It is never a surprise to us when we find Taatjes at the end of the day looking like this. Blue mouth from a candy he picked out while shopping. A little pop corn still rolling around in his mouth. And yes, those are pen stripes you see on his arm and across his forehead. After all when you are a tiger stuck in a boys body you find it necessary to apply the stripes you were missing back on. Those stripes continued across his entire body including toes yet minus his back for "he couldn't reach". This is the real Taatjes. He can be a real challenge during times he chooses to draw on himself and I still have to take him places and deal with people saying things and asking me what happened. But, it all seems worth it when we come to the end of the day and I take in his sweet face and I see this - A boy who's imagination is alive and full of potential. A boy who loves the color changing effect of candy so much he spent the first few hours home in front of the mirror giggling and making faces with his wonderfully new and improved blue mouth. A boy who does not feel the few kernels crunching around between his teeth because, well, he is far to involved with just being a boy (insert growls and tiger hunting and apparently the fact that "tigers are really good with rope swings"). The real Taatjes is just to much fun to take the pens, the candy, and the who knows what will pop out of or off of him he's a down right mess, away. Because, that's just how he rolls.
*He's so cute with how much he loved his blue mouth pointing to it for the picture. Also I should have taken more pictures of his stripes but in the moment it did not cross my mind due to the fact that this is not a new thing for him to do. It only came to my mind when I posted this. No worries though, I know there will be another chance! Oh and this is not a daily thing or the pens would most likely be removed:(*
