the best medicine

"A day without laughter, is a day wasted."  -Charlie Chaplin

An ordinary afternoon with my youngest.  Just the two of us playing together in her room.  She trying to hide from me, me grabbing and tickling her,  she laughing wildly and popping up for more.  That gapped toothed grin she has had since she was one, when she fell face first and broke her tooth.  Somehow I can no longer picture her without that gap, it is just so her.  That crinkle in her nose and that loud crazy belly laugh.  

We can have our kids pose and smile but the photos i love best are the spontaneous ones.  They capture personality.  A moment shared, forever saved in one snap.  Some I'd swear have sound, like the one above.  Some times blurry and imperfect, yet so full of life.  

Show us some happy today.  A shared laugh , a serious case of the giggles, a silly dance,  or a funny face that just plain makes you smile.

Comments

[Marcie]

Here's my shared laugh:
http://www.marciescudderphotography.com/index.php?showimage=1100
And what just plain makes me smile:
http://www.marciescudderphotography.com/index.php?showimage=1097

[Vanessa]

maybe it's a case of "you had to be there", i'm not sure... but these pics from the 40th birthday costume party we recently held here at home for my hubs just out and out make me SMILE
:D
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vanessa_r/sets/72157623456924487/
especially this one: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vanessa_r/4417549871/
and this one: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vanessa_r/4418286952/in/set-72157623456924487/

happy day, all.

[Jennifer]

This totally reminds me of my 14 year old daughter, Emily. She too knocked that same tooth out when she was 1. Her gapped tooth smile was so part of her that when she got her permanent tooth in it was so strange. I love this photo. She is so adorable. Thank you for the reminder of a sweet time in my life when my children were young.

[Puna]

My co-worker is the cutest girl. Besides being photogenic, she's also really fun to be around!

http://lifesignatures.org/wordpress/2009/10/the-pretty-the-plain/

[melissa]

Love this tooth portrait!

[mharper]

i love this soooooooooooooo much! i can hear her laughter in my head (and i've never actually heard her voice). isn't it amazing how a picture can do that? you captured it perfectly.
i've got to find some laughter today. :)
thanks for the prompt.
xo

[lifeineden]

Adore that toothy grin! My 365 project is helping me embrace these shots -- not caring if they have jam on their faces, or boogers in their nose (ok, I PS them out, but still), or eczema cheeks. The smiles are what count.

My oldest waited patiently over a year for us to finally get these hermit crabs.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/32837589@N07/4411831144/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/32837589@N07/4411832000/

[Carmen]

Casey is absolutely adorable! And that gap is certainly her signature "specialness". Lovely, Kristin.

I love this one of my son:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/63409538@N00/4253142638/

[Samantha Dutcher]

This is a series of pictures from a great day spent with my son. I love the two at the end where he is just babbling really loudly and laughing in between. :-)

http://howtocapturesouls.blogspot.com/2010/02/project-365-57-out-of-365.html

[ari]

Hee hee love that pic.

Happy:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/curiousillusion/4423809680/

Makes me laugh (first pic):
http://curiousillusion.com/2010/03/11/odds-and-ends/

[Rachel]

such a great smile! I love those spontaneous, joy-filled moments with my kids too.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/capturingthemomentphotography/4348318883/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/capturingthemomentphotography/4395346073/

[Angie]

I was a little nervous as finger paint and cameras don't really mix well, but he just wiggled his fingers and laughed and laughed and laughed. So, I quickly put down the camera and laughed, too. But not before I managed to get this shot: http://www.flickr.com/photos/40070449@N08/4377012496/

[erika]

I love this shot because he was so excited to try some new candy. I loved having someone to pass along my wisdom to (the stick is the best part).
http://www.flickr.com/photos/onemoreplease/4351620681/

When my boys laugh together, it feels right. And I love trying to capture it.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/onemoreplease/4343535967/

[Diane]

oh this is so sweet! She is absolutely adorable.

[Secret Agent Mama - Mishelle Lane]

I recently had lunch with friends. One had her little daughter with her. A pink toenail polished, bright eyed, happy-go-lucky, amazing smile of a child. I caught these:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/secretagentmama/4421547620/in/set-72157623589552712/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/secretagentmama/4420781929/in/set-72157623589552712/

[jorjahbateman@yahoo.com]

so cute!

[girlnamedboo]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/girlnamedboo/4425017654/

My roommate and I; she makes me laugh every day, and I'm blessed to have her as a friend.

[Debbie E]

Laughter is certainly great medicine :D http://www.flickr.com/photos/debbsga/4425025218/

[Lori]

This dude always has a smile hiding just beneath the surface .... http://www.flickr.com/photos/lorifranz/4389946236/

And this, while not a photo has made me laugh more than once.... http://www.flickr.com/photos/lorifranz/?savedsettings=4420982209#photo4420982209

[emily -- squeeekphoto]

tickled her to get this face. Ij ust love it.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/squeeekphoto/3768233788/in/set-72157622494226868/

[Lori]

haha wrong link I just posted, (if you can't laught at yourself.....) it should have been....http://www.flickr.com/photos/lorifranz/4420982209/ sorry.

[xanthe]

love her scrunched up nose! genuine gorgeous laugh.

my boys had friends over for lunch in the holidays, a few weeks ago, the laughing was out of control, it was contagious!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/xantheberkeley/4424292621/

lovely post, well done. x.

[Htekmo - Heather]

Dad chased the kids with buckets and hoses and we laughed each time someone was caught. This shot makes me smile every time I see it because can just hear the screams and laughter that followed.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/htekmo/2686817649/in/set-72157605111921383/

Thanks for making me smile :)

[Vanessa]

this photo so captures the way my best friend and I are together... we have been dubbed the "giggle twins" since we were little, little, little girls. We get going and can't stop.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/glitch_nitch/475810238/in/set-72157594429355892/

This photo is of my family, my crazy silly family. I know there have been posts before talking about how hard it is to get the kids to sit still for a photo, but do you know how hard it is to get a set of adults who have known each other for over 30 years to sit and actually cooperate for a camera?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/glitch_nitch/307370227/in/set-72157594393802976/

[Jayne Bramley]

Schanuzer smiles....you can't beat 'em
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14261878@N08/3258215649/in/set-72157613444019084/

[Jayne Bramley]

that was supposed to read SCHNAUZER....oops!!!

[Tina]

laughing IS the best medicine:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mageejenks/4425649708/

[Wendy Tienken]

LOVE shots that have sound (so well put Kristin!). here's one of my youngest. it's totally blurry. but it's hard to catch a 1-yo when they're moving!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wendytienken/3524303446/

[Misty Garrison]

Crinkled-nose smiles are the BEST - especially with snot. Makes me smile on the inside everytime I see this one....

http://www.flickr.com/photos/42035961@N02/4401686962/in/set-72157623416551993/

[melody]

Oooooo, that face. I fell in love.

This one gave me a smile

http://www.flickr.com/photos/melsphotophun/4425837432/

[Kate @ Little House]

Sweet, sweet photo Kristin. Looking at all of these made me smile :)

Here are some of my gigglers:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30297021@N02/4425315443/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30297021@N02/3952037400/

[cinco_mom]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/37719283@N04/
okay....found some. ;)
xo

[Monybean]

I just LOVE this picture!

[Julie Alvarez]

I can share a dragon face:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/juliealvarez/4403606169/