Scary

Since we have laptops and ipods with internet access that are numerous places in the house, I want to make sure my kids know that they are always being watched just in case that will somehow deter them from looking at things that are inappropriate.   So anyway, in order to keep that sense of stalking-ness, I like to sneak up on them sometimes, just so they know I don't always announce myself.  Brooke was upstairs and it had been quiet, so I figured she might be on her laptop up in her room, so I snuck up the stairs softly, walked into her room and slowly (so as not to arouse suspiciouns) creeped up the ladder to her bed (it is a loft over a desk).  As I peered over the edge, I saw she was just up there reading a book on her Kindle.  And she was focused, so focused she didn't even notice me watching her.  I thought it was pretty cute and that I should take a picture of her because she is so into reading.   It took me a while to go downstairs, get the camera, come back upstairs, but luckily she was in the same spot.   As I did the same thing I had done previously, I must have made some small sounds as I went to take the picture, because she looked over just as I was getting the camera ready.  And I scared her half to death.  She jumped about a mile, then she started crying because I had startled her so badly.  Oopsey.  Luckily, she did recreate the reading so I could still get my shot (although if you look close in the re-created shot, you can see the red splotches on her face from the crying :))

As a sidenote, this was actually a couple of weeks ago and I forgot until she reminded me the other day when she overheard me and thought I was telling someone else the story and was super embarrassed (I wasn't telling it then, but now.....)  Also, she was really into the Kindle, but has now gone back to her books, and is currently finishing another Harry Potter book every week or so (short days in middle school helped her finish 2 this week)