Photos

The week before spring break, I received an email from the Family Coordinator at Children's Hospitals and Clinics. They needed some children for a photo shoot for some new mission posters they are making. We were scheduled for some professional photos last Tuesday. All we were told was to have the kids wear solid colored shirts.

I remembered this on the night before at 9:30 after I put the kids to bed, and our appt was for 10 am the next day. I went on a mission for solid colored shirts. I was not very successful. The ones I could find, either had holes in them from the dog (as I have been getting spring/summer clothes out of storage, I have discovered that 1/2 of them have holes from the puppy), or stains. I was able to come up with two white tshirts for the girls, a turquoise polo for Zeke (with some subtle stains on it), and nothing for Hezekiah. They had said they would have some shirts available within the palette they wanted if needed.

I set the alarm, got up, and started with brushing all the junk off their teeth myself, lotioning up their ashy skin, and trying to get them presentable. I had them wear khaki's and we brought jeans with also. We got there and found out they wanted jeans on. They all changed pants. They did not want white tshirts so they found shirts to have them all change into.

They wanted them to wear white socks. This was a funny one. I stopped years ago matching socks when I do laundry. I just put them in their drawers, and they rarely wear matching socks. Especially Imani, who could care less- and being a girl, she often has different colored socks on with different designs. This was no exception. They boys socks are usually some shade of white, or should I say gray, with subtle differences, including holes in the toes. Needless to say, they had to give them all new socks.

They started with Imani, and she looked gorgeous! She is a somewhat shy girl, but when she is on stage or in front of a camera, she is so natural!! As they are taking her pictures, they realize she has some creases in her jeans. They have the other 3 take their jeans off so they can press the wrinkles and creases out. I was laughing my head off the entire time, as we looked quite like the rag muffin family of the century.

They had a make up artist who did make up for all 4 of them, and it was a lot of fun. Akila only had a few issues and they were not ones the people noticed. They had given her a pink shirt (as she had requested) which was too small. This of course was fine with her as the tighter the clothes, the better in her mind. They wanted her to change into a different shirt, and I told them I was fine with that but they should tell her (she would have lost it with me).

The shirt issue ended up lasting close to an hour (it took nearly 2 hours for all 4 kids), and she was not liking the options they were having her change into. But it all worked out. The kids each get a Target gift card for being involved, and Akila asked the lady when they would receive them. She said she had forgotten them and would mail them the next day. I did not know this until we were on our way home. Nuts. You don't tell any kid this if it is not what you intend on doing, but you especially don't tell a FASD kid this.

I had to explain a hundred times on Tuesday that it would not arrive on Wednesday if she mailed it on Wednesday, but more likely on Friday or Saturday. This caused several rages and meltdowns, especially everyday when the mail arrived and it was not in the mail. I thought it had been momentarily forgotten when the kids returned to school yesterday. But when Akila walked in the door after school yesterday, it was the first thing she asked about. I always love how she cannot remember her times tables, but a promised gift card will be remembered for eternity.

Anyway, the pictures are amazing and I am going to share a few of them with you. Don't I have beautiful children??? ;)