Beautiful

Sometimes I don't really see people. Last night I slipped into my role as stylist, hairdresser, photographer, and chauffeur for the girls as they prepared for the big Valentine's Dance they attend each year with their Daddy. He is teaching them that any young man worth their time will open doors for them, treat them with respect, and find them utterly captivating. They are precious every single day, but last night they were just so very much "Katie" and "Erin" that I could not fail to see their loveliness. They were beautiful.

Katie was completely dressed an hour and half before it was time to go. She wanted her hair styled in an up-do with pieces framing her face. (It took longer to adjust the pieces of hair framing Katie's face than it took Erin to be ready to go out the door. ) We took a zillion pictures with Katie playing to the camera. She pouted, smiled, laughed, and offered a moody pre-teen stare for the camera lense.

Erin had rough time getting ready to go out. She was upset about having to pull her dress over her head because there was no zipper. She cried over difficulty putting on her tights, but she did not want help. She cried because she lost one of the sparkly crystal magnetic earrings she had put on so carefully before pulling her dress over her head. She cried because her eyes were red from crying. The tears finally abated when Erin was presented with an old necklace from Mom's jewelry box that would normally be off limits. Erin wanted the picture-taking to be over as quickly as possible.

As I proceeded to snap pictures of Katie in head-to-toe red and Miss Erin in her silver and black get-up, I was struck by their loveliness. They are stunning. They kind of know it, too. They are not conceited. They are simply confident.