The Ding-a-Ling Sisters

For as long as I can remember, my dad called Denise, Darin and I the Ding-a-ling Sisters. My oldest sister, Deni, wasn't wild about the nickname, possibly because she thought it made us sound like... well,ding-a-lings... But I loved the nickname and wore it proudly. Partly because I loved being grouped with my older sisters who I completely idolized, and partly because every now and then my dad would explain how he came up with the nickname.

As the story went, a long time ago there was a TV show that had a group of girls called the "Ding-a-ling Sisters". They were smart and beautiful and funny and whenever they got together they laughed a whole lot. My dad said that's exactly how he saw his daughters, so that's how we became the Ding-a-Ling Sisters.

I never saw the show, of course, so in my growing-up-in-the-70's-brain I imagined the Ding-a-ling Sisters show as kind of a cross between Three's Company and Charlie's Angels. Three beautiful sisters appearing slightly clutzy and dingy, but secretly, sharp as tacks, fighting a life of crime in matching jumpsuits and boots.

I'm not sure what made me think to do it, but the other day I typed "Ding-a-ling Sisters" into the youtube search engine and suddenly there they were! The actual Ding-a-ling Sisters, four of them, not three... and guess what?!? They were wearing matching jumpsuits and boots! They weren't fighting crime though. They were singing and dancing in some comedy routine with Dean Martin. Now I'm sure my dad probably mentioned the singing and dancing thing but I must have forgotten. Anyway, it was kind of cool to actually finally see them as my dad might have seen them. Not sure how he decided they were smart but they were beautiful.

I almost wonder if I made up the smart part. Though it doesn't matter because I've never doubted that my dad thought we were smart and beautiful and my sisters are still the ones who can make me laugh until I cry. We do have the occasional ding-a-ling type moments too... like the time we must have stopped to ask for directions at least three times one night, each time politely thanking the person, rolling up the window and then saying, "Did anybody actually understand what he said?" so I continue to wear the Ding-a-ling title proudly.

I think I like my Three's Company/Charlie's Angels version a little more though than the real show. Sorry, Darin and Deni but I get to be Farrah. I didn't spend my entire 3rd grade year sleeping on pink spongy rollers for nothing. I am so prepared for that part. By the way, my dad also claimed that if it was quiet enough he could hear bells ring when we shook our heads. Lord knows how many hours of my childhood were spent alone in my bedroom shaking my head and straining to hear those bells. (Thanks, Dad.) But please take a moment to picture me, running in slow motion with my smart and beautiful sisters. I'm shaking my bouncy Farrah-hair like a Breck girl and if you're really, really quiet you can hear the faint peal of bells.

One from Amanda

Right after I was whining about not being able to share Amanda quotes, my friend shared one from today. Amanda wasn't around to ban it from the blog. (Insert evil laughter here.)

Tomorrow is baseball day at school. The kids will not only be playing baseball, but they're supposed to wear something baseball-related and bring something baseball-related to share. Do I look like I have any baseball stuff? Nope! So my friend was nice enough to help us out. She tried a baseball cap on her daughter and surprised it still fit, said, "Wow, your head is small." Then she tried it on Amanda and said, "Wow, your head is big!"

Amanda replied, "Yeah, that's 'cause I've got a lot of stuff in there."

Quote of the day

Alyssa, as she climbs the ladder on the loft bed, stops me in my tracks before I can say a word: "I'm bein' careful... even though I don't wanna be."

By the way, if you've noticed a lack of Amanda quotes lately, it's not because she's stopped saying funny stuff. It's just that as soon as I laugh that certain laugh she looks at me and says, "You're not gonna put that on your blog, are you? If you do, no more foot massages for a month!" Thank goodness Alyssa can't read yet.

Quote of the day

Alyssa: "Mommy, help! Come quick! Me and Jaden are in danger!!!"

Me: "What's wrong?"

Alyssa, handing me a Barbie: "I can't get her dress on!"

Me: "I thought you said you and Jaden were in danger."

Alyssa: "We are! We're playing house. That's the living room, that's the bedroom and this (spreading her arms to indicate the area we're standing in), this is danger!"


I'm just guessing we were in the kitchen. The kitchen scares me too.

The Kite Festival on Random Photo Tuesday

Scott has a thing for kite-flying so we've been going to the kite festival for years... Technically there's the Art & Wind Festival in San Ramon (every May) and the Kite Festival in Berkeley (every July) but to me they're both Kite Festivals and we usually go to at least one of them every year. We went this weekend and it was fun, as usual, except that for some reason they didn't do the big candy drop. That's Amanda's favorite part. Because what's not to love about candy falling from the sky? WHY didn't they do the candy drop? I have no idea, but Amanda was wildly disappointed. Until we found the cotton candy.Last week Amanda asked me some question that prompted me to get out the journal I kept when I was pregnant with her. I ran across the entry below, in which I talk about the kite festival... and since this is my blog, I'm sharing it:

May 31, 2002

Dear Baby,

These last few weeks with you have been the most fun of all, I think. I can feel you moving around and kicking on a regular basis so I can worry less about you and instead, just revel at the wonder of you. Sometimes I sit in front of my computer at work grinning like a fool because I feel you flip-flopping around and I know that anyone who walks by and sees me might think I'm crazy. But who cares? How lucky am I, that for me, every day is "Bring your baby to work day."

I probably worry more than ever now though when I don't feel you move for a while. Your daddy and I went to the Art and Wind Festival on Monday. I spent much of the time thinking about how fun it will be when we can bring you in a couple of years. Maybe it was because we were walking through a sea of strollers, but I couldn't stop thinking about you...imagining you at the petting zoo playing with the goats, imagining getting you wired on your first cotton candy, imagining your daddy teaching you how to fly your first kite. We stopped for ice cream and then headed home, and it was then that I realized that I hadn't felt you move all day.

I remembered hearing that doing a lot of walking can lull the baby into deep sleep so I decided not to panic. But a few hours later I tried to gently wake you up by jostling my stomach and then I jumped up and down a few times, saying, "Hey Baby, it's time to wake up!" But nothing.

That night I must have woken up at least fifteen times relieved for a second that I'd finally felt you moving and then believing the next second that maybe I'd only dreamed it.

I woke up long before I was supposed to that next morning and didn't bother trying to fall back to sleep because I was so happy to feel you kicking at last. I jumped out of bed and your daddy asked, "Have you felt the baby kick?"

"Yep!" I was glad to know that he was worried about you too.

We've decided that if you're a girl we're going to name you Amanda. I hope you like it. I sent your grandma (my mom) an email saying that Amanda was one of my favorite names and she wrote back saying that my Grandma Nelson (your great-grandma) would have been thrilled for you to have that name because it was her mother's name. Then a few minutes later I got an email from your Grandpa Nelson (my dad), saying that Amanda is simply the best name in the world because it was the name of the Grandma he adored.

According to your Grandpa Nelson, your Great-Great Grandmother Amanda Larson Imsland was a wonderful grandma with a soft lap who gave gentle kisses.

All that enthusiasm sort of clinched it for me. I decided right then, that as long as your daddy didn't object, you would be named Amanda. But only if you're a girl, I promise!

Coming up with a boy's name is proving far more difficult. That and a middle name for Amanda are yet to be determined.

Last Friday night we went out for Mexican food with your Aunt Cara and we tossed around names for a while. Our favorite was Jake. What do you think of Jake?

I don't know. I like it because it's such a masculine name (which your daddy insists on!). I can already picture the girls swooning over Jake. But should it be "Jacob" and "Jake" for short? I'm really not as fond of the name Jacob.

Oh well, we'll figure it out. We still have a few months left to scour the name books. Unless you decide to come early, that is.

Monday morning at about 4am I must have woken up your daddy when I got up to go to the bathroom. When I came back to bed, we were talking and I told him that you were kicking like crazy.

Until then, he'd only felt some of your smaller, barely perceptible movements, so this time when he put his hand on my belly and felt you really bouncing around in there, he was shocked. He said, "Geez! What's it doing in there?!? I think it's trying to chew its way out."

That line struck me so funny that I couldn't stop laughing. I was trying to hold still so he could feel you kick some more but that only made it worse and I would laugh even harder. He was laughing too. I wonder if you were.

All along I'd imagined you as being perfectly content in there. Safe and secure without a care in the world. That's how my baby would be. But you're not just my baby, you've got your daddy's DNA too, and a baby of his may very well be bored out of his mind. Completely frustrated with the knowledge that he's missing out on all the excitement, and hatching a detailed escape plan.

I guess it's a good thing you don't have teeth, because if you did, you might be trying to chew your way out!

I love you, Baby!

Mommy

Now for your viewing pleasure, I pulled out some photos of us at kite festivals through the last few years. I'm sure I have a bunch more but these were the ones I was able to find easily.

2003, Amanda's first kite festival... chubby little thing, isn't she?
2005... I was pregnant with Alyssa in case you notice I was a chubby little thing:Before the candy drop:After the candy drop:
2006, Alyssa's first kite festival:
And finally, this year:

This last one is the scene that happened while we were unpacking the car. In the last few weeks, Amanda has started carrying this little red journal around with her and she stops frequently to write down whatever happens to be going on in her world. Of course I have absolutely no clue where she might have picked up such a habit but I LOVE IT. So maybe if she decides not to be a teacher or a massuese, she'll be a writer. Or she can be all three. That could work too.

Random Photo Tuesday

Just a few recent pictures from the last couple of weeks. The first few were taken in our backyard. The next two were taken at our friend, Brandon's, 7th birthday party and the last one was just one day when Alyssa stumbled into the living room half asleep, spotted the spare carseat and went right back to sleep.

It’s Random Photo Thursday!

Okay I know, I'm supposed to do this on Tuesday. I'm behind. What's new? Tuesday was not our best day here. Amanda had a friend over and lately when she has friends over she seems to think she can get away with things she normally wouldn't. We've had several talks about this but they haven't helped. I know this is partly my fault because, well… when her friends are around, I've let her get away with things she normally wouldn't .

I didn't want to be the mean mom so I've let things slide when I shouldn't have. Does that mean it's all my fault? Okay well anyway, we're both working on this. I'm trying to turn things around. Tuesday showed me I need to work harder at this.

Amanda had already been pushing the limits on Tuesday, when she finally pushed them too far. She and her friend went outside to play on the swings and when I went outside to check on them, Amanda said, "What do you want? Go back inside Old Lady."

(I'll give you a second to get over your pure shock and disbelief.)

I said, "Excuse me?" To which my delightful six year old replied, "Go back inside Old Witch."

(I know. You probably need another second to digest this. I did too.)

Yes, my completely adorable child called me an Old Witch.

Now in her defense, upon further consideration, I'm 98% certain that when she said it, this is the Old Witch she had in mind:

But since she didn't specifically refer to me as, "the kindest and most beautiful witch in all the land," I have to assume there was a possibility she was talking about one who resembles the one below, so I had to respond appropriately.
She'd never called me a name before, certainly not a mean one… and for the record, we were in the middle of a play date, so I was on my best mommy behavior (which is what got me into trouble in the first place) and certainly not acting like an old witch. Not saying it never happens but it wasn't happening then.

Anyway, it took me a while before I came to my senses and made Amanda's happy little world come to a screeching halt. I know, I know… Next time I'll act faster. This time I waited until her friend went home and then we had a very long chat. She said that she had no idea why she said what she did. She said she was trying to be funny. She also said she was sorry. She put on her brave face while I told her the consequences, which were in response to more than just being disrespectful and the name calling (lest you you think I was being too harsh in response to a first offense).

When Scott got home, Amanda ran to lock herself in the bathroom while I told him that she'd gotten into trouble. He asked why and I said, "Well for one thing, she called me an old lady."

His response: "So suddenly she's not allowed to speak the truth?"

Smart ass.

I bit my cheek to keep from laughing and whispered, "United front. We're presenting a united front here. We are a team and We Will Not Laugh."

Then I explained to him that there would be no more play dates for the week. No treats. No TV… Scott stopped me there and said, "No TV? That means no American Idol!?!"

Yep. That's right.

He said, "Man, you're a mean old witch."

Now I ask you, do I look like a mean old witch?

So in happier news, Amanda is winding up first grade, counting the days until summer. She is also currently sporting her very first wiggly tooth! She's a little freaked out by it, because one of her friends told her it's going to hurt.

Today she'll be getting up in front of the class to give a report about what she wants to be when she grows up. Currently she wants to be a teacher, and the child is seriously dedicated to playing school. She's constantly setting up classrooms in various spots around the house. She says decorating and organizing the classroom is one of the very best parts of being a teacher. She's always writing out homework assignments, making reading lists, pulling in willing or unwilling students.

I regularly get progress reports for Alyssa. Alyssa doesn't listen. Won't pay attention. Won't stay in her seat. Always forgets to raise her hand before speaking. That Alyssa is a little delinquent, I tell ya. But Miss Amanda perseveres.

Amanda has other aspirations as well, one of which is to be a masseuse. Now hypothetically, would it be wrong if I were to encourage her in that particular pursuit over something more altruistic and world-changing mainly because she… hypothetically… gives me the best foot massages on earth? Did I mention that she actually begs me to let her give me foot massages? Hypothetically, of course. I know the world may need more teachers but Mommy needs foot massages too.

Alyssa is in normal Alyssa mode. Always so much fun to hang out with. For the record, she wants to be a dinosaur when she grows up. One of her favorite phrases is, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Trust me it's always fun to find out what she is thinking and very rarely am I thinking the same thing. Moments ago she was thinking that princesses should only wear white dresses and very tall shoes. Earlier it had something to do with monkeys eating cookies and before that it was something about kitty cats with balloons.

This is the conversation we had yesterday a moment after she woke up from her nap…

Alyssa: "I had a nightmare!"

Me: "Really? What was it?"

Alyssa: "It was pictures behind my eyes and you could click on them. It was like a movie."

Me: "What were the pictures of?"

Alyssa: "You!"

Me: "Oh! Were they scary?"

Alyssa: "No."

Me: "So it was a dream then."

Alyssa: "No, it was just like a movie behind my eyes."

I bet Mommy looked like this:

In other news, the cat has fleas.

And umm, let's see… Scott is desperate for a vacation. We're trying to decide between Disneyland and Yosemite. For the record, I'm on the Disneyland team. Alyssa has never been but she's been to Yosemite a few times. Who wants to go see Mickey? WE DO!

As for me, I got to be a (non) celebrity (non) super-model last week. Shutterfly's creative director sent me an email saying they were looking for a customer (and photo book creator) to represent the reasons to create a photo book. They said they wanted to interview me and do a photoshoot with me holding one of my photo books and wondered if I would be interested.

Ahh gee, let me think about it, YES!!!

Cara drove me to the photo shoot in San Francisco. (Thanks Cara!) They did my hair and make-up and I had a wardrobe stylist who dressed me in different outfits for different seasons. Yeah, I know. How cool is that? It was really fun. Though when I saw myself on the monitor my first thought was, WHOA!!! When did I turn into such a MOM? Anyway, I'm going to be on their website, in the photo book section of their store, starting in July.

While I was having my make-up done, they did a quick photo shoot of my niece, Sophia, holding some of my photo books and today they sent me a release to sign. They said I should add Sophia's name if it's okay to use her photo on their site in the future. How fun is that?

They used big binder clips to make my clothes fit. You better believe I'll be using that little fashion tip in the future. So if you see me walking around with big binder clips sticking all over my back it's not because I'm a dork, it's just because I'm a big (non) celebrity (non) super-model.

Hold the crud please...

Alyssa: "Mommy, can I have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?"

Me: "Sure."

Alyssa: "Please cut the crud off the bread."

Me: "You mean the crust?"

Alyssa: "No, the crud. I don't like crud on my bread."

Me: "Yeah, I'm not crazy about it either."

CPS should be arriving any minute now...

Quote of the day

Alyssa, after talking to my mom on the phone: "Now can we call Grandma Daddy's Mom?"

Me: "Maybe after lunch."

Alyssa: "Can we call Grandma Bea then?"

Me: "Nope, we can't call Grandma Bea because she's in heaven."

Alyssa: "That's okay, I'm sure she has her phone in her purse."

Random Photo Tuesday: I think I might be addicted to my camera.

I decided not to take my camera to Marine World. That may not sound shocking to most people, but for me, a complete photo fanatic, it's a big deal. Imagine a kid trying to nap without his security blanket or a crack addict going to… where do crack addicts go anyway?... well it would be like a crack addict going wherever they go… without their crack. In other words, for me, leaving my camera at home is not a small thing.

I take my camera with me everywhere. Well not everywhere but close enough. To go to an amusement park, a day packed full of potential photo opportunities, without my camera was a huge deal. There are many times when I have the camera with me that I intentionally choose not to take photos because instead of feeling like just the event photographer, sometimes I just want to be there, be part of the experience. but that's different than leaving the camera at home. There's something comforting about having the camera with me just in case.

The only reason I considered leaving my camera at home was because Scott started in with the same old stroller argument: We don't need a stroller. Alyssa is old enough to walk. Normally I shut that one down immediately but I decided to give it some thought. I realized that if we didn't take the stroller, I would have to carry everything on me. This meant, at a minimum, an extra change of clothes for Alyssa (because with a 3-yr-old you just never know what might happen), baby wipes, sunscreen, jackets for all of us and probably the 3-yr-old herself at some point.

I stood in the shower debating with myself. Did I really want to haul all of that stuff and my big old camera? I knew that if I took it I would have to worry about it. Pulling it out of my backpack only to shove it back in moments later. Trying to protect it on roller coasters, water rides, etc. Not to mention feeling the pressure to capture everything on my memory card. Constantly trying to get the perfect shot.

I tried to convince myself I'd have more fun without it. I could just enjoy watching the kids in the varying states of ecstasy that are cotton candy, merry-go-rounds and roller coasters instead of trying to preserve those moments for all time.

But then I wondered: would I? Would I truly be able to enjoy those moments or would I just be frustrated and annoyed as I watched the photo ops roll by, uncaptured? I mean really, why even bother going somewhere fun without my camera anyway? Might as well just sit under a rock.

The fact that it is such a big deal to me makes me a little nervous. Like come on, Dione, get a grip. Have I really become so obsessed with trying to capture the moments that I'm not even living in the moment at all anymore? Am I just viewing my world as a potential photo opportunity instead of just LIFE? Yeah, I'll enjoy this later when I look at the pictures, for now I need to figure out how to get this guy to move his big head so I can get a better shot. This leads me to my next perfectly logical question: if I weren't so obsessed with taking pictures, would I just keep my kids locked in a box all the time? I'm kidding of course. I would let them out on Christmas and Easter in case there were other people taking pictures.

The problem is that I want to remember everything but I don't trust my memory. The time flies by so quickly and I keep hoping that by photographing it I'll be able to somehow get these moments back. Sometimes I'll see a photo from long ago and, for just a second, I'll remember what it felt like to be in that moment… I'm putting great faith in the snapshots I'm taking now, hoping that someday when the girls have grown up and moved away that the pictures will transport me back here again, so that when I see the photos of Alyssa at three I'll be able to remember how it feels to have her arms wrapped tightly around my neck. That I'll remember what her voice sounds like when she's calling me to wipe her poopy butt. Okay I don't care to remember the poopy parts, but I want to remember all of the good stuff. And I'm not even sure I trust myself to know yet what is good stuff. So I take pictures of everything. No, not the poopy parts. That would be gross.

I want to remember the good stuff and I want the girls to remember it too. I want them to remember all the fun we have together. I have so many great memories from childhood and I occasionally wonder if I actually remember those things or if I only think I remember them, because I've seen the photos so many times. I even wonder about the memories that don't have photos to go with them… Did the photos of other events near that time help me remember? When I remember Tim Smith in our Kindergarten classroom opening jars of paint and pouring them all over the smelly brown carpet it's his smiling school photo face I remember doing it.

I'm a wealth of mostly useless family trivia thanks in part to my huge log of photos. The arrival of digital photography and, with it, thousands of date-stamped images… It's kind of like having a back-up system for my brain. When did we take that trip to Yosemite when it rained the whole time? How old was Amanda when she ran into the dresser and got that huge bump on her forehead? I'm not good at remembering dates but my date-stamped photos are BRILLIANT at remembering for me.

I lost my external hard drive last year. Crash! Several months' worth of photos permanently lost. Actually I don't even know how many months. I haven't stopped to figure it out because I still can't even bear to think about it. All those memories lost. I know it's not really that big of a deal but I can't help feeling like there's a gaping hole in my brain…a part of my past that's missing.

I used to be afraid I might love my camera more than my own children. When I was pregnant with Amanda, I would occasionally make some awkward move to protect my camera and end up hitting my protruding belly instead. I would think, OH NO! What if I do this when the baby is here? I'd been carrying a camera around for a long time, I was used to taking care of it, but carrying a baby everywhere would be new to me. What if my first instinct was to protect my camera instead of the baby? I pictured myself walking through a small space and reaching to protect my camera while accidentally slamming the poor baby's head against a wall or a piece of furniture.

Luckily I never slammed my baby's heads into anything… well other than my camera. On many occasions I've bent down to pick up one of the kids only to clock them in the head with the big old camera hanging from my neck. Oops. Both my camera and my kids did just fine though until my instincts were truly put to the test shortly after I took this photo:

This was at my niece's wedding. Amanda and Alyssa were flower girls. Alyssa was only 9 months old so she was more of an honorary flower girl. I don't think anyone really expected her to make it down the aisle. But my sister (mother of the bride) found this adorable antique carriage and cleaned it up and painted it just in case. The plan was that Amanda would push the carriage down the aisle along with two other flower girls.

The first time I saw the carriage, the night before the wedding, I panicked a little. I was blessed with the ability to envision horrifying outcomes even in the most harmless situations. Alyssa wasn't one of those I'll-just-lay-here-happily kind of babies. I was used to having her in a 5-point-harness and that was just when she was sleeping. So the thought of having her pushed down a concrete path by her three year old sister in this little basket-y thing with wheels and no restraints at all… made me very, VERY nervous. I exchanged looks with my other sister, who is also blessed with the same ability to imagine disastrous endings (thanks Mom!). We briefly discussed the options: Bungee cords? Duct tape? Super-glue on her diaper?

But in the end we decided it was highly unlikely Alyssa would even sit in the carriage other than for a quick photo or two and who wants to make waves at a family wedding? Okay well a lot of people love to make waves at family weddings but I don't happen to be one of them. The wedding day arrived with record high temperatures (113 degrees in the shade) and Alyssa didn't want to do much besides sleep and nurse, so I was fairly certain a ride down the aisle was not in her future.

Except that when it was time for the wedding to begin she was bright eyed and raring to go. I cautiously put her in the stroller expecting to take her out a moment later, but Alyssa was perfectly happy to just sit there, smiling at everyone like she was a celebrity and this was her big moment in the spotlight. Other than a bit of bickering between Amanda and her 2-year-old cousin over which one of them should get to push the stroller, it went quite smoothly. Alyssa smiled as her cousin, Riley, pushed her down the aisle to oohs and ahhs. She continued to smile and sit perfectly still up in front as the ceremony took place. I got to sit just a few feet away from her, camera in hand, of course. And like I said, it was all going so well until Riley got a little bored and decided to play with the stroller.

She grabbed the stroller's handle and I can only picture what happened next in slow motion: The stroller started to tip over, with my precious 9-month-old inside, a couple of feet above the concrete… and I, in that split second, threw my camera and dove to the ground to rescue her (the baby, not the camera!).

I always imagine the whole crowd doing a collective horrified GASP as the aunt of the bride hits the ground mid-ceremony. When I think about it I can hear myself doing that slow motion yell you in hear in movies… the one that sounds like a beached whale in agony: "nuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh-ooooooooooooh" as I flail awkwardly to the ground and catch the stroller and the baby before any harm is done.

Actually , I don't remember exactly how it happened. What I do remember is that I made the right choice! In that split second, I sacrificed the camera to save the baby.
I thought for sure my camera was a goner, but I was able to turn it on and, brave soldier that it was, it continued to take pictures until the reception was nearly over. Then it just suddenly stopped working. When we took it to the camera store they said it would need to be sent away to Canon. It would cost this much for shipping, it would cost that much for diagnosis, it would cost who knows how much for the repair and the parts… all completely worth it, in my mind. Anything to get it working again, but my husband doesn't think the same way I do.

Scott is an extremely frugal do-it-yourself-kinda guy. He has the kind of brain that can figure out how to fix a whole lot of things. But not quite everything. Not long ago Scott was rattling on about how a friend had paid $1500 for the most recent procedure to keep her dog alive and Scott said, "Isn't that INSANE? I wouldn't pay $1500 to keep ME alive!!!" I've always said that if I came home and announced I had a brain tumor and needed expensive brain surgery, he would grab a kitchen knife and tell me to hold still. I wasn't surprised when Scott decided he would try to fix my camera himself. I was horrified. But not surprised. It was like watching him operate on one of my children. And it didn't go well.

A lot of very delicate parts being tossed to and fro and a few too many"Hmmm... I wonder what this thing is for?"s.

Sadly, the camera, did not survive. Alyssa, however, was completely unharmed. And here she is a few years later at Marine World. Come on, you didn't really think I'd leave the camera at home, did you?

"Help! I can't lift my backpack!"

Dressed in boots, a swimsuit cover-up and a tiara... Packing two sets of free-weights, some books, and a stuffed bunny, this kid is ready anything. If only she could lift her backpack.

Photographic Evidence on Random Photo Tuesday

Since I'm the one who takes most of the pictures at my house, I'm not in all that many of them. Well really, I'm in almost every single one... I'm just on the other side where you can't see me. That doesn't normally bother me until I start thinking that if my kids happened to inherit their ability to remember things from their father, then at some point they may not remember what I look like.

So every once in a while, at least once a year, I whip out the tripod and the camera remote and I take pictures of me and the girls together. It's my photographic evidence. See, this way I'm prepared. Because if her memory is anything like her dad's, one day I'll show up at Amanda's front door and when she opens it I'll throw my arms around her as she says, "Umm, who are you again?"

I'm your mom. The one who gave birth to you. I raised you. You've peed on me. Puked on me. I know where all of your birthmarks are. Mommy. Mom. Mother? Is this ringing any bells for you?

She'll give me that quizzical look...the same one her father gives me that briefly makes me wonder if I might be a tad bit crazy.

That's when I'll whip out these pictures, my photographic evidence. See, this is you. This is me. This is us, together! At which point she'll either throw her arms around me in a tender embrace or she'll throw a handful of quarters at me before she slams the door in my face.

And either way, I think I'll be glad I took these pictures.

Oops, I completely forgot about Random Photo Tuesday

In my defense, it is spring break so our whole schedule is a bit thrown off. I'll do better next week. In the meantime, a few recent pics:

Random Photo Tuesday

This is what happens when Daddy babysits... Amanda's explanation: "She asked me to do it!"

Luckily, it wasn't permanent ink. When my brother drew all over me (and himself), he used a permanent green sharpie and we had a school program that night.

But it's hard to get mad at them when they look this cute "sleeping".

Random Photo Tuesday

I didn't notice it while I was taking this picture, but as soon as I saw it on my computer screen, I almost felt like I'd been kicked in the stomach. She just looks so grown up. When did this happen? Where did my baby go?

I mean I feel like it was just a second ago that she was this baby that we were bringing home from the hospital.

I'm afraid to even blink again and find that when I open my eyes she'll be graduating from high school.

I remember having a similar reaction when I saw Amanda holding Alyssa for the first time. As if, somehow, she'd aged a few years when I wasn't paying attention.

Note to self: Pay attention at all times and whatever you do, do NOT blink!

Have to end with this one of Amanda because it makes me smile. She's getting far too old and sophisticated to have her picture taken looking like just a happy kid, so I often get either a serious look or a supermodel pose. She'll give me a a phony smile if I absolutely insist and she knows she can't get back to playing until she has appeased me.

This picture captures what Amanda actually looks like to me. Happy, silly, bright-eyed Amanda. Of course, I only got it because I told her I didn't care what she did because I was only taking a couple of test pictures to see if we had enough light. Go figure.

Quotes of the day

Alyssa, after finally locating her jumprope: "Okay people, it's time to get this party started!"

Alyssa: "Does anybody know where Daddy's ipod is? I need to listen to music right now or else Dad will be...(long pause)...Dad."

Alyssa, pointing to the pillow she just placed on my lap: "I'm going to put my head right here, just in case I need it later."

Random Photo Tuesday, iphone style #1

I'm having computer issues so I'm posting from my iphone and sharing photos taken on my iphone. Unfortunately I can't figure out how to post more than one photo at a time so I'll be posting several times.

I'm not a phone person and even less a cell phone person so when my cell phone needed to be replaced I procrastinated. One thing I knew for sure us that I didn't need a camera on my phone because I definitely wouldn't be taking crummy-quality phone pictures when I have a perfectly nice camera.

Then Scott got me an iphone for Christmas. And I totally ate my words because, man I LOVE taking crummy-phone quality pictures with this thing.So many fun moments would have been lost were it not for my precious iphone...sigh... Oh and I can also check my email, listen to music, watch movies, all kinds of fun stuff. If only it didn't ring on occasion, meaning people expect me to actually talk to them on it, it would be perfect.

This photo was taken a month or so ago while we were waiting around for a prescription. I've been using the picture as wallpaper on my phone because it makes me smile and also reminds me that sometimes it pays to be nice. I'll add that story when I have more time.

Random Photo Tuesday #2

This one's just Alyssa being cute. Please note the ugly headband which she's wearing in a lot of these photos. She's into headbands these days and this is one of her favorites though for some reason she calls it her "ugly headband".

She says she doesn't actually think it's ugly and as far as I can tell it's not ugly so it makes me giggle when she runs through the house calling, "Has anybody seen my ugly headband?"

Random Photo Tuesday #3

This one was a couple of week's ago when Amanda's best friend, Rilie, spent the night. There's Alyssa on her laptop. The kid never takes a break.

Random Photo Tuesday #4

Searching for roly-polies or worms or something creepy-crawly. Yeah, ick.

Random Photo Tuesday #5

This one was taken last week on the first day of spring. I always insist on taking Alyssa's stroller whenever we walk somewhere -- just in case. Scott always tells me to leave it home.

"She can walk," says the guy who hasn't walked anywhere with Alyssa on a timeline and noticed her need to stop to closely examine anything even remotely interesting, to bark back at any dogs who dare to bark at her, to scale every short wall and walk it like a tight-rope. To throw herself on the ground and demand to be carried.

BUT it was the first day of spring and it was a beautiful day and a short walk to school and we were running early to pick up Amanda AND Alyssa asked ever so sweetly if she could take her baby stroller. So I said, "Sure, why not?"

And that's how I ended up lugging a baby, a baby stroller, a sippy cup and and a backpack that Amanda couldn't possibly carry because it was, "sooooooo heavy and the walk home is sooooooo long!"

And that is why I always insist on taking Alyssa's stroller whenever we walk somewhere -- just in case.

Random Photo Tuesday #6

This one was taken today on the way home from school. That's Holly in the middle and they were singing at the top of their lungs. "IIIIIII'm gonna soak up the suuuuuun..."