Family Pictures

Today?I’m taking a break from story telling and sharing some family pictures. Because taking family pictures is a landmark in any mother’s life. Whether it is a good or bad landmark I leave open to interpretation.

First we make sure we have somewhat matching clothes. I figured if we all wear something white with blue and stripes, that should work. Wisely, I did not ask my fashion-smart sister in law, because I’m usually wrong in my thinkings.?And I figured it was better to be happy in ignorance then to be unhappy in knowledge.

I totally handwashed Mike’s shirt for this, because the blue in his other blue shirt clashed with the blue in the other blue shirts. I do know that much, you know.

Even though I believe purple is the same as violet and lavender.

We did 3 attempts at the pictures, with breaks and bribing in between. Because we’re smart like that.

 

Observe…everyone seated. This was an accomplishment in itself. Talk the children into smiling nicely. Not yet using threats.

It didn’t work. Starting to think about using threats.

 

We move to a different location, hoping for succes.

 

The one where some of us look like zombies, some of us are closing our eyes for a quick catnap, and some of us are getting rather angry.

Sometimes you have to push your cheeks up higher for better smiles.

Other people prefer the classic, age-old putting-your-finger-in-your-mouth pose. Always a crowd pleaser.

 

3 of us are doing ok… Someone looks like he’s doing a magic spell to chase the camera away.

Mommy holding on to the boys, pretending to hug them but really keeping them from running away.

We take a break, using cookies as bribes for past and future pictures. Don’t judge. There comes a time when a person gets desperate for an essential family picture.

And the third episode starts.

Wriggle everyone into their positions…

 

Maybe if I hide from the camera, it won’t find me!

Or…

“Mother. Father. Grandfather. I AM SO OVER THIS”

Life is exhausting when you have to pose for pictures. I mean…you have to, like, sit still. For MINUTES on end. I know. It kills you.

There is definetely some hissing-through-the-smiling-teeth going on here.

The one where we try tickling children to make them smile.

And it works. I go for this one. The grimace is sort of a smile. And it’s soo Abel. Which is what we want, right?

Let’s all get up and move on with our lives.

The one with the baby. Because those are uplifting to the soul and the troubled mommy spirits. I mean…look at him!

And we, being foolish, go on. The cookie-bribes are being used again, held close to the gateway to the stomach,?and we try to take them away. Abel thinks they go rather well with his face for this photo.

Oh beloved brothers! Let us tumble on each other while our frazzled parents try taking cute pictures of us!

 

Caleb thinks: ‘now if I could only get that cookie, my life would be complete’

Still tumbling. Still going for the cookie. Only this tie, Caleb looks at the camera, hoping to hide his desperate cookie-grabbing attempts with a show of compliance.

 

Abel holding on to his nose for dear life. It showed signs of wanting to run away earlier.

 

This one captures the rather well, so we’ll leave it at that.

Disclaimer

Temper tantrums were not pictured

12 cookies were involved in the bribing for good behavious during the taking of these pictures

Jumping grandfathers and fathers were used for procuring of smiling children during these pictures

Marital crisises which evolved during the taking of these pictures were solved afterwards

With thanks to Opa for taking the pictures. He does this awesomely

 

This post is sort of part of a series:

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