How to Get a Passport
If you and/or your children do not already have a passport, you will need to obtain one before going to the French Consulate for your visas. Do this a few months in advance as it can take some time for you to obtain your visas once the paper work has been done.
Passport pictures are easily obtainable. You can take them at Costco, One Hour Photo Shops, Kinkos FedEx, and independent mail stores. A great site that will walk you through the steps of getting passports is www.itseasypassport.com. At this site, click on the link that says passport and it will guide you through all the steps that you need.
Traveling With Children Under 14 Years Old
The above site had all the forms you need to download and they will tell you the nearest office to go to for signature verification. Just a note, if your child is under the age of 14, both parents must be present in order for the child to receive a passport. If that is not possible, there is a consent form that the absent parent must sign. This form and all the information about it is also available on this site. Just click on the link that says New Child Passport.
I recommend getting all forms and information through this site and then going to the post office nearest you that has a passport service center. The U.S.government charges around $120 to process your passport. The fees on this web site are in addition. Use them if you are running out of time to get your passport.
The applications for getting a passport can also be found at your local post office or on their web site www.usps.com/passport. If you apply early enough, you can get your signature verification at the post office. It will be cheaper that way. Before heading 
there make sure of the days and hours that the service is available and at what post offices, since not all of them provide this service. They usually have specified days and hours for issuing passports. In any case, read both sites and then choose the one which best serves you.
