Be mine

Last weekend we were the lucky visitees of Sarah's great friend Meagan. We crammed a lot into a few short hours. The girls got busy with glue and stickers and paint and tissue to make Valentine boxes. You can see Sarah above with her ginormous box fit for a very popular Valentine recipient. And Madeleine and Meagan below decorating petite boxes suitable for a truffle or two. (You know how it always comes back to chocolate with me.)

Grace and Laura did a little decorating too but I have been recently informed that the balance of pictures, youngest-to-oldest, is, well, out of balance. Sarah said to me, "Why do you never have pictures of the big girls [meaning herself and Madeleine] on your blog?"

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And I said to her, "It would help if you held still long enough to have your picture taken." But I thought, "It would help if you stopped yelping and ducking as soon as you see the camera."

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This pre-teen business can be tricky to navigate. And I want you to know I don't think much of the "tween" stereotypes -- I usually discount it all as a Hallmark Holidayesque developmental stage (you know, created by someone purely to make money off of a book or greeting card).

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I know, I know it's our job as parents to prepare these baby birds of ours for their eventual flight. Their increasing independence is to be lauded. But oh how I miss the days when they consistently said "cheese" for the lens instead of blushing and turning away. I miss the days when they chattered nonstop (did I really just say that?) about nonsense.

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I love their pre-teen selves so much and I am so proud of them. I just feel nostalgic is all. The least they can do for their sentimental mommy is to let me take their pictures a lot.