Say Cheese

We finally had our family photos taken. I procrastinated big time scheduling these, scrambled to find a new photographer, and then our original date two weeks ago got rained out. When the appointed Saturday finally rolled around, all four of us had colds, it was a chilly, windy day, and Violet had woken up for unknown (and unwelcome) reasons at 4:45 a.m. and refused to go back to bed. I waffled all day on what the girls were going to wear, afraid it was too cold for them to don their red matching Christmas dressed (purchased specifically for this purpose). I'd spend a week prepping Violet for wearing her dress (she had so far even refused to try it on), and when I changed my mind that day and told her she could wear jeans, she did a 180 on me and freaked out, insisting on her "pretty red Christmas dress."

Yep, the recipe for success, let me tell you.

Family pictures stress me out. You need the right outfits, the right background, the right smiles, just so you can look like the "right" family for the .2 seconds it took to snap the shot. I'd love to hear the behind-the-scenes story of some of the cards that will come through our mailbox this year. Were your kids freaking out and crying the whole time save the moment the shutter snapped? Did your photographer have to photoshop that massive zit off your chin? Did everyone smile even though on the inside you were seething? Ah, good times.

Right before we left the house, I managed to convince Violet to smile for me and actually look at the camera (she tends to let her eyes wander these days, or put on a really forced smile to prove how annoyed she is by the entire process). We got a few of the girls together, too. Knowing at least something was preserved on camera helped me relax when it came time for the real photo shoot - at least I had my own pictures in my back pocket should worse come to worse.

Can anyone photoshop me a nice winter scene into the background?

Still, as you can see from the previous post, we still managed to capture a few good ones. My favorites are with me and the girls, although we got a serviceable family shot for the Christmas card too. And at least it's over with!