Cheeeeese!

I can not believe it is already August.

This summer went entirely too fast. It is crazy to think another school year is upon us. I am starting to prepare. Gathering curriculum and planning our weekly schedule.

We are going to be doing two co-op's this year. I am excited to have this opportunity! Miss Thang is also looking forward to being back in a type of classroom setting.

In an effort to enjoy the last days of summer though, the kids and I packed a bag and headed to my parents for a week. We were just here right after the 4th of July, but it was a really short trip and we didn't have time for the annual portrait session at Sears.

I am not really sure when it became a tradition.

When Miss Thang was born she was the first grandchild. We have LOTS of photo's. I am pretty sure every family member has her life documented moment by moment and every moment is framed!

Seven and a half years later, there are four kids. Miss Thang (7 1/2), my two neices (6 1/2 and 5 1/2) and Little man (almost 2).

Oh they were such joy today! That studio obviously had no clue what had descended upon them when instead of giving us a seasoned photographer - we had the lady in training.

It was NOT good.

We knew it was going downhill when she started off by asking us what poses we wanted. Ummm I am not a photographer and have no clue how to pose four kids. So she started flipping through a training manual for ideas!

About 20 minutes into it, the kids were doing great! There was enough cheeeeeese in that room to start a dairy club. When suddenly she left us! She went to go finish with the customers that she had been working with before she started our photos.

OH. MY. WORD. We were left for about 25 minutes to entertain 4 kids and keep them happy and clean and pretty.

We did what any parent would do. They had a pose off. I do not remember the last time I laughed so hard. Little Man held his own! He can pose with the best of him and he can WORK those hips and pout those lips.

When our photographer finally came back the kids were done. Well, the girls weren't. They were ready to put on their butterfly wings and boa's and take the fun picture we always let them take as the last photo. Little Man however WAS done! He would lay down if we tried to get him to stand. He would stand up and scream when we tried to get him to lay down.

Somehow we did manage to put some pictures together and I think all grandparents will be happy.

After all that hard work Mom and I decided to shop! I think we woke up and took a stupid pill this morning because ,I mean seriously, who in their right mind would have shopped the mall with the same four kids who just spent nearly two hours in the portrait studio of Sears. We were obviously not in our right minds. Maybe shopping is a left brain activity?

Love,
Cara