Fierce

Last year, out of the blue,

Emily - the girl who will not smile or sit for a family photo,

decided to turn into a child model for roughly 7 minutes.

She did it again this week while I was out for the evening. 

 She informed Tim she wanted to "do some poses". 

So Tim took the camera out...and here's a small sampling of her "session":

I don't know where she gets these ideas.

I think Tyra Banks would say she's Fierce.

I say it's ridiculously cute...

and slighty scary.

Say "Cheese"...Please?...oh, just forget it.

I have been trying to get a good family photo for the longest time.

Something always keeps us from accomplishing this.

Often times we don't get a good picture because someone is doing this:

And often we don't get a good picture because my hair looks like this:

And of course...there was also an angry face that time. So needless to say, NOT a good family picture.

Last year we went to Myrtle Beach and I planned and organized and dreamt about the photos we would get of our family. I knew what we would wear. And I knew where we would stand on the beach. And I knew what time of day we would take the picture. One of the mistakes we made was to wait until the last night of our trip. We would have only one chance, one evening to get the photo.

Too bad Emily woke up from her nap in a vile mood. Too bad she had a temper tantrum on the way to the beach. Too bad the temper tantrum gave her red blotchy skin.

This is how I photograhed them:

And our family photo?

The one I dreamt. organized. obsessed about.....?

The one I wanted to send to Europe and western Canada - so that our relatives could see what we look like now.

It didn't happen.

Instead, this happened.

I guess there`s always next year, right?

Does everyone have such trouble getting a good family picture?

Will I?

I've been thinking about starting a blog for a very long time. I don't think that I have profound things to say or funny stories to tell...but I really enjoy reading other people's blogs...maybe someone will enjoy reading mine.



Through these blogs I have been inspired by a photographer in Indiana; laughed at stories written by a mom in Guelph; been taught by a teacher in Houston; been motivated by a mom-preneur in Toronto; and have been moved to tears reading about the journey of a family who adopted a child from Africa.

Will I teach you? make you laugh? motivate you? inspire you?

I hope so.