The Stress of Family Photos

Family pictures are so much fun.  I love that for years afterwards you can look at these gorgeous pictures and it captures your little ones in a moment in their lives that they change from so quickly.  I don't understand what it is, but every time I think about family photos, I get all sentimental.

However, don't get me wrong.  TAKING family photos is an entirely different feeling.  For days before I stress about what we are going to wear, what I am going to wear, if it will rain, if it will be too hot, how my hair should be, if I will look chubby, if I will have a giant zit or several, if the kids will be happy, if any of them will have cuts or bruises that will show in the pictures (if you have boys, you will understand what I mean).

For example, Caleb and Matthew were running around the house chasing each other a few days before our photo shoot, and of course, they fall and Caleb's head goes plunging into the corner of wall, hence leaving a giant bruise on his forehead.  Don't worry, I did worry about his well being first, then I thought about the pictures...I am pretty sure.

You can see the lovely bruise here

Thank heavens for photo shop.  ;)

magically photo shopped here.  Jess is amazing.

And then the boys don't want to be cute and adorable the hour before we are leaving to go get our pictures.  They don't want to wear the clothes I picked out for them, because of course they are itchy or ugly or short sleeved and "I don't want to show my freckles," or they spill food on it.  Then of course Andrew has a cold and has snot pouring from his nose and is drooling like a mad man and so his clothes are soaked by the time we get there. 

drool shown here.  I am so glad too because his nickname is "Drooly" so this is such a perfect pic.  I am just glad there isn't the snot.  :)

The place we went to get photographed is this amazing park, I guess you could call it a park.  There is a turtle pond, fields to run through, gorgeous trees and flowers and wild life/bugs galore.  A little boy's heaven.  (Boxerwood for local folks).  So the scenery was incredible and our photographer, Jess, is a friend so that was nice I didn't have to be nervous about her.

You can see the lovely background here, if you aren't too distracted by our cuteness.

Then during the pictures the boys didn't want to be super cute and smiley.  Well, they took turns.  Caleb, who usually wants nothing to do with pictures and looking cute when you want him to, was SUPER sweet and smiled and charming.  Matthew who is usually the camera hog and ham wanted NOTHING to do with the whole thing.  Maybe because he had to share his spotlight.  haha.  He was horrible.  Then of course Tys and I were annoyed with them and so we had a hard time for real smiling and not being super mad at the kids.  Because we can't really blame the kids, who would want to get pictures taken when you want to be playing around at such a cool place?

Matthew's whiny face can kind of be seen here

And this is his "I would rather not be here" look.  But Jess made the look turn great because now we can see how freaking awesome his eyes are.  The kid has crazy blue eyes, like looking at stars or a silver sun.

So by the end of the photo shoot, Tys and I were grateful for it to be over, but so worried that the pictures would turn out horrible because we would all look mad and frustrated with each other.  You know it is a good photographer that can turn cranky or crazy moments and make them look good.  I mean seriously, how do you get four little boys and their parents to all look at the camera at the SAME time and look happy about it?  I don't know...I just don't know.

Josh was a perfect angel pretty much the whole time.  His big brown eyes just melt me.

Not sure if this is my favorite

...or this one because there are so few pictures of Tys and I were we are both not making silly faces and we both look pretty good.  So I am really happy with these.

 

So, if you get a chance and want your family pictures taken, you should get them.  I know lots of great photographers.  Jess, who took ours, you can check out her website here.  Or if you are on the west coast, my sister and her husband are incredible, their website is here.  Now that I think of it, I have tons of photography friends.  They are all amazing.  Hooray for awesome pictures!  And hooray for current ones I can hang on my walls so I can smile at them during those days when things just aren't so smiley.