Benchmarks

Many of you dear readers will remember when our family used to send out monthly Leah updates with a photo of her and her turtle buddy, Terrance, posed so seemingly easily on the purple recliner. By the time Leah turned 2 and 1/2, it became an awe-inspiring feat trying to get a decent picture of the squirming goofball our adorable cherub grew into. As a result, the photo updates ended.

We had good intentions to capture Natalie in the same setting every month, but that too, has proved difficult. I could bore you with a handful of excuses, but instead, may I present these two photos. Take 'em while you can get 'em. ;)

Natalie was in a grand mood, showing off her signature mouth-open-wide grin, and loving those patent leather shoes. It was tough to pick a winner from those shots. Leah, on the other hand, was less cooperative and had to be bribed with the promise of a story before nap time to get this blurry, yet cute result.

No matter the end product, it IS good to mark a little time as indelible so we can look back on these benchmarks for comparison and nostalgia. That's "benchmarks," as opposed to "bench marks" referring to the unsightly red stripes on the backs of your bare thighs after sitting on a wooden bench for considerable time. Whoops.