There's Brave and there's brave.

So we were away for the weekend and I didn't take any pictures. It was a great weekend. We were at lake house with friends and Alison spent more time in the water than anywhere else.

Jet skis, tubing, and just hanging out in the lake with her two new friends was a great way to enjoy the start of summer.

But before we got wet, we went to see the movie, Brave. It's a great movie and you should go see it. Jeff's hoping I get a girl's night out soon so he can take Ali back to it.

I'll try not to spoil the whole movie for you, but there's one scene when Merida, the young heroine, is super frustrated with her mother, who is insisting that it's time to give up her tomboy ways and find a boy to marry so she can become the next queen.

Merida has no interest and ultimately seeks out a way to escape her fate. She inadvertently ends up cursing her mother instead, which, of course will change both their fates.

I have to insert here that I am beyond thrilled to see the Disney folks finally letting a mother survive a fairy tale movie, albeit in a more hairy form that anyone would like. I've long thought Walt Disney had mommy issues. Bet you can't name three Disney films that focus on a girl whose mother has not met some horrible end.

I almost didn't make it through the first 10 minutes of Nemo. Remember the barracuda and Nemo's mom?  Why is it always the Mom they off?! It's just not right.

Anyway, Merida turns her mom into a bear. It's dead quiet in the theater and Alison turns to me, grabs my arm and blurts out, "I don't care how mad I get at YOU, Mom. I won't just turn you into a bear. I'll talk to you first!"

Bless her little heart. I hope she remembers that in a few years. I won't make her marry anyone but I'm sure we'll find ourselves at opposite ends of something. For now, I'm her hair stylist and lunch maker, so she needs me.

She asked me to straighten her locks again this week. "Could you make it so my bangs are curved in?" she said. "That just made me look adorable."

Yeah, I might need to teach her what modesty means.

She DID look adorable with her sleek, straight hair. But I have to admit that I like her looking a bit more like Merida. And I'm not at all ready for her to think about a steady boyfriend.

Maybe when that day comes, I can turn HER into a bear...