When Emma left for Marshall earlier this month to visit her grandparents, she got a new DVD for the car ride there: Tarzan, which had been in our collection only as a VHS until the trip. When she returned, she brought back with her Tarzan II. I asked Ashley about the movie, and she briefly explained that it filled in the gap between Tarzan’s birth and his meeting Jane.
I said, “Oh, so it’s a prequel.” But Ashley disagreed and explained why it didn’t qualify as one.
“Eh, sounds like a prequel to me,” I quipped. But Ash continued to disagree. It was an argument that wasn’t going to be settled, so I looked at Emma and said, “Sweetie, I think your mother’s a bit of a contrarian!”
She looked at me and smiled.
“Emma,” I said, “I think you’re a bit of contrarian, too.”
Quick as a whip, she said, “No, I’m NOT!”
Ashley and I laughed — hard.
Emma really is a chip off the ole block. She’s probably equal parts me, equal parts Ashley, and when she does something that emulates one of her parents’ less-awesome characteristics, the other is always quick to call her “your daughter.”
For example, when Emma is having what Ashley has come to call her “DEFCON 10 meltdowns,” she’s my daughter. When Emma digs in her heels and refuses to listen and is stubborn as can be, she’s definitely “Ashley’s daughter.”
When it comes to electronics, Emma takes after me. In the short time that our household has had iPads, Emma has surpassed her mother’s ability (OK, well at least rivaled) to use the device. It’s pretty amazing to watch her open the Smart Cover, push the button, unlock the device, find her folder, open an app and start playing a game.
Yesterday, though, I’d had it with electronics. Emma was over at Papa and Asa’s house after lunch. I’ve been having A LOT of early mornings lately (which is just par for the course for Ashley) and decided to capitalize on the free couple of afternoon hours before me. I popped out my contacts and got into bed. As I drifted off to sleep, my cell phone rang. It was my mom. We had a short conversation, hung up and I began to drift back to sleep. A few minutes into the slumber, the house phone rang. It was my dad. Short convo and back to sleep.
Then my cell rang again. It was Ashley, who was just getting out of her event. She wanted to inform me that she was headed to the paint store to get some samples (so she can re-paint the dining room, even though we painted it a beautiful shade of green when we bought the house). We hang up, and I begin drifting back to sleep. But this time I wasn’t even there and Ashley called again to inform me that the paint store was having a 40-percent-off sale.
Again, I attempt sleep. Then another call from my parents’ house. ARGH!
Finally, still in bed trying to slip in a nap, I was roused once more by another call from Ashley, who wanted to make sure I still wanted a Coke Zero from Sonic. And that was it — no Saturday nap for me.
