Un-Wordless Wednesday: School pictures

School has started. And people begin to switch gears. From summer into fall. It's the season of leaves changing. Football begins. Baseball ends. And photographers descend upon our schools.

Madalyn had picture day at school last week. I had to pick a background. Pick between four poses. And decided how much I wanted to spend. ALL before she even saw the picture man. How was I supposed to pick a background color when I don't know what she will insist on wearing that day? Will someone brush her hair? Will they take this picture after she ran a mile for the presidential fitness test? And she's all hot and sweaty. Like last year.

At least the back grounds are solids. Unlike her pre-school pictures. One year they had a fall background. You know. Leafless trees. Squirrel in said tree. Looking like it was erupting from her head. Another year it was an old fashioned desk. With an apple on it. She was 2. And all she could do was look at that apple. Try to touch that apple. I am not in possession of either photo package. If I knew I'd be blogging, I would have purchased them. Just to show you how horrible they were.

And with homeschooling Katie...she gets left out of the horrid photo experience. Mostly because there are no school pictures. Except for the ones I take. But nothing posed. Suitable for a wallet size picture to exchange between friends. Or a 5x7 to mail to grandma. Now, there were a few years when I got my friend Teri to come and take pictures of our homeschool group. But those pictures are so good, they can't possibly count as a "school" picture.

This is me in 2nd grade - the same age that Madalyn is now.

I think it screams "THIS IS 1977!"

Or how about this one - 7th grade - a smidge older than Katie:

This one screams as well. From the wings. The Lacoste shirt. The purple eyeliner. Definitely 1982.

(**edited to add: ummm...after looking at these pictures again, I realized how straight my hair was. Really straight. And now - unbelievably curly. Ringlet curly. You'd think I have a spiral perm curly. The things that baby hormones will do to your body.)

So, what about you? Did your school pictures turn out well? Do your parents still have them hanging in their homes like a shrine to your childhood? Do you buy pictures of your kids from school?

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Theme Song: Dave Matthew's Band - So much to say

Wordy Wednesday: an Homage

And we have a winner! Or as my daughter says "many will enter. One will win." So, many thanks to all of you who played along. Many thanks to all of you who voted. But we have found the Queen's fool:

And it's Teri from Let Me Think On It.

Let me tell you a little about Teri. We have known each other for about 8 years. We met at church. When I used to help out with the craft night. I know what you all are thinking. But that's what they callled it. I would bring my scrapbook supplies on Wednesday nights while our kids were in choir. And the moms would work on albums. Teri would skirt the room. Checking it all out. But she didn't participate.

But then...before I knew it, she became one of my biggest supporters. Launching herself into album making. And telling everyone else that they needed to be doing the same thing.

When I had Madalyn, she gave me a gift of a photo session with her. And I am now blessed with amazing photos of my girls from over the years.

She endured long sessions with me because I have very uncooperative children. The family picture below includes one of my all time favorite pictures of Katie. Now. Then, not so much.In this one, we were trying so hard to get a picture of both girls together. But Madalyn wanted to run. And Katie wanted to watch TV. Finally when I was ready to beat them...Teri offered them some goldfish. And they climbed into her husband's office chair...and a great photo was born. You can see the bag of gold fish they have between them. And then the bottom one of Madalyn. Oh...she had had enough. She was standing at Teri's door. Screaming "bye-bye!"

We did some sessions at her house, and some at mine.

And then we branched out to local parks. And you wouldn't even know that most of these pictures are taken with me smiling. AND threatening my children. Telling them that they had better smile. Pretend to be happy. I think that Gap should have hired us this year.And when my father unexpectedly passed away in December of 2006, she agreed to my strange request of photographing the service. And the all of the guests that came to honor him. And we even managed to get someone to take a picture of us.

A few months ago, I did a give away of scrapbooking supplies here on my blog - and I emailed a few of my friends to tell them to enter the contest. I think that was Teri's first taste of the drug that is blogging. She read my blog. She got it. And not too long after that I was getting emails on how exactly she could set up her own blog.

And then she started writing. I've read Teri's journaling before...and I knew she had some great stories to tell. From her love of Donny Osmond. To her strange eating habits (that she submitted for this contest). To her desire to win a crown as she begged all her readers to come and vote for her.

So, Teri...I am thrilled to finally bestow a tiara upon you. Wear it proudly!

(And thanks again to Rhea who inspired the contest, and created the bling!)