In an effort to get more than a Christmas card during their grown up years, I made a (justifiable) impulse buy as I walked passed the electronics counter at Wal Mart: a shiny new video camera—small enough to fit in my purse and carried with me wherever we went. Now, not only will I have video footage of my kids dance recitals and kindy graduations, but I will also pick up scenes of them running happily through the sprinklers or laughing on the park swings (at least, that’s what the advertisement showed).
I get home with the camera and immediately try it out in the kitchen. My son is of course cute no matter what he is doing, so I shot a few minutes of him chomping his waffle. We could work on the laughing/swinging combo later.
Later that week, we follow my husband out of town on a work trip. I have yet to buy a purse so the camera proudly rides along in my puffy coat pocket. The ride up there gets warm, so when we make it to the hotel room and the kids are having a blast turning on and off the fireplace and jumping on the beds, I realize that the video camera is in the car with my shedded coat. I make up for this by getting back in time to snap footage of my daughter watching T.V.
The next day we head to an arcade/climbing gym where the kids run wild laughing and having a good time. As they laugh, I remember the camera is sitting back on the hotel room kitchen table—so I wouldn’t forget it on my way out the door. I make up for this by getting a good shot of them tiredly playing a game of cards in the hotel room.
Later that night, my husband takes the girls swimming in the hotel pool. I follow them down—video camera in hand—and my girls jump right in. My five-year-old is just learning to swim across the pool and is in the middle of a crazy-cute dog paddle when I whip out my video camera. I aim it just right to capture this epic milestone in my daughter’s life. I push the big red record button and it doesn’t turn on. It’s dead.
So far, I have footage of my son chowing down a waffle, my daughter zoning in front of the t.v., and a not-so-mean game of cards. This was looking less like a vacation and more like a particularly long wait in the doctor’s office.
We left the next morning, so I made up for this by forgetting the whole darn camera when we checked out of our room. I am now anxiously awaiting my first Christmas card.
If it makes you feel better Jodi, I don't own a video camera. Hopefully you guys had fun in Logan. We missed ya!
ReplyDeleteIts cool if you don't get footage of your children. I have no bitterness against my parents that the only picture of me between the ages of 5 and 16 is a shot of my elbow at lake powell when I inadvertently walked in front of the camera. Yup 99 therapy sessions later..no bitterness.
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