Coloring

Julia had swim lessons at the Y yesterday afternoon, so I packed a coloring book and markers in the pool bag so that Madeleine could resume her usual poolside activity.  (Not to worry, however; she is not left out of the swimming fun this fall.  Madeleine had her own Y swim lesson on Wednesday!)

Madeleine browsed through her "My Little Pony" coloring book and finally settled upon a color-by-shape page, upon which sat a star, a heart, and a diamond.  I read the instructions to her, step by step.

ME: "Find the star.  Color it yellow."
MADELEINE: (picking up the yellow marker and coloring in the star.)
ME: Okay, now: "find the heart.  Color it pink."
MADELEINE: (finding the pink marker and coloring the heart.)
ME: Good job!  Now: "find the diamond.  Color it blue."
MADELEINE: (balking) But...why not PURPLE?
ME: Well, because it says "blue."
MADELEINE: But Maaama.  Why didn't they say "color it PURPLE?"
ME: I don't know.  It says "blue."
MADELEINE: No, it says "PURPLE!"
ME: See this word here?  "B-L-U-E."  That spells "blue."  If it said "purple," what letter would it need to begin with?
MADELEINE: P!
ME: Right.
MADELEINE: But Maaaaamaaa!  Why do YOU say it has to be BLUUUUE?
ME: I didn't say that.  That's what it says in the instructions.  But honey, if you'd rather color it purple, that's totally fine.  This is YOUR coloring book.  You can use whatever color you want.

Madeleine had trouble battling her irrepressible desire to make the diamond purple with the fact that the instructions called for blue.  After taking the purple marker and filling in the diamond, she came up with the perfect solution to the problem.

MADELEINE: Here Mama.  I know what to do.  (crossing out the "b" in blue and writing a "p" underneath it.)  There!  Now does it say "purple"??
ME: Well, actually, now it says "plue," but I can write "purple" for you if you want.

She wanted.  So I did.  And all was right with the world

In other coloring news, Julia and Madeleine left some artwork on Daddy's computer as a surprise for him.  After emerging from his shower, Ethan returned to his computer to find the following pictures:

By Julia.  It's hard for me to choose my favorite thing in this drawing.  I love me some pumpkins big time, especially big round guys like the one Julia drew, but I'm also pretty fond of a good srobary, and Julia's looks awfully juicy and delicious.  And it's hard to pass up a good pikel, though I definitely don't like pikels as much as pumpkins or srobarys.

This one was drawn by Madeleine, who, as usual, decided to try and imitate what her sister was doing, complete with some streaks of rain and a nice phallic-looking pikel.  I guess instead of a Dementer, however, Madeleine decided to draw a freaky ghoul-faced girl who looks like she is currently having her soul sucked out by the Dementer.  Creepy as usual, Madeleine.

If only she had included some plue diamonds, the picture would truly be complete.