Unorganized Chaos: Also Known as Family Photos

A few weeks ago, my whole family was going to be in town.  This rarely happens and our family has changed a lot over the past few years so I thought it would be fun to take full family photos.

I had planned out exactly how it would go in my head.  Everyone would smile nicely, hold still and cooperate and we'd walk away with the most lovely photos.  I scouted out a place beforehand, made sure my camera battery and memory card were ready to go and thought I had everything in order.

You can check out one of my previous posts No Boy at All to get the story of how things really went.  The short version is that the little people didn't want to cooperate, the big people were all being "bossy," and the camera woman just ended up being really grumpy (that would be me!).

Despite the adventure, looking back it will always be a funny memory.  My family may never be able to take the perfect photo due to the variables called little boys.  However, the unorganized chaos that these photos capture are all of my family - the people I love most.

Photo credit goes to my Mom for this one.  Thanks Mom!

Card Collection: The Meadow

The Meadow is my most favorite places to take photos.  Everywhere I turn there is something amazing to behold.  The sunsets are remarkable and the water is picturesque.  It's just not possible to take a bad picture in such a magnificent area.

A place so wonderful deserves to have its own card collection.  I have a feeling that this is just the beginning of several card collections based on The Meadow and I hope the photos at least share a small portion of the joy this place brings me.

No Boy at All

We have a saying in my family that goes like this:

One boy's a boy.

Two boys are half a boy.

And three boys are no boy at all.

I'm not sure where the saying originated but I know it spans back several generations.  And boy, whoever said it first was sure right.  I would know because there are a lot of boys in my family.  I'm the only daughter, the only granddaughter and one of only a few great-granddaughters on one side of my family.  I've witnessed the wisdom and truth in these words over and over again throughout life as I've observed my brothers and cousins.

I came across another concrete example of this saying this weekend as we tried to take family photos.  Three little nephews (all brothers) made the process anything but simple.  I've decided it's impossible to get a good photo when you're stuck with "no boy at all."  Not looking at the camera was a game that even the youngest one could play and we ended up with an impatient Aunt Katie and a lot of pictures like this.

I will just be silly from the start and not listen to a word that anyone says.

And now I will just lick my brother. 

My brother is a puppy dog and I must pat him on the head.

 If you can't see me, I can't see you and this whole thing will just stop.

 Because all the cool kids walk like this.

 I will look everywhere but the camera.

 "We'll look, smile AND hold still if we can have our sticks in the picture," said no boy ever.

 I'm giving you the deadly skunk eye because you're being bossy.

If we just ignore her, maybe she'll go away.

"I'm not gonna smile for you Aunt Katie, so quit asking me to."

You may laugh at our silly little saying but as adorable as these three little boys can be, when you try to coordinate something they instantly fall victim to the curse of "no boy at all."  They won't smile and hold still for more than a split second (if even that) but when I let them do a goofy photo, they'll hold the pose forever.

Luckily for them, even the uncooperative and goofy photos put a smile on my face.  They tell a story all of their own that maybe no one else will see or understand.  That's one thing that's amazing about a photograph.  A picture that might look like a "blooper" to one person, could capture the moment perfectly for someone else.

For me, these pictures of my three wiggly, sometimes uncooperative and always goofy nephews are prefect despite the closed eyes, flying hands and silly faces.  I wouldn't want them any other way.

P.S. stay tuned for some of the ones that turned out a little less goofy that will be included in future posts.

The Place

There is a place that I love above all others.  Through the changes that life brings, it has always been the one constant for me.  It's the place where I learned the value of hard work and how to appreciate and be thankful for the world around me.  It's where I learned that being honest, forgiving and faithful are some of the most important keys to successful living.  And it's where I learned that sometimes, the best conversations are the ones left unspoken.

This place is a haven, a place of personal learning and a place of inspiration.  A place that contains so many precious memories I couldn't even begin to recall them all.  This place will always hold a special piece of my heart.

Card Collection: Consider the Lilies

Yes, you may have already seen some of these pictures if you've kept up with the most recent posts.  I felt that my lovely lilies deserved a card collection of their own.

Enjoy!

Photos for Family Friends

I recently had the opportunity to take family photos for my friends.  This family has a special place in my heart.  I have been friends with both parents for many years and I have so enjoyed watching them move from being two of my fun single friends to the loving and caring parents of two adorable boys (with another one on the way).

I found that I love taking pictures of families.  The relationships that they have with one another is so fun to capture through photos.  No two families are the same and capturing them in their own special way is a unique experience.