  This morning was Aidan's school picture day. I took Ellie and they took a sibling shot, too. So, we should have some studio pictures of the kids in time for Christmas! That is, if it worked. They both smiled at the same time, and in my experience that means the camera broke or the flash did, or maybe one of them has crossed eyes or a booger. They never smile at the same time. They did look pretty cute though. Last night I went out shopping for their picture outfits and was startled to realize how conformed I was to the movement of parents as a marketed segment of the population. Each store I went to, and there were three, advertised in their windows and inner displays school picture outfits. It wasn't just part of their ad-campaign either, it was the focus. So you can squeeze school picture season in between new school clothes and Halloween outfits as the new marketing holiday Americans celebrate. And boy did I ever partake! I dropped $70 before the night was through because the last holiday's clothes were overflowing on the clearance racks, and you can't ignore clearance...
I have a whole new respect for those teachers, the classroom was an absolute zoo! They were kept on their toes, wiping noses, straightening outfits, smoothing hair while still doing their normal job of keeping the kids from banging windows and hitting each other. If that were my job, I would find myself drinking a lot of alcohol. 
