Photographs, Traditions, & Life

by Mrs. Smith on December 20, 2015

Photographs are interesting. 

Traditions are interesting.

Life is interesting, really.

Combining the three of those things together can be fun.

I’m so thankful for this amazing man who puts up with my crazy desire to keep doing this picture thing. Every. Year. 

Such patience, he has!  Such tolerance!  In the absence of visits from family members who are wonderful photographers this fall, he even went along with it without squawking when I wanted to hire a photographer.  That’s love.

My excitement + His resignation = Such an important part of the tradition. 

 

This is how it goes:

Mom = loving the whole process the whole time

Dad = present and accounted for and ohforthelovewillyoupleasealljustholdstill?  And my favorite quote from him, always spoken through gritted smiling teeth, “Hey kids – guess what? The better you listen, the sooner this will all be over with!!!”

Kids = adorable chaos

 

Yep. I make them suffer through it every year.  It’s so fun!

And in 2015 it happened TWICE because toddlers grow that quickly.  Thanks, Mom, for the beautiful picture!  Such a huge difference between not-yet-2 and 2.5.  Grow, little girl, grow!

It’s always a little like Christmas morning, seeing how the pictures turn out.  You know?  

…Because this year’s winner will be 7-years-from-now’s timeless-classic.

2008

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There’s the pictures that are so cute you just can’t stand it.

And then there are the pictures that are super-great-except

…his finger is up his nose. Awesome.
Oh, oh, perfect! I can forgive my hair being windblowncrazy. Oh, wait.  No…
He’s looking away. Dagnabbit, that was close.
….Annnnd, he’s blinking.  
And C looks like she’s mentally sorting through violent things to do to the camera. It’s kind of creepy.  
And G… well, yeah. He’s 4.  So not that one.
Etc.

This is my favorite hair-standing-up picture. Oh, those little men! Are they not just the cutest boys ever?  I’m not even biased either.  Nope.

And then there’s the silly ones that show how things really are.  I like those ones.  

And then, there’s the “well, we took 200 pictures and this will have to be is good enough!” picture. It always comes through.  
Mr. D isn’t smiling, but he’s pretty handsome in a GQ sort of way.
And little Miss H isn’t looking at the camera, but she also isn’t screaming or frozen in mortal fear of the photographer, so that’s a bonus, 
AND – the 4yo isn’t “posing” OR picking his nose.  So yeah, perfectionism, take a hike.
 It’s a WIN!

Merry Christmas from the Smiths!

I kinda feel like I need a disclaimer with these pictures, though. I think sometimes we all waste a lot of energy comparing ourselves to each other. Don’t do that! 
Our life is real and raw and loud and fun and messy. Really messy.
I make a Herculean effort to get family pictures done because I need those moments documented:  We were here. We survived. We are still standing. And smiling. Proof positive that miracles happen.

I love miracles. These are 6 of my favorite:

C

D

E

F

 

G

H

I confess I get a little nervous about what we’re facing as we move on to the next year. 
No, silly.
It’s not having another baby, thankyouverymuchforasking.
In the absence of another pregnancy to distract/bless me, it’s the presence of my own need to heal/recover and deal with my stuff.

Many days, I’d rather be pregnant.
[#PTSD #ugh]

It’s seeing a child turn 8 & get baptized, and another turn 12 & enter the Young Women’s program.  It’s seeing our 5th enter Kindergarten. I’ve never sent a kid to Kindergarten at the beginning of the school year, you know, but he’s going to.  It’s going to be great.

So… that would mean my having me with just one at home during the day unless the 12 yo gets to home school 7th grade – which would be fun. Just the girls. Aw.

(Mostly, I’m just flat out not ready at all for her to go to middle school… Ah!… but it has yet to be decided.)  

It’s big decisions like that, still waiting to be made. It’s surprises and visits from friends/family and more of just life.  (As noted, life is interesting.)  

smithfambackg

…And, of course, it’s family pictures again!  Yes!

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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }

Summer December 20, 2015 at 7:15 pm

I love, love love all of these pictures. The picture of the boys is adorable. Way too hard to even choose favorites! After Capri. Had to face moving forward into a new realm where I wasn’t pregnant or nursing. Transitioning into being a mommy of older kids is rough. It will be fun for you though to find a new normal. It’s amazing and trying to watch the. Go through all stages. Abby is currently on a man hunt to find a husband and has a new possible career as a very controlling wedding planner.

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Mrs. Smith February 20, 2016 at 1:47 pm

Isn’t Abby like 18 months old though? 3 at the oldest? 😉 I bet she’s so much fun as a big(ger) kid! <3 Miss you!

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