Happy Easter!
I wanted to share a few photos today. Many of you know how challenging it can be to get a decent picture of your kids. As you can imagine, when you have a large family, that challenge is often multiplied! Ward likes to refer to our attempts to get the children all cooperating together as "herding cats", and indeed it often seems like that's what we're doing!
But today, I really wanted that traditional Easter picture of the kids together. Also, my wonderful mother in law made the girls' skirts, and I wanted to get a decent photo of the girls wearing the skirts to send to her.
Our morning started off like every Easter morning; early, busy, joy at finding candy, a frantic search for eggs, an even more frantic assembly line of showers and baths, and then a rush to get to church by 9am. So, as has been the case in more recent years, no pictures before church. So, setting the stage for these pictures....the kids have been up since 7am, they've been hopped up on sugar, and the only other food they've had is a hard boiled egg or two, they spent 3 hours at church in Sunday School and services, and it is now going on 2pm and they're hungry! So it's a PERFECT time to get some photos, before everyone changes clothes. LOL
Here is the first one:
Not too bad, really, especially for a first attempt. But a few issues, and everyone is kind of squished together, so let's try again.
We did a rearrange of the kids. Attempt number 2:
Well, the 2 oldest girls have been through a few family photo shoots over the years, so they are cooperating and smiling for the camera. The younger 4 are still not quite into it yet, and I would like more people looking at the camera...
so let's try one more time:
Um, #4...you're 5 years old now, let's not show off the panties for the picture, ok? (and yes I know the baby has a cup of milk in all these pictures. He was crying until we gave it to him, and wouldn't let us have it back without a fight, so I said he could have a cup in the pictures.) #5 apparently has an itch.
let's try again (this next one is actually my favorite photo of the day. No joke.)
#1 is 13. And she is now frustrated. And complaining about the sun being in her eyes. #5 wants to make sure his belly button gets a fair amount of screen time. #6 is still guzzling his milk. #3 is trying really hard now to give me smiles on command and look at the camera at the same time. At least #4 is trying to not show her panties now. And #2 is such a trooper! Still giving me a "smile" for every photo.
Still hoping for a "nearly perfect" picture...we try once more:
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Um, #4? We're not done yet. #4? Why are you getting up? (Don't worry...#1 is about to give her a talking to...that'll straighten her up!) You can see #5, noticing #4 trying to escape and it's looking like a good idea to him, too... Thank you #2 and #3 for still trying to smile for the camera. #6...milk gooooood.
Running out of patience now (not me, I was having fun because I was capturing the moment I wanted to share!)
Here's another try:
Still can't get everyone looking at the same time, but hey, #6 has come up for air from his cup. Don't be fooled by what looks like a possible smile on his face. He was actually getting ready to fuss. Three smiles, three not looking. 50/50. We can do better than that!
Attempt #7
See, I told you we could do better. That's 4 looking, 2 not looking. Not sure what #5 has found in the grass that is so fascinating, but do NOT tell the girls if it has multiple sets of legs.
Ok at this point we've had enough of the group shot, and I want to get the girls and boys shots before I lose them entirely, so...lets try the girls only, so we can share the skirt picture with Grandma:
Now wait a minute. #5...who would not look at the camera for any of the group shots, is now looking directly at the camera for the girls' photo. Too bad he's a boy and wasn't supposed to be in this photo. lol And #4 is trying to "pose" for the camera. Silly girl.
One more time for the girls:
Not bad, although real smiles would have been nice. And let's try to get one without the goofy pose...
Ok then, nice touch #4 with the bent leg. I'm tired of the 13 year old complaining at this point, so good enough for the girls I guess. Lovely #2, my favorite red-headed daughter, smiled for every picture. :)
Now, on to the boys:
Aaaaannd now that we're actually taking pictures of the boys...#5 is back to NOT looking at the camera. And #6 is mad, he thought we were done. At least he still has his cup. #3 wasn't ready, not his fault, I clicked fast trying to capture the others cooperating. Once more boys:
And we're still a bit distracted, but kind of, almost, trying to stand nicely. #6 wants Mommy now, though, and is coming for me. Still has his cup. And I still have no clue what #5 keeps looking at.
Let's try again:
Ok, #5 still looking at who knows what. Maybe I should tell him it's the girls' picture, and he'll look at the camera again. Great job looking at the camera from #3, but he realized at this point he was the oldest kid in the pic and should "be in charge of" the baby, and "help" him stay put and look at the camera. There was some 20 month old screaming complaint involved as soon as this pic was snapped. lol
One more try, after telling #3 to leave the baby alone:
HEY! We got #5 looking at the camera! But ARGH what's up with the belly shot???? lol Awesome pic of #3. Baby's still got that yummy cup...
Ok, I'll try just one last time:
WOOHOO, I got the 2 older boys looking good, and I'm ok with the baby and his beloved cup. (The funniest part is how much he usually HATES his cup and throws it down because he'd rather be nursing...except today, when I wanted pictures, he HAD to have that cup!)
So that's just a small taste of what it's like to try to get snapshots of all the kids together when you have several of them. And honestly, I don't usually feel like 6 is all that many. I have friends with 8, 9, even double digits. I'm not sure how they ever get pictures with everyone cooperating. I'm not sure it's even possible! lol
