Valentine's Day Photo Shoot

Winter can be so boring. Especially for a stay-at-home mom... Who lives in the northeast... Who's experiencing the coldest weather we've had this winter. I hate to complain, but dang, it's cold out there! The temps have been below zero the past few days. It doesn't make me feel like taking my kids anywhere. I hate to even bring the trash out due to the freezing temps (thank God for husbands!).

Anyway, it's too cold to go out and really enjoy myself, so I turned my kids into my models so that we'd have something fun to do. And by "we" I mean "me." The kids weren't tortured or anything, but standing around, smiling while I click my camera in their faces is not their favorite thing to do. They humor me, at least.

I bought a clothing rack several months ago. If I remember correctly, it cost $35. I picked it up because I thought it would be ideal to hang sheets on it for a backdrop. You know, so I don't have to clean my house and rearrange furniture like I usually do for my amateur photo shoots. My mom let me borrow her red tablecloth, since I planned to send the pictures (if they were worthy) with Valentine's cards to some family members. This is what I came up with:

Mitchell was quite energetic at the start.

First I sat Quinn down on a little stool and had Mitchell stand.

Look at those silly smiles!!

I was wrong. Mitchell just wouldn't sit still or take any direction. And I was losing Quinn fast. The longer she smiles, the weirder the smile gets.

Quinn is turning into a pretzel!

Ok. Enough. They're smiling but this is just not gonna cut it. Mitchell would have to sit.

We're getting close!!

They're smiling. They're in a good position. But the longer it takes me to get Mitchell to actually look at the camera, the more Quinn's head sinks to the side...

See what I mean!!

It's like she's made of snow and is melting. Poor kid. I had to actually go over and put her head straight. She didn't know how to fix it otherwise.

And then..

Magic!

We finally got it! It only took 10 minutes and about 25 shots. Not bad. I think the kids are finally at the point that they know what I want out of them.

Even though I got the shot and knew this would be the one I'd send, I couldn't just stop there. I tried another pose just in case.

I love the hugging pose!

Meh. It's cute, but I've gotten cuter pictures of them hugging.

I was done, but I wanted to make sure the kids enjoyed themselves, so I let them make up their own poses. This is what they came up with:

Mitch has no idea what's going on.

That's the spirit! Get nice and silly!

And more weirdness ensues...

"Mom, are we done yet?"

Yes, we're done, guys. They did great. I can't wait until the next time we take pictures! It will most likely be for St Patrick's Day. But we'll be having a party between now and then, which means: More Appetizer Recipes!!! So stay tuned!!!