jc penney catalog

I just had to give a shout out to my sister, Lori and her cute little family of models. It has been a running joke in our family that all pictures containing Lori and her children and husband (who we affectionately nicknamed Don Henley) look like they came straight out of a catalog. Thankfully, I have watched ANTM so I know the difference between editorial, high fashion, runway, commercial and catalog modeling, and it is obvious that Lori and her husband and kids were destined for JC Penney catalog stardom. Take one look at this picture I snapped with no direction or arranging of children. Her kids just put down their sparklers, ran in front of the camera and posed themselves resulting in this on the first shot.

What the...? I'm sorry but it is uncanny. The smiles, the eyes on the camera, the tilting of the heads toward each other. And you can see the older the Dillons get, the more skilled they become. Even baby Ella who is six months old has inherited the photogenic gene and model demeanor chromosome. Granted she could have been smiling a little more but I think she was just smiling with her eyes, which is really a more advanced way of smiling, as Tyra has demonstrated many times. She looks fierce!

Just to compare and constrast, I threw in a photo that was snapped of my kids, taken in much the same way. Only this one was with much arranging, prompting and coersion. I think Jacob looks especially cooperative.

crazy crap people have said

Everyone should get to experience walking around with adopted kids who are obviously adopted (like mine). People say the craziest crap! There is no end to the nerve total strangers will show in addressing your personal life. It's nuts. Dave and I are not the type to get easily offended, (although a couple of these comments have made me sooooo mad) so don't think I'm bitter or upset. I just wanted to share the ridiculousness of other people's commentary.

This month, on the Ferry in Washington, a lady who couldn't stop talking about how cute Eddie was... " I just love babies with chinky eyes".

Dropping Jacob off at Nursery where he was having a huge fit... "Is he crying because he misses his real mom?".

Checking out at the grocery store with Jacob and being stared at like crazy by the cashier... "He must look like his Dad". I had to smile, "Yes, I'm sure he does".

On our newborn baby..."Is he going to speak English or Marshallese?".

I have heard this or a version of it a hundred times from acquaintances or people in line at blockbuster..."So you just can't have your own?" Long, awkward pause. " I'm sorry, that's a personal question but you just can't get pregnant? Please elaborate...?".

People who learn we have open adoptions... "Aren't you worried they are going to come and take them back?".

A piece of crap guy who I don't even know but was all up in my business about adopting kids... "You'll never know what it's like to really love your kids. It's sad for you. No matter how much you think you love them, you will never love them as much as I love mine". OK sir, at least my kids won't grow up to be bigoted douche bags like yourself!

A non caucasian guy in our ward who pumps his fist in the air whenever he sees them shouting "Lamanite Power!". He is trying to teach Jacob to do it back.

Also a comment we have heard many times. On hearing we have adopted children... "That's so wonderful. The thing I can't stand is when people adopt kids from other countries".

At a softball game when both my kids and another adopted Marshallese kid were running around... "I thought this was America". SNAP!

An old guy and our friend, Pete, from Price who took one look at Jacob as a toddler "Go Carbon football, Wooohooo!" I didn't want to break his heart by telling him that Jacob will probably top the charts at 5'2".

A not to be named relative, on seeing baby Jacob at the hospital after he was born "Oh, I'm so relieved...he's darling!"

A total stranger, hearing of our upcoming adoption, "I hope the Mom doesn't have any diseases!"

A lady at church who meant well and was only saying this because she was thinking about a friend who might want to adopt "How much did that cost you?".


This blog will most definitley have a sequel "crazy crap people have said 2" that will be posted in 2011. I am guessing that 3 more years will give me adequate material for a follow up.