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.