One Little, Two Little, Three Little

I'd intended from the start to photograph the girls there, and after Dad's and my last visit, my parents were excited, too. When I told Mom I wanted the girls to wear feathers in their hair, she perked up and said she had leather and beads and beautiful brown feathers, as a matter of fact, and could make headbands. I said I'd been thinking construction paper, but leather would be good. No brown feathers, though, I told her: bright red and yellow ones. Tacky.

She pretty much hates tacky but did as I asked. Then, mere hours before the shoot, she said: "I have a full costume one of us could wear. I made it years ago, for a costume party."

I laughed and said I didn't intend to dress up, and what would be the point, anyway, since I'd be behind the camera.

"Would it be okay if I wore it," she asked, "to have my photo taken with the girls?" and my heart skipped a beat because she was ever-so-slightly shy about it.

"Sure," I told her, and she sent my big kid into the closet after the costume. She looked so beautiful in it, too. Typical my mama: always put together. And I don't think she'd envisioned (even after my last set of photos) how far she'd have to hobble on her sore foot, but she did it. I couldn't love her more if I tried; she's just my kind of crazy, and we're all so blessed to have her.