marty took bella shopping for prom dresses. here's what this looks like in most cases. you have a young, idealistic girl trying on dress after dress for the biggest night of the her life while the mother stands back, assessing things and ticking through the details she doesn't like about the dress (and in some cases the girl's body). in time the girl becomes vexed at the mother's judgement. the classic maternal response here is asking if the girl wants a good dress or to be lied to.

here's what it looks like when marty is the mother. bella came out of the dressing room in her latest choice and found her mother holding two dresses. bella looked at them and said she didn't like them. to this comment, marty held the dresses aside protectively and said, "oh these aren't for you to try on, they are for me".

so marty and bella tried on prom dresses together in a shared dressing room and giggled and guffawed and hushed one another. for the next forty minutes other shoppers glanced at one another wondering what might be going on in that curtained cubicle.

marty also does enthusiastic dances in her chair after finding puzzle matchers. and i hope you have a good audiologist if you ever drive the minivan after her has been grocery shopping because the pop music blaring from the speakers after you start the car will leave your ears humming for twenty minutes.

this picture snapped by bella in the heat of the prom-dress hunt does lots to catch the playful spirit of her mother. in this photo you can see the sixteen year old that still resides in this woman, this woman who is storming up on the big five-o.