Family picture day

We got some coupons from Sears portrait and decided to go get our first annual family photo. It started off pretty well. We picked the earliest session, which happened to be when the store actually opened so we were waiting outside for a little while, and then they spent the first 15 minutes setting up their computers and whatnot. Really, if we hadn't lost those first 15 minutes the whole thing would have gone rather smoothly. Well that, and if they didn't force you to change up your pictures. We went in for a family photo, but apparently its against the rules to only take different poses of the whole family, they are obligated to take at least a couple poses with just some or one of the family members so that they can try to sell you additional packages with more than just one pose. If you could just take multiple poses of the kind of picture you came in for then you could pick the best one and be on your way, but if there's an adorable mommy & baby, or daddy & baby, or mommy & daddy, or just baby picture in there and you want one of those too then the cost triples and they're a happy store. Anyway, I vainly tried to get the girl to just take full family photos since that's what we wanted and wasted a few precious minutes there too. Pretty soon, Aubrey had reached her time limit and was no longer a happy camper. At that point we apparently had to take one more pose. Hmmm, screaming baby and hurried parents, that's a keeper. After trying to get them to just forget the last pose, also a vain attempt, Jarom jumped in front of the camera and they snapped a very drivers-licensesque picture of him and we ran off to find the mall's family lounge.
For good measure, the family lounge was at the exact opposite end of the mall. It was a very nice set up though I must say. There was a main room with a tv and 4 curtained off stalls with comfy chairs, side tables with magazines, and low lighting for feeding, and 4 changing stations with depressed areas in the counter for changing, wipes warmers, sinks, and diaper pails. I am now contemplating going to the mall daily.
After Aubrey was content I strapped her too me with the Moby wrap (love that thing) and we trekked back to Sears. When we got there the lobby was filled with a family apparently about to take their annual Husker fan picture, their little girls were decked out in cheerleader outfits and all. Maybe we'll get one of those before we leave Nebraska... We ended up settling on a pose where Aubrey wasn't fussy or looking like she was about to cry and when it was all said and done we made it home after 2 hours. I envisioned a 30-45 minute deal, but at least now I know for next time.