AHHHHH. SCHOOL PICTURE DAY

I guess the best way to describe picture day is as a necessary evil. You must do it. You feel extreme guilt if you don't. Especially when your children wear uniforms and can only have "free dress day" if they order pictures. Nothing discreet about that!

I just buy the fall ones. I mean, an official picture of that grade. Check. The springtime ones with the stupid props (i.e., a bunch of kitchen chairs in the background? Come on!) really chap my hide. "Send no payment now....". yea right. They hype up the kids and send cutesy unpaid things home like luggage tags, calendars, etc. that your child is dying to keep. Not to mention the offer of your child on a coffee mug, etc. And you know.....(as they know) that if you don't buy them your child's beautiful face will be shredded. SHREDDED I SAY!

Last spring I said to myself.....I will not buy them. I bought the fall pictures. I told the ahead of time. You may dress freely but I will not buy the pictures when they come home. End of discussion. Well guess what.....they were dang cute! I mean really cute! So I "pulled a Natalie" as Jim would say and picked 5 sheets from a combination of all 3 of my children's packets and sent a check for one 5 picture package at the low price of......can't remember. Probably a big n0-no but there was nothing in the small print about combining children to make a decently priced package. And they cashed my check. So there.

This year was a nightmare. The older ones are easy. I stopped picking their clothes and they are on their own to get ready. I prefer no logos but alas, a teenage buy feels naked without his logos. The daughter showed a bit more cleavage than I would have rathered (I don't think rathered is a word but alas) but.....could be worse. The pics here are from this year for the HS kids, and for last year from the 2nd graders.

I am so thankful for uniforms. I could never handle it otherwise with Hannah. Twice yearly picture days do me in. This year was no exception.

Hannah: "this shirt is squeezing me to death! I can't breathe" Why can't I wear a (bulky ugly) t-shirt under it so it doesn't scratch me?"

Curls are not even worth the battle. I would lose. I have always lost. One of the years I attempted it ended up in her sticking her head under the bathroom sink faucet, thereby making it so only half of her head had curls.

Evil curls my mother inflicted on me as well.

This year she ran back upstairs after getting ready, screaming and crying and not wanting to go to school because she had puffy eyes and everyone would know that she had been crying. I had no luck explaining to her that if she would simply stop crying then the evidence would go away and no one would know.

Well, I had to leave for work about 10 minutes before they left for school so Dad was in charge of getting them to school after I had the pleasure of getting them ready for picture day.

When Hannah came home from school (8 hrs later.....) I noticed something odd.....the little stinker had on purple eyeshadow....I asked the dreaded question....when did you put on purple eyeshadow?

Hannah: "This morning so I would look pretty for my school pictures. (maybe to cover up the puffy eyes). Hmmmm. If it was that noticeable 8 hrs later, imagine how it looked for pictures. Now I would never in a million years except my hubby to notice that but I am sure the teachers, photographers, etc. sure did. Funny thing about it is that she has always hated makeup. When she had to put it on for the Miss Utah pageant she fought me every time.

School pictures are so funny. My sister tries to coach her kids how to smile, so you don't end up with the typical silly straight smile. I have tried it too.....but at certain ages, they work too hard at it and it doesn't come out quite right.

My favorite picture day story: My little cousin came home from school with her school pictures. She was probably in 2nd grade or so. Her mother opened up the envelope and lo and behold there Ellie was in a tiara! Her mother later got the story from the teacher...."Ellie told us that you said she HAD to wear the tiara for the school pictures so we figured we better let her......" Good one Ellie! But I'll bet those pics are her mom's favorite.

Another favorite story is when my little sister went for the preschool portion.....she would only take the picture holding her ratty old doll. My mom, thinking she would outsmart them all, reached in to snatch the doll away, right as the picture was snapped. Walla! A great memory is captured.

Hope you have many happy school pictures both past and present.

Traumatic school picture for my little brother.....Boy could he pull faces!