favorite pair of genes

I couldn't resist. Once I saw Dutch Baby with lipstick (shade Ballet Recital Red) I knew a side-by-side shot comparison next to my mother-in-law would be an upcoming blog feature.

Since her first smile Dutch Baby has reminded me of Grandma Wanda Faye, a fact that rubs the other jealous Grandma (my mother) raw: "Why can't any of my grandchildren look like our side of the family?" Those paternal genes scream for dominance and usually conquer. The only emerging genes from my side engineered small mouths with oversize, redneck teeth that must be forced into submission with years of expensive metal. Thank you, dearest maternal Grandma Dorothy Rae, for that heirloom.

Then Dutch Baby got glasses, and now the lipstick! Grandma has a mini-meemaw!

And man, can that baby girl dance. (Can she?)

I will need to find out if she gets the dancing gene from Grandma Wanda too. I don't know if she danced or not. I do know that my mother was a Digger Darling in high school. So there you go, Mom! There is something redemptive in our gene sesspool.

My favorite part of watching little girlypop dance recitals is watching the kids that don't move. Not moving is hilarious action. Dutch Baby (middle child on middle row) gave good effort, slightly ahead of the rest (not a follower! Good girl!) but the Emmy definitely goes to Emma out front for her immaculate sense of timing. Her talented mom is a great ballerina gene-carrier.

Happy Easter, everyone. The Easter Bunny brought us our first taste of earthquake. Our house swayed a little when Baja was hit earlier today. Ethereal!

Lastly, Happy Birthday to Blake and me, born a week apart- me first!- and Blake on April Fool's Day. I thought it would be a great joke to write 36 on his birthday cake, even though the two of us just turned thirty-five.

I wouldn't have laughed if he'd stolen a year from me like that.

I need thirty-five. It's a nice solid buffer. Thirty-six is much too close to forty.