When our children were really young, I used to walk by restaurants and look at the people inside as if they were in an exotic environment- a place that I could only vaguely remember from that other life before kids.  It's not that we couldn't have gone inside, but the thought of all that work- the snowsuits, the waiting, the 2 seconds that the kids might actually spend eating versus the 20 minute tantrum when it was time to put the coats back on...made finger food at home sound like a gourmet option.  At the time I thought I knew it was temporary.  I could have told you that a day takes forever and the years pass in the blink of an eye.  But the truth is, you can't really know until you have lived it- and by then, you've blinked.

Here's a visual way to repeat the paragraph above:

Meet "The Girl" from 2009-2013 (more on her name later).  

"The Boy".  These photos look deceptively still. Usually he's running around chasing various balls.

"The Baby".  These photos add to her proof that there was no family until she was born.

Obviously this is a photographer's dream family.  Not only are they all great-looking and easy to work with, but they travel from Atlanta to Maine every year to visit their extended family, and they make the photo session an annual part of the trip.  Sure, they're not alone, but how many clients will also write your blog for you?  Susannah, who "curates humor", somehow finds the time here.   Locals- don't miss her impressions of Maine in  recent posts.  Susannah goes pretty easy on the photo sessions- in fact, she sounds more like a paid advertisement- but I'm pretty sure there's a second version out there written in a more mocking tone.  She's got too much Southern Charm to let me see it.  If you read "Out Went the Light",  you'll understand the names of the kids.  I'm happy to say that they also have more specific names in real life.Khayat 2013

Here's the cast of charactersKhayat 2013 Here's the central cast plus Susannah's father, her sister and the dog.  The dog has quite a collection of portraits too.

Partners in Crime

Sisters

The other sisters

What it really looks like most of the timeKhayat 2013 With Susannah writing the blog for me and these assistants, I could just stay home. But then I'd miss all the fun.

So, about the blink of an eye.  What does that really mean?  Here are some phrases associated with the expression, according to various reputable dictionaries:

to look with half-shut eyes

to close and open the eyes involuntarily

 to yield, give in <each side waiting for the other to blink

 to react to (something) with surprise or disapproval:he doesn’t blink at the unsavory aspects of his subject

to prevent yourself from crying or to make your tears go away by blinking

to shine with a light that goes on and off; a momentary gleam of light