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.