Faces, I want to remember

Real Faces my Kid's Make in Pictures
Not Perfect Poses

I went to Muffins with Mom at Kae's preschool last Thursday and this is what greeted me on the table (along with a really cute pot with her hand-prints made into a butterfly):

Too busy looking at the world around her

It made me smile, not because it is the best picture of her or of me but because this is the face that Kae has been turning out in a lot of pictures lately. This is the face that has caused me to re-take a lot of pictures lately. (Think like 5-10 pics just of her for my Preschool Color and Shape Craft Post). This is the face that has been deleted many times from my camera roll lately.

I call this face, "I'm too busy looking at the world, to look at the person taking pictures." This face is the real Kae right now and this is a face I want to remember.

Kind of like this next face:

The fake smile

This face is on my fridge even though this picture is several years old. This is the "smile," DP turned out in every sports or school picture for several years. It drove me crazy!! We would buy this whole package of pictures for this face.

For some reason, my oldest did not know how to smile on command. He would press his lips together (and usually the corners weren't even up-turned) and that was his smile. But I guess I'm ok with that because in all the pictures where he is smiling, I know he was genuinely happy. And there are lots and lots of happy pictures.

This next next picture isn't goofy just incredibly cute:

The "I got what I wanted" face

This face shows sheer joy! This is the face Jet get when he gets something he really wanted and is really excited about it. If he really thinks he is getting away with something, his eyes squint even more and the smile is even bigger. It's my mission to get a picture of that face before he stops doing it. Which I know from experience will be way too soon.

And then of course there are the not so happy faces:

"I don't want to do that!"

I even want to remember the "I don't wanna," the "this is stupid" and the "you can't make me" faces. I want to remember Ry not liking the idea of pictures in front of the Christmas tree, the arms folded and the lip out. She is by far my moodiest child but that's who is she right now (she is also the one who like to snuggle the most). I want to remember the Real Ry. When she is all grown up and hopefully, sweet and kind, I want to remember her stubbornness.

And I want to remember this:

I want to remember the way she says "what?". Another mission is to get that on video because she says "what" in the funniest way and that too will pass.

I like pictures that tell the real story, not glossed over versions, and sometimes that makes for goofy or messy pictures but that's the way our life is. Those are the real faces I want to remember.