Mouse Paint

Its one of my favorite children's books by Ellen Stoll Walsh; Three little mice who find some mischievous fun in jars of paint.

We had a "Mouse Paint" afternoon last week.
We laughed.
We got messy.
We jumped into the jars and mixed and danced as our very own colors poured out onto the giant 6 foot piece of butcher paper we stretched across the patio.

I love watching as the surroundings of a toddler begin to make sense.
Begin to open. As it begins to unfold.
As they explore.
And the world slowly starts to come together for them like pieces of a giant puzzle, turning and turning them until they finally fall into place.

Its a beautiful, messy dance unto its own self. Its a fine art, this thing they call figuring out the world.

Oh, my little mischievous mouse -

How I love to watch you play in the jars that hold your world

Discovering your path,

Marking a previous blank canvas

With the wonder only a child finding their way can know,

Leaving your little painted footprints as you go.

And the fact that you can do this, makes my smile all the wider. My little mouse has many talents hidden up that little sleeve. (Yes, he really does pop-n-lock when he dances!)