House O' Sullivans

A few days ago, my kids decided to draw portraits of me.  They ascended the stairs from the art bar, one by one, each producing a small masterpiece.  Interpret as you will. "Mom" by Sophie {age 6} "Mom" by Hallee {age 5} "Mom" by Zeke {age 3}

Zeke is becoming SERIOUS about his art lately.  Sometimes I'll find him, all alone, seated on a high stool at the art bar downstairs, working quietly away at his masterpieces.  His preferred medium of late?  Markers.  His sisters pooled their money and purchased him his OWN set, which he takes masterful care of, painstakingly replacing each marker cap (I know--seems impossible for a barely two year old boy, doesn't it?) and repositioning them into the little glass jar where he keeps them safe. The artist at work:

Sophie and Hallee love to do what they call "craft."  Nearly every day, Sophie implores, "Mommy, please set us up with a craft."  When the girls do "craft" I'm always a bit nervous because the girls inevitably leave out markers, pens, scissors (all of the good stuff) then Zeke finds them and gets to work.  (Or Sophie and Hallee pull them out when I'm not supervising and get to work . . . cutting each others hair, re-creating their wardrobes, decorating walls, etc.  The solution?  Wayne's Art Bar.  A place where we can leave everything out and the girls can go set THEMSELVES up anytime they want.  All of the stuff in one place.  All of the stuff up high.  The girls (especially Sophie) are in crafting heaven and have been for the last two days.  I turned off the water to the faucet embedded in the bar and covered the sink area with a giant piece of counter top from the garage.  (We just happen to have random thin...