Coloring

A couple of weeks ago, Mom introduced Ela to a box of 64 crayons. Ela didn't get the idea of coloring at the time, and proceeded to munch on many of them, leaving a tattered yellow box of mangled crayons and shredded paper. Mom thought she'd try the triangular crayons intended for smaller babies — same result. But recently, as with the books, something clicked, and Ela now enjoys scribbling with crayons. Success! Mom is looking forward to many rainy afternoons (it is Seattle, after all) with warm slippers, hot cocoa, and coloring books. Ms. Jacque was right: Every phase is better than the one before.