010811. Admittedly, I’ve been lazy with my camera in this new year. I usually at least have my cell phone with me, so I can snap a picture when I’m in a bind … but this morning, I missed a good one … and I’m bummed.
Let me set the stage:
It’s 6:15 am … still pitch dark outside. In fact, it’s sleeting/snowing. The house is quiet … even the dogs are still lounging. The Cowboy is just finishing last minute packing for a trip to SoCal with his sis. I’m in the kitchen making some to-go tea for the Cowboy and his sis. They’ve got a 2 hour drive the airport and it’s early and we’ve given up caffeine for the New Year.
When all of a sudden, the silence is broken:
“MA!”
Loud.
Resonant.
Staccato.
Pointed.
A hint of a New Jersey accent.
So of course, I startle.
The Cowboy pokes his head out the bedroom door.
Silence.
Back to the tea.
The Cowboy back to his packing.
And then.
Louder.
With more insistence.
Even more Jersey.
“MA!!!”
We look at each other in confusion. He’s got a funny grin on that beautiful Cowboy face. And we both head toward the sound.
At the door to the LO’s room we find the pink footsy-pajama’d little one perched on the bed, standing upright with her hands on her hips, the wisps of her blonde hair all akimbo.
“MA!”
She points to her bed.
“DOWN!”
Goofy … she’s one goofy kid …
And bossy.
Maybe a kinder word is "controlling?"
And it’s a snapshot in my brain that I wish I had on my camera because I think it would have made a great senior casual photo for her yearbook.
Q: What pictures float around your brain that didn’t make it to your camera?
Your unsnapped photo reminds of one that's in my mind--one of the very same ilk. It also involves a young child: namely, my grandson, Carmelo. He was a year and a half or maybe a bit more, and we'd taken him to the UCLA Faculty Club for a little lunch, at the back of the cafeteria in the little outside cafe, where there were waiters and highchairs and relative privacy. We'd all ordered our own lunches, assuming that there would be plenty for Carmelo to feed on, from our plates. But we soon learned that Carmelo didn't think much of that plan. He was seated in a highchair at the head of the table, and I happened to be sitting next to him when our food came, and as I bit into my burger (I think that's what it was), he spoke my name with a sharp and peremptory, "NONNA!". I looked at him and he reached his hand out to the tray of the highchair and, pointing at the burger and then at the highchair tray, he declared, "Nonna, PUT!!!
Posted by: Henrietta Cosentino | 08 January 2011 at 03:58 PM
Always wish I a video camera had been running back when Jessica was maybe..2 years old. The kids were in the family room playing,...all of a sudden Kyle comes running out to us in a "it's the end of the world" panic, crying and screaming..."Jessie fell out the window! Jessie fell out the window!"
We freaked! Immediately thinking...she somehow got over the baby gate, climbed the stairs and fell out the upstairs window! ....only to find out that she has taken a seat on the window sill of the family room window...first floor, only a few feet from the ground and pushed the screen out...we found her in a shrub! She fell maybe 8" at most! She was just laying there in the bush, looking around like "What the heck happened?" LOL!
Holy cow, did we laugh. Kyle, who was only about 5 or so, failed to see the humor, which only made us laugh more.
Posted by: Rachael | 17 January 2011 at 02:13 PM
GREAT STORIES!!!! I laughed AUDIBLY reading both. Thank you guys for sharing.
Posted by: yogini cowgirl | 19 January 2011 at 02:42 AM