naps for three

Emma is at that age right now, where naps are not a daily occurrence. And now that she and Mary share a room, it is even harder to get both of them napping at the same time. Emma chooses to sing and chat herself to sleep, while Mary just pops her special sucking spot, right at the lower thumb knuckle, into her mouth and lulls herself into dream world. So, the combination doesn't work well when both techniques are going on in the same room.
So, Emma's been allowed to skip naps lately while Mary and Elizabeth snooze away. The downside is that I miss that alone time in the afternoons. But the up side is that Emma and I often get some time to ourselves (and bedtime is usually a whole lot easier).

Today, I'm fighting a nasty little cold, so I attempted to sneak in a little nap and reading too, while she worked with playdough around the corner at the kitchen table. She's happily making a "special barrette holder for a special friend". I'm often amazed at the things she creates with playdough.

She is so good at coming up with original ideas on her own. For instance I love these little "pebbles" she placed around the outside of this dish. It's so creative and it's her own idea.
I, on the other hand, am usually just the opposite. I'm inspired by things I see in nature, in print, in other people's art, and then I find a way to make that my own. Is that copying? or can I just chalk it up to inspiration, because that's what I really believe it is.
Meanwhile, I may have to "copy" this little idea off of my five year-old the next time I break out my clay.  And soon, I think she might just have to graduate up to the good clay too. Some of these creations need to be saved in something other than a medium that dissolves in water.
So thanks for the inspiration Emma. One never knows where it might just show up.
But first, a nap.