The Grass Was Greener Before We Jumped the Fence
The leaves are morphing into a kaleidoscope of colors. The construction cones are preparing to hibernate for the winter. Mums are replacing Impatiens in gardens all across the city. The sounds of hockey and football have replaced . . . uh . . . nothing, because we don't have baseball in Pittsburgh. (Ahem.) Fall has arrived and change is in the air.
With the change of seasons have come a few changes in my favorite 3-year old. Just like *that* she has gone from wearing nothing but sundresses to genuinely finding joy in jeans and sweaters. Seemingly overnight, she has started speaking like A Kid--not a toddler, not a preschooler, like A Kid. And suddenly, out of nowhere, she has started posing for the camera.
I'll just let that last one settle in for a second.
Ready?
Yes, indeed, the child who has spent her entire life actively making sure she didn't look directly at the camera has suddenly decided that maybe it's fun to pose for Mr. Canon. For years I have resorted to trickery and shenanigans to get her eyes to focus on the lens and suddenly, there they are. Not only is she suddenly willing to look straight at the camera, she has randomly begun asking me to take her picture.
It's so weird.
To celebrate this new found level of cooperation, I thought today would be a fantastic day to stop and explore this barn:
We frequently pass that old abandoned barn during our commute between home and daycare. I kind of love it. The surrounding area is amazing, and quite the change from the bumper-to-bumper traffic I once endured.
As we drove towards the barn, I asked Alexis if she would like to stop and take a few pictures of the barn. "YES!" she eagerly squealed.
"Do you want me to take your picture with the barn?" I asked.
"YES, PLEASE!" she yelled.
Thinking that this may just wind up being the greatest picture day of my life, I pulled off to the side of the road and grabbed my camera. We ran towards the barn, Alexis eagerly explaining that she wanted to go see the animals who lived in the barn, just like in her favorite episode of Signing Time. She broke into song, melodically blaring lyrics about cows and chickens.
As we moved close, I let her get in front of me and started taking photos. She stopped, thought for a second, and then posed.
And again.
And again.
Sooooooooooo . . . how do I get her to go back to that thing where she won't pose for the camera? I'm thinking trickery and shenanigans resulted in better pictures.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Reader Comments (36)
clearly she has taken posing lessons from my daughter. big fun. ;)
at least that you have all these photos you have no excuse not to find them when she wants to see them when shes my age
I have to agree that the best pictures are the candid ones. As cute as she is, it's almost painful to watch her try to smile for the camera. I struggle with Master J as well. It gets better eventually, but I will always prefer the unselfconscious, laugh from the toes, head thrown back, eyes closed, unadulterated pure joy pictures.
clearly she has taken posing lessons from my daughter. big fun. ;)
@Mirth--Painful is EXACTLY what it is.
Ha! Abby is the same way; she often hides her face from the camera if she notices the camera, but when she does pose, the faces she makes are often interesting. Her "Say cheese!" smile is with eyes squinted so much they are closed, and an aggressive flash of teeth; more a snarl than a smile.
You gotta love that she tries, though! Don't worry: I'm sure you and Alexis will find some happy medium...like you still using trickery and shenanigans for the best shots. It may need to be new trickery & shenanigans, though. See, she's keeping you on your toes! You have to keep learning new things as she does! Heh.
Oh my. Cooper started doing the same thing about 6 months ago. Every now and again I get a nice, relaxed smile, but for the most part it is this awful, cheesy grin that makes him look like he is possessed by something other than the spirit of a 4-year-old boy.
And I am loving Alexis in the jeans and sweaters! She pulls off preppy so well!
im glad my kid isnt the only one that does it! lol
Yep, the "cheese" grin has arrived! You'll get some funny shots, though. Now, it will just take even longer you to get good shots. Hopefully she'll get tired of posing.
Why is it that barns are such great backgrounds? I'm always looking for a great barn!
In our house the word "cheese" usually makes me squeal (YES, squeal) with delight at the prospect of noming on one of the greatest food items ever created. But, if we're taking pictures of Sam it typically means I'll be mashing my thumb into the delete button on the camera rather than mashing my face into wonderful, cheesy goodness.
Peanut has been smiling for the camera for months now with a huge dopey grin that is a perfect miniature of his father's huge dopey grin from drunken college photos. I don't know what to do beyond punching the taller dope because, clearly, this is his fault.
I know you aren't asking ME how to stop her from posing, because you have met Emily. She has camera radar. If there is one within 15 feet, you'll see the shoulder up, head tilt, cheesy smile in .001 seconds.
Posers are so overrated.
I think it's a biological thing with 3-yr-old girls.
My 2 1/2 year old can spot a camera and immediately go into her saccharin smile, so I feel your pain.
I'm glad it wasn't me. I saw those pictures and I'm thinking to myself "Gosh, she's still a cutie but...I liked the old-style better." Glad to see that was the point!
Ahh - so cute!
I never can get a decent shot of Shark Boy unless he's not aware I'm snapping. He will cross his eyes or something and ruin it every time. At least she poses sweetly!
i'm not laughing at your predicament, i'm laughing WITH you. promise!
I was hoping for a photo of her face when she realized that there were no animals in the barn.
I posted not too long ago about the awful, "I'm smelling something" my two year old puts up every time he sees the camera.
I love Alexis' hip bump... where do little girls learn to turn their heads and bump out their hips when they pose? Do we do it and then they watch? Cause seriously... I think they all do it.
Just pray she knocks this off before she takes her school pictures. Jr. hasn't taken a decent one in 8 years. Because he has been giving them his Blue Steel since day one.
LOL! Great post :) Where did you get that CUTE sweater??
There you go. Welcome to my world of constant picture taking. That's all you can do is take the pictures so much that they forget you're doing it.
ha! well she just needs to practice her posing, I think. I love the hip sticking out with the flower. She looks like she's in pain.
@The Purple Pinkie--She got all panicked and decided to leave because it occurred to her that there might actually be chickens in the barn and OMG! Not chickens! RUN! (There were no chickens.)
@Mindbling--Her school pictures have been AWFUL since day one. She better figure it out before they end up being the ones that go in the yearbook. Momma can't fix that.
@G--TJ Maxx. Just got it.
@Jayesel--Let's just tell it like it is--it looks like she needs to poop in the last pic and she's trying to focus on the flower and forget all about the impending disaster. (There was no impending disaster. Just an awkward pose.)
She's still beautiful. But, yes, BB is also in the posing thing right now as well (whereas LB REFUSES to look ANYWHERE near the camera... so, sibling picture FAIL right now). He's usually making super hero (mean looking) faces. It's all very dramatic. If I ask him to smile it's a cross between pain and anger. If I tell him to have big eyes (as we both have a tendency to go squinty) he forgets to smile and looks like an angry ghost. It's a mess over here.
Hopefully they learn to smile properly before their wedding. RIGHT? ;)
I have faith that you will still get some great photos of her... when she doesn't realize you are taking them.
LOVE the jeans! And that she's still wearing them!
But don't you just giggle inside when they get all serious trying to pose like a big person? Like so much seriousness should be stuffed into such a cute little person. That's what's throwing the balance off. :)
She's ridiculously adorable. But yes, there is something about "posed" that brings out the suck in my kids, too. Be natural, kidlets! Dammit!
I am sure you will figure something out being the picture crazed person that you are. I am a big baseball fan and I loved the baseball in Pittsburgh remark. If anyone ever tries to convince you that you have baseball tell them it is minor league. Pittsburgh does not have a major leage team.
Yeah, I have no desire to scrapbook these. Before I scrolled down to that last line, I was thinking, "And why in the name of God have you been trying to get her to pose?"
She's still cute, though.
Hey it could be worse, maybe.... ;-)
@Beth--In the interest of full disclosure, I've never actually tried all that hard to get her to pose. I may have tried to get her to stand in a particular spot, but I figured out REAL quick that looking at the camera and smiling wasn't in her repertoire. Little did I know that was for good reason, though.
Oh but these are HYSTERICAL. Great blackmail photos. We taught our kids to do a cheesy smile for the camera and have regretted it for much the same reason.
*Snicker* She will pose from here on out. Promise. I love the pictures though. She is an adorable cheeseball!
she is so totally rocking the jeans now.. that sweater is freakin adorable, too.
xoxo