let us create

I know it goes without saying because if you know our kids at all you know that they are POLAR OPPOSITES!! In fact, I don't think they could even BE more opposite. Ash is into art and loves math. He would rather read then play outside and, in fact, when I force him to go in the backyard, nine times out of ten he takes a book with him and sits on the swing set to read. Maddox, on the other hand, would live outside if we let him. He goes outside in his underwear, plays in the dirt and will literally wrestle a pillow (I'm NOT kidding...) if it's the only thing to punch at the time. So, as you can imagine, playtime with daddy around our house can be quite diverse. Brandon does a great job, though, of incorporating things both of our boys like and dividing his time very well. The other night, Brandon spent half of his time drawing with Ash and the other half playing video games with Maddox. I'm so happy to see the ways my boys' creativity comes out. Both Brandon and I are very creative people. Obviously, Brandon has patterned his life's work after all things creative and I turn to creative outlets such as decorating, writing and event planning. I guess the boys had no chance but to turn out creative in one way or another. Ash definitely follows in his daddy's footsteps in the drawing department. Despite all of my creativity I cannot draw to save my life. At almost 30 years old I can still barely pull out a stick figure and that's in the most desperate situation! Ha! Ashtyn, on the other hand, practices drawing all the time. All of his school papers come home with doodles on the back and he will sit at home and draw for hours. On this night, Brandon was showing Ash how to draw lego figures. He was totally into it and very proud of his work...as you can tell! One of my favorite moments of the night came when I heard Brandon talking to Ash and Maddox. Maddox was trying his best to draw something like his big brother and daddy and it just wasn't turning out quite right. (Poor Maddox got my drawing ability...) But, obviously, we think his drawings are still perfect. As I listened to Maddox having a breakdown over his sketches Brandon said something that made me proud of him and also warmed my heart. Brandon sat with both of our boys and told them that "NO art is bad" and that anything you draw or create is perfect. What good advice! Not only for the kids but for us grown-ups as well. I hope my boys never allow themselves to buy into the opinions of others and stop doing something they love because Brandon is right, NOTHING created is bad. God gave us creativity and we should use it!