Picture People

Cecelia and I met at 11:00 to get our children photographed. After debating between JC Penny, Sears, Walmart, Target, Babies R Us, or our digital photos of toddlers and newborns screaming, defacating or sticking their fingers in various crevices (bodily and otherwise), we settled on the Picture People (my condolences, Bride that Was - the price was right. Especially for what ensued which entailed:)

* Finn's face turning into a beet in between every other shot, making this newborn session the longest shoot in the history of time
* Pipsqueak and Stink doing belly dives on the "surfy blue" roll out paper (used as a backdrop)
* Stink agreeing to hold Pip's hand, but only when his face was turned away from the photographer
* Many motherly tactics I normally don't utilize (My kids won't be bribed... riiiight.) "You smile this minute or we aren't getting candy afterwards! One! Two! Three!" (aside to photographer) "Take it! TAAAAKE the shot!" Photographer: "But the bottoms of their feet are showing." Me: "Oh my god, my toddlers have feet? The horror! Pip, Stink - stop climbing the hatboxes!"

Despite chaos, condrums, crying (anything that begins with a 'c') both Cecelia and I ended up with some reasonable photos. The one shown here? It's not going out in Christmas cards (As much as I love Pip's strained neck and Stink looking as if his head got stuck in a wind tunnel.) But since I made the kids call the mousy cashier "pretty lady" she slipped one to me for free. (It's true, Cecelia... while you were deciding on shots, I got an extra 8x10. I win! I win! Oh, wait... you have a beautiful photo of yourself with your child, while I looked like the poster child for Andrea Yate's fan club. I lose! I lose!)

Happy Monday people. May it be as pretty as a picture.