The Portrait Process

I realized recently that we were way overdue for getting the boys' pictures taken. We have a portrait club membership at JC Penney, so that's where I've been taking them for the past few sittings. It's kind of a complicated process...at least in our family. Here were the steps involved:

1. Go to jcpenneyportraits.com and set up an appointment for Wednesday, November 11 at 9:40 a.m. This is as late in the year as I will go. All the crazy parents come out in late November wanting their kids' pictures taken for Christmas, and it is just insanity at Penney's. We took TJ there on his first birthday and the entire process took 3 hours. I learned my lesson.

2. Go through the boys' closets to see what they can wear for pictures.

3. Go to Kohl's to buy a new shirt for Nolan. His dressier clothes have already been worn by his brothers in previous pictures. Unacceptable to duplicate outfits.

4. Pay for TJ and Sam to get their hair cut at the salon. I never pay for haircuts, but for some reason, they will hold still for a stranger, and Grandma wanted their hair cut straight. Stephanie did a nice job.

5. Sam falls on the front porch on November 8.

6. Sam has a black eye.

7. Morning of photo shoot: Sam still looks like he got in a fight and lost. Put foundation on Sam's eye. Sam says, "Thanks, Mom! It feels all better!" Oy.

8. Smile as photographer attempts to turn Sam's head to hide the worst of the bruising.

9. Marvel at how cooperative the boys were during the photo shoot. They have NEVER behaved so well.

10. Look through proofs. Roll eyes at how noticeable Sam's injury is in the pictures.

11. Buy pictures anyway. There will never be a perfect sitting. I have 3 boys. This is just a fact.

Here he is. He looked even worse than these pictures show (in my opinion):