My Kids | Another Year Older

How did it go?  If you saw my previous post, you know I don’t make a huge effort to get a group shot of my own kids except on my birthday at the end of July.  If you have three kids of your own, you know how difficult it can be just to have them sit together without a squabble.  July is a sweaty month to be outside but I work quick so it doesn’t take long.  🙂  This is my annual gift to myself and it doesn’t hurt to tell my boys that this is for Mommy’s birthday and please don’t poke or kick each other.  We usually make an effort to go to a nice location but since my helper/wrangler/husband was stuck on an airplane and not home yet, we only made it outside to our yard.  Good enough for me!  So with a little help from Grammy and my Aunt this is what we got on our way out to dinner that night and I am happy.  I won’t tell you what tricks I used to get them to smile…I’m a big fan of the candid moments.  Those represent my kids the best and I might just hang something more candid on one of my walls to enjoy.

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Back to School: Most are going back today.  Mine are officially back at it and I am really happy (except for early mornings and homework).  I can’t wait to see all the back to school pictures on Facebook this week.  I might not see some children for a year and then a flood of back to school images come through and I love it.  We had a half day on Friday and I took these pictures of my kids in front of the house…where I always take their back to school pictures.  I told them I would have to do that then and then on Monday morning in their real uniforms and again on Wednesday for Chapel uniforms and then when Kate officially starts back.  They weren’t thrilled.  Evan said he wasn’t really “into photography”.  It’s not his thing so he tells me.  It just happens to be “my thing” so I’m glad they indulge me!

Guess which one did NOT get new uniform shoes for school this year?  |  Belle made an appearance in our photos.  I don’t know why.

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Photographer’s Tip:  Use a chalkboard or a piece of paper and let your kids hold up a sign that has “first day of 1st grade” or something along those lines.  I am going to use one of my Organic Bloom frames with a chalkboard insert to do that.  I have a few more shots to get!  My biggest tip of all: if you forget to do anything the first day do it anytime the first week.  When you look back in a few years you probably won’t even remember that part.  If your child rides the bus, please get one with the bus behind them.  (Just for me – I love that!)