Happy Valentine's Day!

On Sunday afternoon, I took pictures of the twins for Valentine's Day cards to send to their grandparents.  I had shopped for paper, string, and glue.  I had cut and strung dozens of hearts.  I had waited days for the sun to break free from the clouds.  I had rearranged furniture and hung the strings of hearts. 

Then the REAL work began.  Although Maddie and Will are photographed on a daily basis and should be quite used to the camera, THEY ARE TODDLERS.  They sit still for about 10.5 seconds before moving along on their path of violent destruction.  And don't expect them to cooperate with your plans, especially if they deviate from their own agendas (which involve a lot of running, throwing, screaming, and laughing).  They don't *quite* understand the purpose for or reason behind changing into new clothes after they had already been dressed for the day or sitting on top of a box in front of a wall that has been covered in hearts or looking and smiling at the camera while Mama acts a fool.  (And you know that while I was singing "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and barking like a dog, I was TOTALLY screaming, "WOULD YOU JUST SMILE AT THE &*(^!! CAMERA, ALREADY!  I'M JUST TRYING TO MAKE *&%^$^ VALENTINE'S DAY CARDS FOR YOUR GRANDPARENTS!"on the inside.) 

Luckily, one of our twins responds well to bribery, especially bribery that involves cookies.  I'll let you guess which one that is.  Just like Bailey, Will will do anything for a treat!  Even sit on a box in front of a heart-covered wall and smile for the camera. 

Maddie, though, is a different, much more difficult story.  I sang, I danced, I laughed, I sneezed, I bribed, I gave her a break...I pulled out all the stops, and STILL wasn't getting the picture of our girl that I desired.  After our portrait sitting had gone on longer than was good for any of us and the only pictures of Maddie that I was getting looked like the one below, I called it a day and determined that one of the pictures that I had taken earlier in the afternoon would have to be good enough.

"Do you REALLY think you can break me?  I'll take your strawberries and I'll listen to your songs and sounds, but I'll NEVER smile for the camera!  NEVER!!!"

Not looking at the camera, chewing on a fruit snack, hands in the picture...good enough.



The second picture shown above was used for cards for the twins' grandparents and was closer to the picture that I sought after.  Yet it is the first picture, the one that captures that priceless expression, that I love more.  It depicts our little girl as the clever, feisty, funny diva that she truly is!  It took me some time to see that, of course.  I can be just as stubborn as she is. 

 

I wonder where she gets it from?

 

Happy Valentine's Day!