Catie and crayons

This blog was originally started so I could write down stories from raising my kids. Here's one of my favorite subjects: Catie and crayons.
Catie has always loved coloring. Even today, if she's feeling stressed, or just goofing off, she will grab a coloring book and crayons. I have examples of her artwork dating back to about 1984! Her works have been proudly displayed on my refrigerator for many years. I have a "Hello Kitty" picture hanging there now.
The house where we raised the kids had a laundry room off of the kitchen. It was a small room, separated from the kitchen by a wall and open doorway. I couldn't see what was going on in the kitchen when I was doing laundry. One summer day when Catie was about 4 and Elliott was 18 months old, I came from the laundry room into the kitchen. There stood Catie with Elliott right beside her. On the wall printed in kid scrawl with a magenta crayon was "ELLIOTT".
"Mama, look! Elliott wrote his name on the wall!" Catie's eyes always got huge when she was telling of a rule infraction.
Very gently, and without laughing, I tried to explain why Elliott could not possible have written his name on the wall: "Catie, honey, Elliott could not have written his name on the wall. First, that's higher than he can reach. Second, Elliott can't write. Third, Catie, you have the crayon in your hand!".
A look of horror came onto Catie's face as she looked at the crayon in her hand. Quickly, her hands went behind her back to hide the evidence. "Well, I sure didn't do it!" she said as she backed out of the kitchen.
God gives children adorable faces for a reason. Catie's serious face and huge brown eyes as she proclaimed her innocence were so amusing to me that I couldn't spank her for her misdeed. That face also saved her from biting soap for lying. She did get a "talking to" about how writing should be done on paper, not walls. Of course, I sometimes think a spanking would have been more beneficial. Especially after she wrote on her closet doors and the bathroom vanity!