Because They're Really That Bad

On Tuesday, we trekked, as a family, over to Babies R Us to get the kiddo's one year photos done at their in-store studio. We had been incredibly pleased with the results we got for his 4 month photos and so thought we'd go back, because it's really the closest place of its kind for us and the prices are essentially comparable. Or at least, close enough.

Tuesday here was a rainy, dreary, cold day. The kind of day that should be spent with hot chocolate, a fire, a book, and a blanket. It was not the kind of day that you get your photo taken. Especially if your hair is of the sort that any kind of additional moisture, or breeze, or cross-eyed look turn it from "not too embarrassed to be seen in public" to "Oh my gosh! Run! It's Medusa!"

On the positive side, the kiddo is incredibly photogenic and his portraits - the main point of the expedition - turned out wonderfully.

The family photo? Well, that's another story altogether. In fact, upon looking at the proof I believe my response was along the lines of, "Oh gosh, that's hideous." The poor girl at the computer wasn't quite sure what to say...but you could tell she wanted to agree. And then probably tack on something like, "Honey, the camera can't work miracles." So, grudgingly, I ordered 1 sheet in the form of 2 5x7s, having been under strict instructions from my mother that she wanted a family photo.

I showed the photos to my sister yesterday and her comment was along the lines of, "Who is that?" Which was actually reassuring because I really don't think I look that bad. So, upon further rumination, this morning I logged into my Shutterfly account and ordered a 5x7 of the family photo we took for our Christmas letter. While I'm not amazingly thrilled with it, it's considerably less embarrassing than the "professional" photo we just had taken. I will give my mother the 5x7 from Shutterfly and hide the two professional photos deep in a drawer, to be unearthed at some point late in life when perhaps I can look back and think, "Oh yeah...I remember those." without an accompanying shudder.