This is what happened in the comments section in the last post.
“Hey, the kids look just like Michael!” said one person.
“Are you crazy? The kids look just like Cherie!” said another.
We get this all the time. The kids are my clones, it seems. Unless they are Michael’s. They couldn’t look any more like him, except when they look like me. Opinions vary on this and, boy, do people feel strongly about it. What to do in such a conundrum? How can we rest until we know exactly whose genes are dominant?
Obviously, we can’t. So here we are. Internet, it’s… decision 2012.
[Does anyone have any dramatic election night music I can borrow? Oh, never mind. Just pretend you hear it right now.]
[Also, there’s a fancy, swooping graphic. Pretend you see that, too.]
This is Cherie:
I need about a 30 day stay at a spa with every treatment they can muster.
This is Michael:
He needs a wife with less invasive hobbies.
[Now, just a brief aside here, in the interest of fairness I must admit that more than one person has commented about how Michael and I, er, kind of, um, look-alike. It is icky to admit, but those people do have a point. It’s not like we are two radically different-looking people here. So that adds to the complexity of the problem. Just wanted you to know that we are, sadly, aware. On with the show!]
[Oh, and the twin poses were not planned. It just happened.]
This is Annabel:
“Are you done taking my picture? Can I start talking again?”
This is Sam:
“Heeeeyyyy, guys! Sorry I’m blurry! I wouldn’t stop moving long enough to take a decent picture in these low-light conditions!”
There you are. Fresh new headshots to help you with this tough call.
But wait! There’s more!
It’s hard to compare adults to children, don’t you think? So to help make things a little easier:
This is Cherie, at age 2 1/2:
I know, right? I want to pinch my little cheeks, too.
This is Michael, at [we think] age 4ish:
Feel free to correct us on that age, Bubba. None of these pictures were dated, so this was our best guess.
And that’s it. Scroll up, scroll down, make your comparisons and then…
VOTE:
!
Beyond the Dooryard 
As the first and only vote I would like to say that Matt and I spent some time debating this
Gram thinks maybe a little younger that 4ish……But what a great Blob !!!!
Do you know how many times I have scrolled up and down and up and down? I DON’T KNOW. THIS DECISION IS HARD. (I am really glad you put the “we look similar” comment out there already so I didn’t have to think and not say it for the rest of my life.) I vote the first option.
Yeah, the first time someone told us that we were all, “WHAAAT?” Then we went home and looked and the mirror and, uh, yeah. Oh. It is what it is. I did want to avoid that awkwardness of people noticing but not saying anything. We know. WE KNOW.
(Also just for the record: NOT RELATED.)
It’s not unusual for a person to pick a partner with similar facial features. My first husband and I look rather similar like you and Michael do. We weren’t related either. Nor of the same heritage. He’s Italian and Ukrainian and I’m Irish and Prussian. From what I understand, we are genetically programmed to find someone that has similar features, survival of the fittest and all that jazz. Or something like that. (It’s late and I just put fencing up on 2 acres. I’m tired here!)
Well, how did you vote Annika? There were seven votes by the time I looked.
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO INTIMIDATE THE JURY.
We were extremely tempted by the “I don’t care about any of this. Who are you people?” option for novelty sake and greatly saddened that there wasn’t a “people who live through Maine winters have way too much time to look in the mirror and debate gene traits” option. That is all I am saying until the official tally!
Interesting. I would not have expected this, but from the evidence (and particularly from the kid photos of M and C) I think both children look like M. Or, at least they look like M. as a child. It was brilliant to include pics of yourselves young but for the next installment I think you should steal – um download – one of those digital aging apps and check out which parent S. and A. will EVENTUALLY resemble. Because I’ve been up for waaayy too many hours decoding the uncertain future of the electoral college and Republican gerrymandering, I guess?
I chose the first option. I don’t think it’s really obvious until you compare them to your baby pictures.
Most people say my older son looks exactly like my husband and my younger son looks exactly like me, and the similarity is pretty glaring when you compare baby pictures. My SIL once said that my older son’s first grade school picture looked like my brother at that age, which is kind of true. But maybe just slightly creepy.
You did not offer a “they both look like a blend of each of us” option, so I abstain from voting. They do look like both of you to me.
You are right, I should have added this option, especially since it’s actually the truth.
You blue-eyed blondes all look the same to me.
I definitely see features of both of you in both of them. Which, yes, you and Michael do look similar (but not, like, twins or anything). But you also have different features, so it makes sense that the kids look like both of you and also mirror one or the other of you more than the other.
I really need to stop writing comments at 10:40 at night–I’m not sure that made any sense. So we’ll just go with–hey you’re all cute!
Like I said in the previous blog, this family is TOO MUCH. By the way, Michael does hire himself out for private carpentry jobs doesn’t he? (I’m playing it safe and not voting, like they say, don’t argue over religion, politics, and genes).
Yes, Michael does hire himself out but only for small side jobs.� He works full-time with a general contractor.
And it’s okay that you didn’t vote. I know you’re really on my side.
I’m sticking with my comment of the other day, they are a combination of the best of both of you. And Annabel looks like Annabel and Sam looks like Sam. So there!
You are such a diplomat.
I was firm in my decision that they looked like Michael until you pulled out the damn baby pictures. Now I am conflicted! Conflicted! AHHHhhhh!
Why you did that?
I still haven’t voted. I may have to come back at a later point in time. *Sigh* This IS hard!
At least your kids plausibly look like you. Mine is tall for age, blond and blue-eyed. I am a short, dark brunette with brown eyes. I have twice been asked if I was the nanny.
And I’ve thought Annabel looked like you all her life (that I’ve been following her pics, anyway), until you brought out Michael’s pics. This is really hard, Cherie. You’ve stumped the blogosphere. 🙂
PS-I’m the one who voted “I don’t care….” only because there weren’t enough options.
After re-reviewing the options I would like to have a new category “Your children are identical and you all look alike”
What if we’re left just thinking your kids are cute and adorable? Is that okay?
No. That’s completely unacceptable. NEXT.
I chose the “who are you people” option. Not because I don’t know who you are, but because it was the closest thing to what I was really thinking, which is “I am no good at this.” It is very rare for me to look at someone and think/say “Wow, you look just like…!” I just don’t see it. I guess it’s kinda like how I didn’t notice that this woman I say hello to twice a day at work gained 100+ pounds until someone mentioned it. Maybe I’m just not observant? But then, I really did study the pictures in this post and still… I got nothin.’