Our Budding Artist-stripes, name, and a Jayhawk

Until just recently, Cooper coloring meant scribbling for about 2-3 minutes.  He is now asking to color and coloring with a purpose...meaning he picks out something specific to color, really works on it and is so excited to show me what he did.  These are the most exciting...

He brought home his L sheet and we were talking about it.  He decided he should color the lizard and brought over all the markers.  I said, lizards are usually green.  He said, my lizard is going to have stripes.  I love his striped lizard!

This is a big first for us!  We really don't feel like we know what Coop's capable of because he basically shuts down at home.  He has no desire to tell us what he did at school, what he likes, what he learned, etc.  However, his teachers tell a completely different story.  Apparently he is always participating, paying attention and wants to answer every question.  

Well, one morning after breakfast he was sitting at his table coloring.  He brings this to me with a big smile and says, I wrote my name!  What?!?  Ok-I knew he could do a C and o and spell his name verbally, but to write it?  No way!  He forgot the e, which he often does when verbally spelling his name.  So, we practiced some e's on another paper and then he added it himself.  

What's more exciting than your son writing his name for the first time?  Well, drawing his first Jayhawk!  This weekend after breakfast, he grabbed a red, blue and yellow marker.  I said, good choice, those are Jayhawk colors.  He said, yeah, I want to draw a Jayhawk.  Of course, I had a KU basketball magazine already at the table for him to look at.  This is what he came up with and I think it's perfect :).  Clearly a mother's opinion.  

Hard at work.