Fairies

I learned some time ago never to wait until Trick-or-Treat time to take pics of the kiddos in their costumes.  It gets dark very early in October, and by the time you get dinner and get dressed no one is really in the mood for pictures because they're ready to loot for candy and the light has faded away.

Madelyn had picked out her costume months ago. She has said time and time again, "I want to be a garden fairy with the wings on back." "I hope I get to be a garden fairy with the wings on back for Halloween." "I just love garden fairies with the wings on back." She gets points for persistence but not subtlety.

To say that the girls were delighted when they saw their costumes would be the understatement of the century. Thrilled, ecstatic, beside themselves would be more befitting. Seeing them so happy made me glad that I had kept the surprise for so long.

What started out so, so right went so, so wrong. It ended just like most of our planned photo shoots --- with angry eyes, pouting and tears. I had asked Aaron to help me for just a bit by blowing bubbles, and he was barely able to contain his excitement. That was okay, because I just asked him to blow bubbles --- I didn't ask him to be happy about it. We got along just fine like that until he splattered bubble juice all over Madelyn's costume. Angry eyes. Madelyn kept wondering off because Holden came outside to play next door and she was ready to be done with pictures so she could go join him. She further tried to distract Carlyn so that we would wrap it up, and Carlyn got mad and crossed her arms and stuck out her lip and refused to engage. Pouting. Scott came home somewhere in the mix and stepped outside to try and help bring order to the madness. It ended up with me mad at him, the girls and Aaron, and Scott mad at me, and Carlyn whacking Madelyn in the eye with her flower stem which sent her running off screaming with a red and swollen eye. Tears.

I came back inside and put myself in time out while the rest of them ate dinner because I was not fit for human company. I've decided that I'm a much more contented photographer discovering the shots in events that are unfolding around me than trying to create them.

Today, I can laugh about it. Yesterday, not so much. Halloween is a time to pretend, so let's just pretend all those ugly shenanigans didn't happen and that we were really happy little pixies frolicking about in an enchanted forest full of happy little trees and happy little creatures. Mmmmkay, Pumpkin?

When Carlyn saw this picture, she said, "Carlyn was pouting. Carlyn didn't want to take pictures anymore." I'm not really sure why she was referring to herself in the third person, but it was stinkin' funny.