Saving pictures in stories

I think most of you can tell that I love to take pictures. I love to capture stories in pictures and look back at a series of pictures to remember the event. We have our home computer screen saver set to randomly display all our pictures and sometimes we just sit and watch all the pictures go by, remembering all our stories.

But often, my camera misses the moment.

I've made the mistake a few times, of running to grab the camera only to find I've missed the moment. Missed capturing the picture of the moment, yes, but worst, I've missed the actual enjoyment of the moment in running to get the camera.

I guess I could just have the camcorder running all the time. Ha! Can you imagine?! I do not need that much proof of how frumpy I've become, of how mundane our days can be, of how often we eat Kraft Dinner.

So I write. And in doing so, I capture the picture in a different way. Pictures in stories, instead of stories in pictures. I love having this blog in which to journal my stories. Otherwise they would dissolve in my mind over time. My mind that, right now, is so full of naptimes and schedules, nutritional facts, allergies, favourite toys, favourite foods, interpretations of cries, interpretations of moods. My mind is so full of my kids. Yet the memories of my kids, the precious little details that I think I'll never forget, slip out unnoticed. And so I write.
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This morning, I was pulled from my sleep, by the sound of the kids' bedroom door closing. I looked at the clock: 7:30 am. KK must be up. Then there was silence.

I thought she must be sitting with her daddy having breakfast, a ritual she loves. If she is lucky enough to wake before he leaves for work, they sit together, she on his lap, each with their own spoon, and eat out of one bowl.

I was confused. I couldn't hear the sound of them eating breakfast together, and at 7:30, Peanut-lover should have already been on his way to work, yet I didn't remember Peanut-lover giving me my good-bye kiss. (Turns out that he did kiss me, but I didn't wake... still recovering from my night-shift Sunday night, I was in too deep of sleep.)

Then I heard some activity in the kids' room. And some giggles. I recognized the sound of the kids playing together in JJ's crib. And so I laid back on my pillow and just listened. I could hear them tickling each other and playing peek-a-boo. Then KK climbed out of the crib and made some "tea" for them to share.

"Mommy!"

"Mommy or Daddy!"

"Daddy? Mommy? Come please!"

I dragged myself from my bed reluctantly. I opened their door and there before me, the picture I wished I could capture:

KK was laying diagonally across the crib, on her tummy. JJ had crawled into the bend of her knees and was laying across her legs on his back, with his blankie, sucking his thumb. Together, they were watching JJ's "TV", his Fisher Price Aquarium.

They each looked up at me with those sleepy morning smiles.

*Click*

I got my picture.