My Little Towel Head

When we took our trip to Grams and Gramps Allan's house during the summer, it was embarrassing how badly the airlines racially profiled Zoe. She likes to wear towels on her head and only once she took it off would they let her past security. And even then they looked at her suspiciously.

blankets and dinosaurs

There was a time when Zoe would not be caught dead without a dinosaur in her hand. What if there was some freak snow storm in L.A. and she was left having to flee immediately? Also, in a less explicable phenomena, she could not pass a towel or blanket without putting it on her head. Perhaps as a way of escaping the rest of us buffoons. "I cannot be related to these clowns. Maybe if I hide for a minute they'll go away." This is yet another way she has demonstrated her brilliance. Poor Ben is her number one pawn. He almost always copies her shenanigans as he sees the attention she gets for them. The only difference is she is not doing these things for attention, but for deeper, more mad scientist-ish reasons. Ben is just a sweet innocent bystander caught up in her devilish experiments. I mean, look at her face... she knows what she's doing. One and a half going on 60.

Peace of Cake

A piece of cake was left outside the door of some neighbors who'd left for the weekend. So Ben decided it would be a good idea to take a picture of it for them since obviously it wouldn't last until they got back. Wily and cunning, you think? Amazingly, he didn't even ask to eat it. He just threw it away after we got the shot. Good kid, that one.

TARGET

Worried about the big targets on their chests (sort of like displaying a McCain-Palin sign on your lawn in Los Angeles... of course those guys deserve a good egging anyway) Ben and Zoe try to cover up their large red dots with kitchen towels. Now if only someone would throw a kitchen towel over the McCain-Palin signs... although I haven't yet spotted a sign. THEY'RE not even stupid enough to do something THAT crazy. It would be like teepeeing your own house.

Linus Blanket

Looooooove it when Zoe carries her Linus blanket around after a nap. So unbelievably cute. The blanket's a worn out old thing we used to use for Ben, but for some reason it's just right for Zoe.

Touch of Evil

Don't ask me what happened to a momentarily smiling Ben to make him so upset. It's possible Zoe did something unthinkable like touch him. Or actually wait, no pacifier. I think I'm the evil one who stole it to take a pacifier-free the picture. Thus making a perfect picture for the mantle, don't you think? I can't get a decent pic of Ben when we're in the house because that's the only place he's allowed to have it so it doesn't come out of his mouth when we're home. One day he's going to be crying like this because we DIDN'T take it from him and his teeth are funny.

Birthday Party

In looking at these pics you may wonder where's this birthday party as advertised in the blog title? I want balloons. I want cake. What about Mickey or Elmo? Just what kind of party is this anyway?










After so many years of taking pictures I have noticed that more and more my eyes focus most sharply on my own children. Sometimes I have a hard time seeing anyone else. It's a love that borders on obsession. The children have caught me on numerous occasions boiling bunnies in the kitchen. They no longer think bunnies are cute house pets, but instead they are tonight's stew.

That said, we had a great time at Lucas' 2nd birthday party, even if I forgot to take more pictures of him, his cake and his drugged out Mickey Mouse impersonator (I swear the guy's old, torn Mickey costume made him look like he just pulled off a drug induced bank robbery). I was too busy caging my own children in the camera frame.