me & my boys

Very rarely do I get photos of me and my boys. They are usually too hard to chase down and I don’t want to wear them out by asking all the time. However, last night we celebrated a big academic milestone with them.  We have been working hard together for months and I wanted a shot of the four of us. Getting a simple photo of me with my boys is such a process.

First, there is a 3 year old. Either she wants to be in every picture or she runs from the camera. She is three. Last night she wanted in all the photos. For those of you that have little ones like my girl, one way I handle this is to just take a photo with her in it. It usually makes her happy and then we can move on…this worked for the other 4 when they were in similar phases.

Next, there is the reality that my boys find it physically impossible to sit next to me and just smile at the camera.So, I usually embrace their ideas for a shot or two.Finally, I might be able to get them to snap one shot without strange faces or random hand movements.The sun came back out after we took that shot, so the light was all splotchy and in our eyes again. I really wanted one more shot that showed how tall they are getting. We had to repeat the WHOLE process again, but in the end it was worth it.I only have a few photos a year that show me standing next to the kids. It is incredible to look back on and see how much they grow. I can only imagine what this will look like in a year…we are inching closer to the day my firstborn passes me! He knows the day is coming too….and he can’t wait.