Sunday, March 29, 2009

Spring Break, Day 1


This shot wraps up who she is and packages it neatly. I will narrate. Her neck is slightly strained, so that her smile might reach the highest height possible. Her bottom hand is in a cupping shape. It wants to be neat and tidy, and it is. She is showing her teeth, but only because her parents like it. If it was up to her, she would cover them up like she does when she's nervous. Her favorite shirt, check, her favorite jeans, check. Which, by the tell-tale white sock showing are too short for her after only owning them for a month. And lastly, her sketchers. Never has a girl loved a name brand as much as my Gracie loves and talks about her sketchers.

What I see is milky white skin, smiling eyes, that thick black hair that silences me and a soul that is doing somersaults in that small body of hers. She writes loves notes to James R., envelopes them, takes them with her to school and as Daddy is dropping her off, gets nervous and stashes them in the glove compartment. She's too scared to ask the lunch lady to help her open her fruit cup, so she just doesn't eat it. She takes her pony tail out every single day and gives the hair elastic to Kelsey.

Today we took a family walk after dinner. We went over to the bridge that overlooks a lake. Grace ran far ahead and stood still suddenly, the wind blowing her hair. Her lips stuck out and her hands clutched the book that she just couldn't leave at home and I stopped and stared. And closed my eyes for a moment. I will never forget how she looked then. Absolutely the most beautiful living thing.

10 comments:

Megan said...

Love it! You must go through A LOT of hair elastics!

Lexie Lantz said...

Such a beauty!

sharry said...

Gorgeous Sarah. I love the way you write about your girls. It's poetry.
-Caitlin

Ash said...

i love the part about her sketchers. i don't know, reading that makes me remember being that age and the things that i loved. it makes me realize that she's becoming a girl, not a little girl, but a girl. and she's doing it so well!

xoxo

Ash said...

okay, so that was not ashley. that was me-sarah. I'm at ashley's house, obviously. and more obviously, using her computer.

!

Jessiesmylieyahoo,com said...

hisarah

Jessiesmylieyahoo,com said...

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Lillie said...

Oh mama-- you're so good at your job.

Melissa said...

You're such an awesome mom! I think we all need to stop and smell the roses more often like you do!

Rhiannon said...

I'm pretty sure that if we lived closer, that Jersey and Grace would be the best of friends. I say this because for Jersey's spring picture she wore the same exact outfit. She loves her shirt with horses on it and there isn't a day go by that she isn't wearing her sketchers. I have raised a child to worship the name brand products. But beside clothes they are love the same thing. I am sure lots of people say my kids would be great friends with yours. It might sound lame. But I know that Jersey and Grace are connected since birth haha. Well I just had to tell you my thought about that.