Abby was sitting on the porch, watching as Ellie spread out the coloring books and crayons on the blanket. You were sitting next to her, your hands eagerly reaching for the bright crayons. Ellie smiled at you, picking up a blue crayon. “Alright, what color do you want to use first?”

You giggled, babbling happily as you grabbed the nearest crayon—bright red—and started scribbling all over the page. Abby chuckled softly, her arm wrapped protectively around you as she leaned in. “That’s right, sweetheart, good job.” She kissed your cheek, gently guiding your hand to the next part of your drawing.

Ellie worked beside you, focused on her own page but glancing at you every so often. “Look, I’m drawing a cat,” she said with a grin, holding it up to show you. “What do you think?”

You squealed in excitement, pointing to her picture.

As you soon returned coloring, Ellie noticed you starting to get frustrated as the crayon didn’t stay on the page quite the way you wanted. “Hey, it’s okay,” she said, leaning over to help you. “Let’s press a little softer, like this.” She demonstrated how to color gently, showing you the way.

Abby watched with a soft smile, her hands gently rubbing your back. “Look at that,” she murmured. “You’ve got such a good helper in Ellie.”

You smiled up at Ellie, reaching for another crayon, completely content in your little bubble of love and care.