We haven't had professional family pictures since Sebastian was a baby (so…15+ years) and that's okay. I take a lot of pictures of various groups of us. But right before we moved in September, I suddenly felt a compulsion to just have someone take a picture of all of us together on our porch. I didn't really feel like I could manage it myself, but I thought maybe squeezing it in with no planning, no outfit coordination, no time to think about it, was the only way it would actually happen. So I called a photographer friend in the ward with literally 24 hours notice and said, "Please! Can you just drop by and snap a picture tomorrow night before we move?"
And she was amazing. She came over and quickly arranged our tired, sweaty, somewhat reluctant group (we had been loading boxes all day—you can see the moving van still in the driveway) on the porch, then spent the most energetic half hour with us—charmed the baby, giggled with girls, made the teenagers smile—and was gone before anyone had time to get cranky. She was incredible!
I'm so grateful to have these pictures of the whole family together! They are so much better than the quick snapshot-with-camera-timer I was thinking we'd probably have to resort to. I already feel happy every time I look at these—and what a gift for us to look back on someday!
Oh these are just so so glorious! And happy! Utterly brilliant of you to get family photos right outside of this beloved home before leaving it! (And I am suddenly feeling a little that you and the actress Kelly Macdonald could be sisters. Unless you don’t like how she looks. Then I take it back. But I think she’s lovely.) ANYWAY! But also why would neither of us happen to be regular family photo folks? I don’t think we’ve taken an official family photo ... maybe ... ever??? Why? We could argue there are just too many kids. But we didn’t always have too many kids. And we didn’t do it then either. Sure there is the occasional throw everyone together in desperation for a family shot with the cell phone. Though mine are usually only the kids because ... I’m holding the cell phone. Hm. I really ought to remedy this somehow. (Somehow indeed! Since I don’t even have my whole family here. Hmph. Well, that is ANOTHER reason that doing these now was so clever of you. Unless, of course, ... you don’t have your whole family here either! 🤭😄)
ReplyDeleteHa! I think the hardest part for me is knowing that no one else really wants to do it. It just makes it all seem so daunting! That would be true even with only teenagers. But certainly the million wiggling little kids don't do anything to make it easier either. :)
DeleteAnd, I am happy for anyone to think I look like ANY actress! haha
Those are such sweet pictures! What a good idea! They will be blessings to you forever! We just got prints of the pictures we ordered when our family was sealed in 2016. Our photographer's wife was diagnosed with cancer the week after our pictures were taken, and our order went unnoticed. I was utterly unwilling to bother the photographer in such a tough season, but the other day I contacted him. He found our old order, apologized profusely, and sent us our order immediately. Even though the pictures are outdated (the 1 year olds are now 6 years old), it is so wonderful to look up and see us all in white in front of the temple. It was worth the wait!
ReplyDeleteWe were just in your neck of the woods this weekend for my father-in-law's funeral. (At least in your state)
I am so glad you ended up getting those pictures! What a beautiful memory to have preserved. And I'm sorry about your father-in-law's death, but I hope it was nice to be with family here!
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