the dahlbys: Just Like Her Momma

The Dahlbys and I are always going at it about who the girls are 'most like.' Looks are one thing . . . its pretty clear that Meg is a carbon copy of Jim. I'll give them that one. Kate takes after me a little more . . . but the Dahlbys are in denial about that and assure me that she, too, is growing up to look just like Daddy.

What is more of a battle is not who they look like but who they will be like.

You see, Jim is an engineer. Hs sister is, too. So are several cousins. And Uncles. Suffice it to say, there are many engineers in the Dahlby family. The whole freakin' clan is a bunch of mathematical/scientific braniacs. This means that every time either Meg or Kate do anything that is remotely math or science related, the Dahlbys bust out with, "SEE! She is going to be an engineer!"

Allow me to elaborate . . .

Meg was curious about what made the big waves behind the boat while we were tooling around the lake on our Ozarks vacation. "See -- she is wondering about physics! An engineer for sure!" was my MIL's response.

Kate can hold up one finger if you ask her how old she is. "Oh! Learning numbers already! A mathematician in the making!" chant the Dahlbys.

It's constant. So constant, in fact, that it has become a running joke between Jim and I. Any little chance I get to say, "Oh! She MUST be an engineer!" I say it. Jim just laughs.

But here's the kicker: those girls are 50% Jim and 50% me . . . and I ain't no engineer. I'm more of an artsy/creative person. I always hated math in school, but I thrived in English, literature, music. These girls have about as much chance of becoming an engineer as they do becoming an artist or a writer. They have equal parts of both in them, somewhere.

Maybe one will go to Georgia Tech, like Daddy . . . and maybe one will go to Georgia, like Mommy. Or maybe both WILL be engineers, after all. Who knows what they'll become, but it's funny to speculate while they are so young.

And Meg, the darling 1st grandchild who was asking about wakes in the water and loves to watch "The Math Circus" DVD, has recently found her creative streak.

Not in painting or coloring, as would be the case for many 3 yr olds. She's been busting out with a camera. We handed down our OLD point-and-shoot digital camera a few months ago when we replaced it, so now Meg has a camera of her own.

Yes, I said Meg. And a camera. A budding photographer. Just like her momma. Maybe there is some hope for me, yet. Maybe one of them is turning out like me, after all.

Enjoy some of Meg's fine work . . . and there is more on our Picasa site. I gave Meg her very own album to show off her skills.