Attempting to Avoid Chaos During a Family Photo Shoot

 

    Our first family of four photo shoot did not go the way that I had planned. In my head, I pictured my two darling boys, who were 2 weeks old and 3 years old at the time, dressed in their Sunday best smiling and appearing like angels in front of the camera while my husband and I beamed proudly at our wonderfully angelic offspring. I laugh at myself now, because guess what? That is not reality!

It was August in Mississippi and it was hot- like 100 degrees hot and the humidity just added to the drama. We made it through that first photo shoot as a family of four by promising all you can eat Oreo's to the three year old. I don't know how the photographer did it, but she captured some pretty good shots.

Now, I consider myself a no drama mama when it comes to family photos. If they don't smile in all the photos, I don't freak out. I keep cool (as cool as I can in MS) and I tell the photographer to photograph the children as they are. Some of those pictures end up being my favorite pictures. 

I do bribe my children. I promise my boys that if they act sweet and do what the photographer asks, then we can go get ice cream or a movie or maybe go pick out a small toy. This provides some motivation to get the child or children to at least smile for a few of the photos.  

Erin Clark Fulgham took all of these photos for us. 

She used to be the boys' babysitter so they were very familiar with her. 

These candid shots really capture the life in which we live. 

Seeing their smiling, happy faces make me so happy. 

This is what I live with- a true depiction of the wildness in our household. 

Mamas, don't stress over the photos when your children aren't smiling or when they don't look picture perfect. One day, you will look back on those photos and laugh about them. You will remember how your children used to act when they were little. Children are only little for a little while.