birds & balls

I was feeling a bit ambitious this afternoon and though I'd write a 2nd post regarding a couple incidents that occurred today. First of all, I was having my morning coffee and checking out how some of my investments were doing on the stock exchange...Ok, so I was playing solitaire. Whatever. Anywho, my 6 year old middle child (referred to commonly as "#2) came into the office accompanied by her 4 yr old sister(monikered #3).

"We have a question," the oldest one asked. "Is this a bad word?", she sheepishly asked as she held up her middle finger.

I knew that anything is possible in this house but getting flipped the bird by a kindergartner struck me as a bit unusual.

"Dear, don't ever do that. And besides, who'd you learn that from?" I quipped, still a bit frazzled by the unexpected gesture. She informed me that a neighborhood friend told her that it was a bad thing to do. #3 concurred with the explanation and tried to simulate the obscenity but failed to maneuver her fingers correctly. She ended up giving me the "peace" sign instead. I knew what she meant though.

Sadly, I suppose this is another example of innocence lost for my 6 year old daughter. And in the case of #3, affirmation that her motor skills aren't quite up to par yet to be able to manage the one finger salute. However, she did manage to display some creativity later in the day.

I heard giggling coming from outside my office window that sounded a bit suspicious. I guess being a parent for 9 years now has enabled me to perceive orneriness when I hear it. So I walked outside quickly found the cause of the excessive laughter. #3 had taken 2 tennis balls and strategically placed them inside her shirt. She had instantly become a 3 1/2' tall Dolly Parton. It was a little creepy to say the least.

#2 laughed and encouraged her sister. I was more concerned with the passersby who might wonder what kind of children we were raising. Some days I wonder myself. At the very least, they give me something to write about.

Ali's senior portrait

This past weekend I shot Ali's senior portraits. It was a lot of fun and I think we came away with some good images of her. Here's some samples of what we ended up with...