strangerthan

Well, we learned an important lesson.  Never take family pictures in direct Colorado, mid-day sunlight.  Overhead sun is very unforgiving and harsh.  Oh well.  The pictures are fine…and we truly are grateful for every year.

There are times when, as mothers, we do things by instinct.  I am surprised at how many times the mother instinct is spot on.  I am not a very reflective person and rely on my “gut” to help me make important decisions - including parenting decisions.  I have always valued the special things my mom did for me…she was always willing to go the extra mile to make a milestone moment really special.  I remember when she sneaked a camera into the dressing room of a fancy department store in San Fransisco to take a picture of the designer prom dress I wanted, but couldn’t afford.  I was SO nervous and sure we would get thrown out of the store, but mom enjoyed the entire conspiracy and I knew I was safe with her.  The next week, she took me to a dressmaker and had her copy the dress.  I even got to add some of my own special touches.  I loved that dress.  And I loved the extra effort my mom took to make my junior prom special. 

I like to bake cakes, and have made some pretty cool looking ones for my kids.  I usually make creative cakes because it’s enjoyable and my friends ooo and ahhh over my creations.  There is the hope that someday, when they are grown, my children will appreciated the extra special cakes their mom made for them…so I take lots of pictures and hope for the best.  This year, for Oscar’s birthday, I made him an R2D2 cake.  He isn’t having a big party this year, and I wanted him to be able to take the cake to school to celebrate with his friends.  It seems I underestimated the impact a special cake can have on a first grade classroom.  My reserved son beamed with pride as Chip walked the cake into the classroom.  His classmates were thrilled and Oscar was invited to talk about the cake to the rest of the class (what could he possibly have said!?).  It made more of an impact than I had anticipated - and I am so glad I didn’t just buy cupcakes at the store.  Sometimes we guess at what will be special to our kids, at what they might remember fondly or at what will make them feel loved and important.  This time, I guessed right.