Getting Carried Away...

The other day when I was putting these pictures on the computer Mike said "gee how many pictures did you take?" He probably thinks I get carried away, but it's so easy to snap pictures when the subject is this darn cute and her expressions change so fast. I just want to stop time for a while and remember these lovely days of 9 and 12. I remember my sister saying as her kids have grown (Cody and Chelsea are 23 and 26 now) that she enjoys each age and stage as much as the others. I am just at a great place with my girls. They are so charming, funny, sweet and full of positive energy. I really enjoy hanging out with them and they seem to enjoy my company too and I know it's not always going to be like that.
Another reason I love snapping her photo is that she is a willing subject and that wasn't always the case when she was a toddler.

Sometimes when I am looking at Megan's face I catch a glimpse of my dad's ornery smile the one you see after he says "gotcha" when he has played a trick on you. When I get a shot of her with that sparkle in her eyes then I know I have caught her "Reil" smile.

I have been hearing "your girls are so beautiful" for 12 years now. I always say thank you...and think well all kids are beautiful. But sometimes when I see my kids I think "wow how did I have such pretty kids?" or when someone tells me they look like me I always think "yeah they resemble be but they are so much prettier." I have always thought of myself as more on the cute side than the pretty side. I always take it as a compliment when people tell me that they look like me because I think they are beautiful...of course I am their mom so I am probably a little prejudice.