Picture Day

We took portraits today--it has been well, never since we've all been in a photography studio together. Last time we did family pictures Dominick was about 6 months old. The boys have been stolen once or twice by the grandmothers for professional photos but this is our first time to all submit to the ordeal.

Thank you Grandma Frost for funding our expedition and giving us that push that we needed. It actually went pretty well all things considered. We ended up going to the mall and Sears. It was close, quick and fairly painless--although trying to get us all looking decent was a bit of a challenge.

The photographer kept telling the boys to say "Boogers." She was laughing hysterically and the boys were just not quite sure--they don't know what that word means. Our big edit in their language learning has been to replace "boogers" and "snot" with the much nicer (I think at least) "hanamizu." It means "nose-water" in Japanese. But hana is also the word for flower so it has a pleasanter ring to it. It was all kind of amusing to me.

We did manage to find some good shots. I'll post them here when they come in--December 3. Then we went to the food court for dinner. And Dominick got to spend some of his raking leaf money on some bubble gum machines--he is so into the little creatures and for 25 cents I'm not so opposed.

The boys also got to meet with Santa. He wasn't fully dressed in coat and hat so they weren't quite sure it was him. Xander kept telling people (random strangers we passed in the mall) that Santa was in his pj's. It was a kind of strange moment, they had a complete uninterrupted audience with SANTA. Dominick kept pacing. Xander told him that he was working to be a dad. Dominick finally admitted that he wanted a remote control tarantula--I guess that was on his list from last year. I think the boys weren't quite sure about what you are supposed to say as the only Santa they really see is in South Bend and he's always giving presents.

It was a good day.