The Sistine Chapel, Upside-down

Prior the the birth of Kid 5, we replaced the carpet on the bottom floor with laminate flooring.  It's a nice dark faux wood that we were told would be better than real wood for a household with cats, dogs, and kids.  Apparently, laminate can take a beating better than real wood.  Kid 5 has definitely put that theory to the test.

You name it, she's spilled it, or smashed it, or plopped it on the floor and shoved it under the couch.  So far, the theory has held up, and so has the floor.  The downside to the laminate is that Dog 1, who is a white Labrador, sheds something awful, and his white hairs are highly visible on the dark floor.  Of course that means a lot sweeping, and you if you've never tried a Swiffer to sweep up pet hair, put that on your to do list.

So there I was, working on some endless sweeping, when I noticed something odd on the living room floor, right in front of the television.  Closer inspection revealed it was a family of five, drawn in stick figure, with a black marker.  My first thought was, "I hope it's not permanent," and my second thought was, "Kid 5."  With fingers crossed, I swiped at it with a damp paper towel, and thankfully the marker was dry erase.  I cleaned up the drawing and continued sweeping.  It was a few minutes later that I discovered the Sistine Chapel, Upside-down.  

It was in the open space near the front door.  There, on the floor were drawings.  All done with a black marker, spaced here and there taking up about six by eight feet of space which was exactly the type of space I was contemplating putting Kid 5 in.

The sun, flowers, people, grass, more people, and more flowers.  There was about six to eight different "pictures."  It was one of the moments when I was not only speechless, but having a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that Kid 5 drew all over the floor.  I don't think I will ever understand why she does the things that she does.  I don't think she will either!

I didn't have the presence of mind to capture Kid 5's artwork with high-resolution, digital technology prior to mopping up the evidence of her artistic abilities, but she gave me another opportunity and also ensured the original would last forever.  This time, she drew a girl, in permanent marker, on the fitted sheet on my bed so I could see it every night and every morning to remind me that I should probably put the markers in safe.  One with a retinal scanner that will open only me.  On second thought, I may find myself one day missing an eye.