Fancy Photos - Age 2

We set an appointment with Kree Photography for Veterans Day - one of the few days both Joe and I are off work together - and met her at one of her favorite locations over in the East Bay.  It was considerably more difficult to get them to all sit together and pay attention than it had been last year, but Kree has a way of just trailing along and chatting with them and catching amazing moments.  I'll admit that they weren't exactly the pictures we were hoping for in terms of set up, but we couldn't have asked for anything more beautiful in terms of the actual outcome.

She tried to start off with each kid taking solo photos on a little faux bear skin rug in front of the barn.  Caroline was game for a try, though not without a toy in hand.

First it was Caillou's farmer hat

Then it was Kree's toy cupcake

Pensive Caroline

Then it was Max's turn.

Exactly ONE usable seated image

And one standing.

Daniel flat out boycotted the blanket, so I had to pick him up and tickle him to get him into a better mood.

This put him in a good mood for some three-kid pictures.

Knock on the door!

Do you see Mommy hiding in the window there?

Then we walked over to an old, beat-up pick-up truck for a first try at a family photo.  Max got there first and started climbing a little.

But he didn't look terribly comfortable

or happy... 

This didn't turn out great for a family picture, but I absolutely LOVE Max's little crossed ankles!
 

Max is hanging onto a toy apple of Kree's - he tried to eat it numerous times!

This is probably the best picture of the five of us together.

We moved along to a big pile of hay bales where Max found plenty to play with.  It was a little windy, though, so the kids' baby fine flyaway hair wasn't having the best time.

Beware my magic hay wand!

Look at those pouty red lips!

Daddy and Daniel

Alakazam!

I'm putting this on the cover of his first album when he decides to be a rock star

Caroline is almost smiling!

Poor Daniel seems to have lost his neck in this one

I think Max might've been flirting with Kree *just a little bit*

Last year, we'd had amazing luck putting them in their Halloween costumes (lions and tigers and bears, oh my!) - and Kree did an incredible job working her Photoshop magic so it looked like they were all sitting together and smiling at the camera.  We thought we'd try it again this year with their Peanuts Gang costumes (Lucy and Charlie and Linus), but two year olds definitely exert more of a say in where they go and they refused to look straight at the camera.  Still, they are pretty adorable in the costumes.

The last chance for a family picture was walking across the bridge with them.  Caroline had consented to change from her "Kitty Shoes" (the red plaid ones with Hello Kitty on the toes that match her red plaid dress) into the black ones for her Lucy dress, but halfway across the bridge she started pitching a fit that she wanted the kitty shoes.  Kree had run ahead and carried our bags over, so she dug the shoes out, ran back to us and swapped Caroline's shoes for her while I held her in my arm, and then ran back to get into position to shoot.  Pretty good service!

When we got back to the car, Kree's next appointment hadn't arrived yet, so we jumped on the opportunity to change them into their "baseball shirts", as Caroline calls their jerseys, for a few last pictures.

Someday we'll get control of Caroline's hair!

If only Max were in this picture!

Oh, there he is!

Kree assures us that it gets easier when they're three, so we'll keep our fingers crossed for that, but I have to say I'm pretty impressed with what she was able to get out of the day we had!