Picture Perfect

A friend recently told me,

"You have the picture perfect family." And honestly, it made me laugh out loud. I mean yes, I'm a photographer and I have high standards for my family portraits. However; that in NO WAY means it is a reflection of real life. The photos are just a blip between all the chaos.

Today, for instance, we brought the girls to see the Easter Bunny. I put them all in fancy pink dresses. And had to chase them around the house to tame their wild hair with bows. All the while I gave them a pep talk. (After our meltdown with Santa, I knew this could be a hit or miss situation) "The Easter Bunny is so nice." I told them. "And his fur is so so soft!" "I'm going to cry." Mikah told me. (well, at least she's being honest) I told her she has to be brave and be a role model for her sisters. This talk continued the entire ride to the mall. We then included a smoothie bribe if they would smile for a picture. As we approached the bunny, I held my breath. The girls all stared him down. The Easter Bunny held out his hand for the girls and slowly Mikah gave him a high five. YES!!! Now we are getting somewhere. He held his hand out for Liv... "Nooo!" she screamed, backing up. So obviously this will be a family Easter Bunny picture...

luckily Dustin and I dressed for the occasion.

The Easter Bunny went above and beyond. He even danced in an attempt to win the girls' hearts. Unfortunately for him, he doesn't quite understand the mind of our, stubborn 2 year old. So, all 5 of us sat down next to that sweet bunny and smiled for a photo. Which turned into like 20 photos. The photographer was a superhero. Seriously. Each time she took a few shots, she would ask me to come check out the photos. And each time I would notice closed eyes, a scared expression, or the top of a toddler's head while they stared at their feet. But, by some miracle, and some serious kindness from the photographer and Easter Bunny we ended up with an acceptable photo. And an experience that we obviously won't forget. Oh, and I must add this minor detail: As we walked off to pay for our photo, Liv ran over to give the Easter bunny the biggest hug. Perfect timing kid.

But the moral to this story: there is no such thing as a picture perfect family. As perfect as it all may seem in photos, They are just that: photos. You don't see the tears or crazy that goes on behind the scenes. You see the smiles for a quick snap. And then the chaos continues. But I must admit, for someone to even think we are close to perfect, is the ultimate compliment. Everyone tries so hard to do their very best for their little family. And even though no one has this picture perfect thing down... We all have those perfect moments.