Almost impercebtible . . .

So this evening, while Penelope & Emma were blowing out the candles on their birthday cake, Emma's hair caught on fire. Talk about surreal! I was manning the light switch & the beagle, Dan was on the living-room floor, across the coffee table from the girls. From my position, I could tell that Emma's hair was going to catch about an instant before it did. Instinctively, Emma looked at her dad, and carefully backed away from the candles just as Dan was telling her to carefully back away from the candles. Then Dan reached over and pinched the flame out.

Done. Over. Crisis averted. Both girls pulled their hair back and finished the candle-extinguishing ritual. Cake was had by all (including the beagle).

Granted, Emma needed a shampoo and deep-conditioning treatment, and will probably get a haircut on Sunday -- but once again, she has shown a natural instinct to not freak out when she is in the midst of a dangerous situation. The first happened a few years ago, when their a/c unit fell out of the window they were trying to open. Instead of trying to grab the unit & keep it in place, Emma actually leapt backwards, away from the window.

Not that Penelope is any less emergency-savvy -- after all, she did slice her pinky finger open (she was aiming for an apple core) -- but I'm not cataloging, here. Just sharing the amazement I always experience whenever my kids do something beyond their years. I shouldn't (be amazed), but I can't help it. I'm not sure I would have had the same instincts, at eight. I'm grateful that my daughters do.