School Pictures

So today I was driving to town by myself, which is a love/hate thing for me.  Hate it because it's sort of boring but love it because sometimes I just need the quiet time to think.  It's a half hour drive each way so it gives me good time to think. 

Except.....
When I start to panic about school pictures!  I'm not a big fan of school pictures.  Mostly they always look horrible and are not a true reflection of how your kids really are.  At least not after 3rd or 4th grade anyway.  The poses are always the exact same way every single year.  And like I said, after 3rd grade every single kid goes through that awkward stage.  Their hair isn't right, they are missing teeth, they've gained weight.  If you have boys you know what I'm talkng about.  Around 4th grade a lot of boys stop growing taller and grow wider.  Their faces chub up.  They just don't feel good with how they look.  If you have a boy and haven't reached that stage yet, don't worry, they start to outgrow that stage between 12 and 13.  Anyway, why would I pay for that kind of picture?  And they are NOT cheap!  For some of those packages the price they charge you would cover a professional photography session. 

And where do they get those photographers anyway?  When Ryan was in 6th grade he came home from school that day and said, "Mom, I'm not sure I'm even looking at the camera.  The photographer said, 'Look over here', but she was cross eyed and I'm not sure where she was wanting me to look." 

But, I started panicking today thinking about not having any school pictures to mark the years as they go by.  I have tons and tons of pictures of my kids and I scrapbook so I feel ok mostly, but nothing "official".  And now I'm obsessing about it.  I shouldn't, I know this.  And there is nothing I can do about it.  I feel bad mostly for not getting Ryan's last year, his freshman year.  AND then I started freaking out about the fact that I don't have many pictures of either of them throughout the year so that when I try to scrapbook Ryan's freshman year, what the hell am I gonna put in there???  Are you feeling my panic?  Again, I have lots of pictures, but not many "specific, milestone" type of things.  Does that matter?  Am I just obsessing all of a sudden because I'm just being a freak right now or what?  lol, I think I just need to lie down and rest before I hurt my brain anymore. :)