Family Mug Shot

When I was little, I loved to gaze up at our family photos on the wall. I loved one in particular with me and my mom in complimentary outfits (NOT MATCHING) where I am folding my arms in protest, although the photographer managed to sneak a smile out of me. I would love to see how young my mom was and how little I used to be. I would reach back into the farthest part of my mind and try to pull out memories of that day. The older I got, the harder this task became.

As I would shift my gaze across the wall, I'd see our family grow in numbers and in age. These snapshots of our family throughout the years still mean so much to me. They used to just remind me of happy memories and serve as evidence of how young we all once were. But now those pictures also remind me how fast everything goes by. Even so, when I got married, I couldn't wait to have my own family portraits. And the experience was just as I remember- the only difference is the reversal of my role.


The morning of, I tweaked our outfits- trying to make sure we wouldn't clash. We rushed to get clean and purdy and just spent time together getting ready under the bright lights of our bathroom. We sauntered into JCPenneys, smiled for the camera and then went out to eat in our nice clothes. The day was nothing extraordinary, in fact, it was a little hectic and crazy, but it was time spent together and it was wonderful. It felt great making our own family memories and traditions, just like the ones I remember from MY childhood. Isn't that the best part about having kids- reliving childhood from the other side of the fence?

The pictures didn't turn out too shabby either.