Y’all!
Look at this:
Oh, and
this one:
I still
get giddy over these oldies but goodies:
And the
latest addition to my wall:
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What you are probably thinking while
looking at these: “Geez, this woman is picture obsessed!”
What I am thinking looking at these “How many more of these
can I squeeze in before the Bigs graduate and move out? They’ll come home for
family pictures, right? Of course they will! Wait, what if they don’t? Can I
make them? Will bribery still work when
they’re adults?” I will stop there. My thoughts will ramble on and on and I actually have a point here.
Why are
family pictures so important to me? It is such a deep and personal explanation.
Through out my childhood my teenage years I was chubby girl. Not surprisingly, I despised seeing my
reflection and absolutely HATED the idea of being in a picture. Don’t believe that I was that chubby? I won’t go
on and on about my body/body image journey.
I will just drop this right here…
Once I became a mother I couldn’t get enough pictures of my
amazing children. My little people are
the cutest/funniest/best people ever to grace this planet. Okay, okay, okay at least to me they are, and
I totally understand if you don’t necessarily agree. <just keep that to
yourself, mmmmkay?> How could I expect them to smile when I ask for a
picture instead of moan and groan if I myself refuse to be in pictures? Simply put, if I want pictures of them I need
to be in pictures as well. And if I am
going to be in pictures, why not hire a professional? Why do I prefer to hire a professional? Because if I don't the only pictures of me would be the ones my children
have taken with their electronic devices, without my permission, pre-coffee and
outside of the window of time that I look some-what put together. Not at all how I want to be remembered. Outside of selfies on my phone with my little
people (I call them “weezies” self --> selfies
we --> weezies) it is impossible to be IN the picture if another person
is not taking said picture. Hire a
professional as often as you can. It is an investment that will only grow in
value over time. I mean it. I really, really, really mean it.
My
mother lost her mother before I was born.
I love hearing stories of similarities between Mimi and myself, even
though she and I never had the pleasure of meeting. During one of these conversations I witnessed it hit my mother like a ton of bricks: “I wish I had more pictures of my mother; especially
pictures of me AND my mother.” My parents
are amazing people and even better parents. I will always have the pictures to
prove it, remember it and scream it to the hill tops. Why wouldn’t my own
children deserve the same? They do deserve it, so they will always have it.
Family
pictures taken over the years tell the story of your family without requiring
words. One can easily document the
growth and evolution of your family unit through these images. My mind takes that one step further (or a few
hundred steps further). My goal is that
one day my children will look back at these pictures and the life-altering
revelation will suddenly hit them: “I remember that…. I guess my parents weren’t that
bad were they? We actually had a great life didn’t we?” And then they will call me and we will talk
for hours and finally build a friendship from our lifetime of parenting and
defiance. Like I said, my mind takes
that a few hundred steps further, but I have this all played out in my head. It
will happen! And looking at old family pictures will start it all, I just know
it!
A woman
I have considered a friend since High School tragically lost her sweet baby
boy. Her story is not mine to tell but
as a mother I eagerly wait for and eat up any ounce of advice she drops
regarding valuing the time we are given with our precious children. She
recently shared a picture of a location that she had once tried to take a
picture of her son, but in true little boy fashion he didn’t cooperate so she
didn’t take the picture. Let that sink in, y'all. She did not take
that picture. Three years later she took a picture of this location and told
the world “Take pictures folks.. Even when the situation isn’t perfect.. If
they won’t look or smile.. Take the picture.”
I am listening for every piece of advice she has, and I heard her. My soul heard her. Please hear her and “Take the picture”
Will
every picture be worthy of a 40x32 canvas to hang on the wall for years? Probably
not, but it only takes one out of a few hundred to strike gold. Will your kids always want to do it? Not
likely. Bribe them. Threaten them. Heck, put their college education on the line! Whatever it takes. (excluding abuse!) Will your husband (or significant other) be as fired up
about taking pictures as you are? Uh, if so make sure you put that at the top
of your “Today I am thankful for….” list. My husband spends most of these family picture
sessions cursing me out through the clenched teeth of his “smile”. Has that stopped me? Not even once. Our two Bigs HATE family pictures but have
learned that it is best to smile and cooperate, because the sooner I am
satisfied with the pictures taken, the sooner they can go back to whatever it
is that they would much rather be doing. Oh, and bribery…. Bribe them with ice
cream, uninterrupted tv time or a day free of chores. You know them, so you
know what it will take to get that smile.
Even if you know that smile is faker than bright pink Easter grass, get
that picture.
In the end most of the pictures won’t
be perfect. Don’t you DARE dispose of
them! These “bloopers” or “outtakes”
have become some of my favorite pictures. Why? Because they perfectly display
the reality of family pictures. And that is certainly worth remembering.
Gotta give credit where credit is
due! Photo credits:
MirandaLeaPhotography- http://mleaphotography.com/#
Sara Clance Photography- http://www.saraclance.com/
Sarah Royer
J. Langley Photos- http://www.jlangleyphotos.com/
Tiffany Hess Photography- http://www.tiffanyhess.com/
absolutely love this.
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