shoot!

It's family picture season!

that time of year when I start to think about capturing the crew on photographic paper.
I'm formulating the plan.

I'm thinking about location.

and like a perfectly timed missile,

my brother,

who is SO good about preserving the past,

sent me some GREAT family pictures yesterday.

as i scrolled through these beauties,

some memories came flooding back.

allow me to tell you about two.

first, we have:

six kids in a trailer.

i remember it being VERY hot.

i also remember having to wait FOREVER

to have our turn in front of that camera.

it had to be one of those traveling photo deals

at your local Sears

where you could get a thousand pictures for 99 cents.

because I also know that my mom was a bargain hunter.

I think there were at least a hundred other families

lined up for this fabulous photo deal day.

To mom, it would be worth the pain.

i remember little twins who were not so happy about

the wait

and the heat,

and we older, suffering siblings

were instructed to hold them

and entertain them

during this eternal wait

in a HOT

cRoWdEd

trailer.

so what do you think?

can you see the sweat?

the toddlers who've had enough?

and who grows out their bangs like that i ask you?!

Mom. it was worth every cent.

i love this picture.

So here's the next winner.

this one i do NOT remember.

I'm thinking the trauma of remembering this day

must have been too much.

Look at the expressions.

Look at the eyes.

I'm pretty sure we were two shots away from

hypnosis.

love the hair-dos.

this one's a keeper.

Aaron, you get the Mr. Morning look-alike award.

and a ribbon for that fabulous leisure suit.

(and I'm just laughing about that dropped jaw--what was that photographer doing?!)