Family Photos

Does your family partake in annual family photos? We have ours coming up this weekend. In the past, we’ve done them in September, but we decided to switch it up this year.

After my kids were born, we had family photos taken each year, as many people do. When our family split, the photos stopped as well.

There are years where there are lots of photos of my girls and I but nothing professional so to speak. At the time, I remember feeling embarrassed. I didn’t feel like our ‘half’ family had much to celebrate or capture in a forever photo. That's a horrible way of looking at our situation at the time, but it's how I felt.

When our families blended, our wedding photos were our first family photos. But they stopped there. We didn't create the tradition of having our photos taken as a family. In the early years, we were busy figuring our family out. Organizing, coordinating, and having someone take our photos didn’t even cross my mind. I also believe there’s a certain level of comfort required for photos to appear genuine and relaxed. Perhaps I knew we weren't there yet.

In 2019, I was thinking about photos for our Christmas calendar. This is a gift we give to our families each year. I realized it was time. Time to get the gang together to capture a little history. Our pre-teen daughters weren’t too keen on having their pictures taken, but my cousin would be the photographer, so that helped.

Looking back, I have fond memories of taking those photos. Funny how taking pictures together can help bond you as a family. Those snapshots of time hang on the wall and remind us of how far we’ve grown together.

This will be the third year in a row, and I’m excited. Right away, the girls asked me what the ‘theme’ would be. It’s fun to plan and execute this as a family. They have come to accept this as a tradition now.

One I hope to continue as our girls get older.

Stay tuned for new family pics.