton still in his diaper rocking in his rocking chair in the back yard, all by himself. However, what made this picture even more adorable was the addition to his outfit: his cowboy boots. Just seeing my little one thinking in his underwear and boots while rocking in his rocking chair made my day!
