Cold snap

Tomorrow, the very talented Rachael Garrett Schirano -- perhaps you remember her from when we met at Lilith Fair, sitting side by side, she giddy to snap pictures of Sarah McLachlan from the front row and me giddy to spend twenty minutes backstage talking to Kate Nash -- is coming to take photos of Lil E and me for our holiday cards.

So long as I stick to my promise that he absolutely does not have to dress up (jeans? borderline), Lil E will continue to be happy to do the shoot outside in the bitter cold of our bright yellow leaf-lined street. Since most of our family photos are shot an arm's length away with a milisecond prayer that both of our faces make it in, I'm thrilled to be on the flashy end of the camera. Rachael told us no props or prep are necessary, just to bring big smiles and lots of love. We're good with that.

Last year's cards didn't make it into mailboxes until February. I'm good with that, too. And while I loved our contented grins on those greetings, I'm open to the picture that encapsulates this year being silly, serious, sassy or something Tae Kwon Do-y. Life has marched on, things have changed. We shall see what unfolds out front tomorrow afternoon with the photographer, small and wirey and wired child and a mama who most certainly will be wearing silver snakeskin boots.

Pictured: Last year's card. The photo of both of us was taken by my dad. The photo of Lil E was beautifully captured by the very talented Sea Grandon, who I will most certainly have egg on my boy's dimples again.

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Aiming high

After testing and sequences and bows and knife-hand strikes, he's a yellow belt now, my little boy.

The child who still says "odder" instead of "other." The one who laughs uncontrollably at iCarly but is still quite happy to absorb the sweetness-wrapped lessons of Franklin and Kipper and Berenstain Bears. The wee one who stops me mid-sentence in Ramona Quimby books to read words he recognizes and sometimes just keeps going and going until he's reading sentence after sentence, all while nestling his head under my chin. The kid who outgrew all of his jeans while they were in the laundry for a few days and glides confidently across the monkey bars but keeps believing kisses make scratches feel better and anxiously awaits a verrrrry tiny tooth fairy to slip under the door to his room.

Lil E, running fast and asking intensely spiritual questions and doing jump-side-kicks for a panel of Tae Kwon Do black belts without hesitation or concern, makes me weepy and giggly and astounded. It's not all easy. It's often exhausting. But there he is, walking that line between baby and big boy, and now he's wrapped up in a yellow belt. He's so proud and I'm busy snapping action shots, and we're both just loving this time.

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Someone Else's Words Wednesday: This has nothing to do with Black Friday

Life begets life.

Energy creates energy.

It is by spending oneself that one becomes rich.

~Sarah Bernhardt

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