School pictures 2010

Funny story the morning of school picture day:

I was practicing "smiles" with Spencer (2nd grade) and Leda (Kindergarten) before school , because you see we're in that awkward smiling stage. You know, where they look more constipated than happy?

Here, exhibit A:



And it's more Leda these days than Spencer, though we're not out of the woods with him just yet.

So after we practiced some killer smiles, Spencer says to me, "Mom, I just don't wanna smile with my teeth, I want to keep my lips closed."

I thought about it for a moment and said, "But I really like it when you smile nicely with your teeth, can't you do it for me?"

Silence and stares.

So I then said something like, "Okay Spencer. I get it, you want to do things your way. So how about this: YOU decide how to smile. Teeth or no teeth. YOU get to choose. But right before the picture guy says "CHEESE!" I want you to remember this conversation and that your dear mother at home REALLY wants you to smile with your teeth, okay? And if I remember right, you get 3 or 4 poses, so maybe just some of those you could smile with teeth---for your Mom?"

More stares and a very toothless grin.

I sighed and sent him off to school.

Leda I wasn't so worried about. I figured we'd get what we get with her. You never know these days.

When they came home from school picture day, I asked how it went. Leda said "Fine" and Spencer was tight lipped and would NOT tell me how he smiled. He told me I would have to wait and see. He's already such a "big-brother tease!"

So fast forward a few weeks and here are Leda's school pictures:



Ahh, perfection...right? She's so cute I could just kick her (and have). Way to smile Leda!

So, you can imagine how excited I was to see my Spencer's pictures! When he bounced in the house an hour after Leda got home, I begged to see his proofs. He was ALL grins as he brought them slowly out of his backpack. It was time to see if he made his Momma proud! Will I see a smile with teeth or without?

Well.....



Yep.

The punk smiled toothless in ALL four shots.

And what's funny is it almost looks like at shot #1 he's thinking in his head, "I CAN'T smile with teeth, I CAN'T smile with teeth!" and by shot #4 he's got a head tilt like, "Take THAT Mom!"


We had a good laugh.

(and by the way, I still think he looks darling)

And now we have a very funny story about school picture day 2010.

Oh and I'm too cheap to buy the real packages that break the bank, but a class composite is on it's way and I get to keep these proofs that will forever make ME smile a big TOOTH-FILLED smile!