Saying Cheese

I need to provide our church with a family photo, so I asked my Mom to stop by tonight and take a few pictures. I tend to wait for conditions to be perfect before attempting family photos, hence the lack of them. Rare is the moment when everyone has on a clean outfit (that matches), has a clean face, and has hair that is neatly combed or styled. It surely goes without saying that if two boys have been forced into changing their clothes and introducing themselves to a hairbrush, then they are in no mood to smile for the camera. As the designated family photographer, I spend most of my time behind the lens and rarely make it into any shots. That's fine by me because I'm critical of how I look in photos. It's simply a girl thing. All these reasons add up to scrapbooks full of individual pictures, but few family shots.

Tonight's pictures were done on the run. Mom and I were on our way out the door to book club, the boys had been out playing ball with the neighbors, Hannah was deeply involved in homework, and the baby just woke up from a nap. We all plopped in a chair together just long enough to get a quick click. No carefully coordinated outfits, and no freshly scrubbed smiles. It isn't perfect, but I like this picture because it reminds me of how precious my family is to me. I'm quite fond of this cast of characters. I'm glad we didn't wait for a "perfect moment", or this one would have gotten away from me. We're busy. We move fast. And life isn't perfect. But we love each other - crooked smiles, wrinkles shirts, and all. I have the photo to prove it. :)