An Unprecedented Event

I can't believe it! Every year I take the boys out to the local produce stand, or the Farmer's Market to take their picture with the pumpkins. It started with the Professor, our first-born, when he was a baby, and the expressions on their faces have pretty much been deteriorating since then (and he was pretty grumpy looking in the first shot, as it was).

Maybe it was because today is a Teacher Workday, so they were revelling in being home on a Monday. Maybe it was the extra bonus day of playing Civilization on the computer (though they did have to do extra household chores to earn it, but what's a little vacuuming, against extra time to RULE THE WORLD?), but for whatever reason, the guys actually SMILED TOGETHER in this year's Pumpkin Portrait installment.
Exhibit A:
Don't they look nice? So civilized-seeming. I almost fall for it myself.

Actually, I was confabbing with Bea yesterday and we were congratulating ourselves on the fine upstanding young barbarians we have raised collectively - ie; the young men seen above. Considering what they could be like, I feel pretty lucky to have these two wild but lovable guys.

And they don't clean up too badly either!

I also have to send out many copious thanks to Ms. Q, my resident fairy godmother, who brought me a giant Chinese takeout box of NEW PAINT! I am very excited to have lovely new tubes of artistic goodness all freshly arranged in my paintbox. Let the Painting Begin! Thank You so much Ms. Q - I feel so very loved today!