Weekly Pic--Baby Face

In honor of HannahKate's 13th birthday this last week, I've chosen one of my all time favorite photos of she and Joel. She was just a few months old. He came home from work, stretched out on the couch and perched her on his chest. The thing that's always struck me about this picture is the look on Joel's face. It's as if he's almost beaming--so full of pride and love. Of course, the look on HannahKate's face is priceless, too. I used to say, "I wonder what she's thinking? I'd give anything if she could tell us." Now that she's officially a teenager, I see her look at her daddy that same way as if to say, "Really, Dad, please..." It's the "You're- embarassing/annoying-me-but-I-can't-keep-from-laughing" grin. I now know that this expression is the precursor for the "rolling-of-the-eyes/deep-sigh" response that arrives with adolescence. In the past thirteen years, I've seen that face a thousand times, and I've learned that she doesn't need words to tell us exactly what she's thinking.