On the day before Thanksgiving of all days, my mom asked me to take the guys in our family out and take portraits of them to send to all of my aunts and cousins in her Christmas cards. You would think that this would be one of the easiest photo sessions of my year- after all, it's my three boys, my dad, and my brother. You would be mistaken. Silliness ensues, chaos occurs, and yes- just like any other family- my kids need to be bribed to sit still and smile nicely. 

I've previously written a blog post called 'Photographer's Child Syndrome', and let me tell you, it reared it's ugly head. But, with lots of coaching and promises of candy/ice cream/toys, my boys got through it.

My dad and my brother on the other hand... Well, like most men, they refuse to smile in photos. Unlike most men- who just relax their faces- these two scowled at me! If I didn't know better, I would have been rather nervous that I'd offended them. But, they're softies on the inside. You should see the way they melt when my boys climb into their laps!

Despite the challenges these guys present, they are some of my favorite people in the world. I love my kids to the moon and back (what mom doesn't?), but I also love my brother and my dad and am so blessed to have two amazing men in addition to my wonderful husband to help me raise these boys.