I'd recognize the back of this head anywhere.

Warning: This post is long, or as Avery sometimes tells me, "Mom, that's too much words". Proceed with ample time on your hands.

So I may or may not have mentioned that the kids have been doing some "modeling" lately. Now that Abes picture (above) can be seen in One Step Ahead catalogs (you know the one that you never really order but just magically starts coming once you have kids) I guess it's time to come clean. It is very embarrassing that she actually is signed up with an agency, but I have been pleasantly surprised by the fun we have had.

It all started with a nudge from our property manager here in Hawaii who had been a model back in the day. She mentioned to me that a lot of companies come to Hawaii to do their summer catalogs but that there aren't a ton of child models to choose from (there are enough, as we have seen from the castings we have been to) and they also don't have to pay the kids as much here as they would in NY or LA. So I went shopping for an agent. I went to two reputable agencies which had vastly differing philosophies one was like, cool she's cute, just sign here and we'll let you know when there is a casting and the other, run by a former-but-still-beautiful beauty queen who informed me that you can't just do this "for fun", because why would they pay you just to have fun. Point taken. I went with the other one.

First she did a casting for Pottery Barn Kids, which to me would be the holy grail of jobs. It was four months ago. We haven't heard back. Next was One Step Ahead (hereafter referred to as OSA). Their casting was also four months ago and they called two days before we were supposed to go to CA for vacation/night rotation avoidance. Luckily the shoot was for the next day which just happened to be Abes' bday. Did she want to go do a photo shoot on her birthday...I'm afraid not. The morning of I asked her again and told her she didn't have to go (mistake) if she didn't want to. She said "I don't". She wanted to watch cartoons instead. After a lecture on never getting anywhere with an attitude like that (just kidding), I resorted to lies and manipulation (true). Which unfortunately is common around here. It went something like this: Pick up phone, fake dial the OSA people. "Oh hi! This is Avery's mom. Avery doesn't want to come today so we won't be making it. Pause. Oh, I know it's going to be super fun swimming and playing. Pause. And treats!? Wow, yeah well she just wants to stay and watch cartoons so I guess we'll be missing out. Thank you so much. Fake Hang up.

She looks pleased that I would go to such efforts on her behalf and I realize once again that reverse psychology is lost on this child. So I have to call on the reserve troops for another manipulation effort - operation cousin. I have Sara (who has been making Avery look good for years and who fashioned A.'s composite after her own) try to tell Avery how cool that is she gets to go swimming and take pictures and that Kate and Mia want to see them when she's done... and we get the desired response which was, oh yeah I actually do want to go (prompting another fake call to reconfirm), and I had to breathe a sigh of relief. Not that she has to go to a photo shoot if she doesn't want to but I really wanted to go!

So when we arrive she goes straight to the photographers and says "I'm sorry I wasn't going to come today" They look puzzled of course. She then makes a beeline for the box of swimsuits and picks one, then requests that everyone give her some privacy so she could change (good girl!). Privacy comes in the form of mom holding up a large towel (what, no trailer?). She then gets her hair done by someone -as you can see from the near perfect ponytail above. they give her the product she will be modeling, water wings, and I pray that she will actually wear them and swim out to the middle of the deep part. They have also hired another little girl (she got the coveted front-facing shot, seen here) because with children you never know what will happen and they often double, triple, quadruple book models in order to get one good photo. Neither of them would let go of the wall despite me and the other girls grandmother using every tactic to coax them into the middle of the pool. It became a competition of sorts to see which child would perform. Not to be outdone, I go over and gently toss Avery into the center of the pool so she can see that she won't sink and before we know it both girls are swimming like fish. Phew. They ask if she can come back to shoot later in the week on the beach. Sadly, I have to decline because we leave the next day.

Miles was also along for ride in his front/side/back pack (Ergo Baby Carrier that I love, holds up to 50 lbs and doesn't hurt your back, thank you very much gma Maggie for that) and the photographer starts eyeing him, saying, can't we use this kid for something? So I release him from captivity and he flashes some of his best dimplage and heads straight for the pool. They tried a couple outfits on him, finally settling on some little water shoes and take pictures of his feet. It doesn't look like he made it into publication, but who cares. Just by taking a single frame they obligate themselves to paying him $55/hr minimum of two hours, minus taxes and 20% to the agency, whether they use the photos or not. So forty minutes and about $150 later we were on our way. Not bad for a fraction of the days work. Ben says that's just great, despite 21 years of school and ultra long days his kids are making more than him.

Unfortunately I have more tales to tell on this topic but I'll save that for another day. All this talk of modeling is making me hungry.

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I forgot that Avery also did some pro bono modeling work when she was 18 months old for CourierFontWear Baby website: