Last Christmas Alanah conspired with my sister to get her first very own camera. She was quite secretive about the whole thing. One day as Christmas was nearing she asked if she could talk to Jill on the phone. I agreed quite happy that my previously shy daughter was coming out of her shell and not only wanting to communicate with other human beings but was actually willing to initiate it. Lani didn’t want me to listen while she was on the phone and I thought fair enough I know I always hate people listening in to my conversations or looking over my shoulder or following me around…hum..getting a bit side tracked here. Anyhoo a few days later all the kiddies were in the family room treading water in the sea of junk mail catalogues that pour out of our letter box in the last few weeks before Christmas.
After brushing aside oh about a hundred requests for new toys I finally tell them that we already had their presents but if they see something that they really really have to have I could ring Jill and see if she needed any help with present choices. At that point Lani announces that she already knows what her aunty Jill is giving her. Thinking it was a little strange that Jill would have told her what she had bought, especially because Jill loves surprises so much , I ask Lani
" Why did she tell you what you were getting"
"She didn’t tell me"
"How do you know then?"
"Because I asked her for it"
"Really wow, so what is it?"
"What is what" (It often takes a bit to get a straight answer in this house)
"The present"
"Oh, I’m not telling"
and neither of them would and so in the last weeks before Christmas my head filled with images of gigantic hideously pink barbie castles. On Christmas day when the big secret was finally and very excitedly, but also very carefully so as not tot rip the paper, opened I was relived to see it was just a camera. Lani was still a little nervous and asked whether it was alright because Aunty Jill had said it was alright and I’m sure honey if you can sweet talk the expensive presents out of our relatives go for it.
So this little camera has become such a part of our lives, documenting every moment of every place we go to that I thought I would give the images it produces some space on here. So Lani is going to post a photo every weekend for as long as she can be bothered. So for all I know this is your one and only look at my daughters budding career in photography.
Eli at the park by Alanah age 7
