Photo shoot

Someday we'll have a succesful family photo shoot, right? I think my expectations are way too high. Five kids...all under the age of 8...and I expect them to smile at the same time and do whatever the photographer says.

This morning couldn't have gone any better. The kids were great! Even James was happy this morning and excited to get dressed. We planned to leave the house by 9am and we were on the road at 8:58. It was a delightful ride to Richmond. All 5 kids were in pleasant moods.

As we were getting the kids out of the van, I realized James had a deep red line all across his forehead. I gasped...but Karen and I were both able to laugh about it. He had put a rubberband on his head for a good portion of the trip and left quite a mark. No big deal. Karen and I both were stress-free and laughed and helped James stay at ease.

The kids played quietly as we waited our turn. No fights, no one was crying, and James' red mark was slowly going away.

We walk in to the room for our pictures. I sit in my place...Karen takes her place with Luke, Mark and Anya take their place and then James takes his place...

It was then that James decided he didn't want to be there. He sat down and put his head in between his legs and refused to budge. If any of you know James...Karen and I both knew it was over. James is stubborn and independent. We talked quietly with him. We asked him what he needed. But it was over before I even realized there was going to be an issue. The morning had been flawless. Karen and I couldn't have done anything differently.

Someday we'll have the perfect family picture (please humor me a little here).

So, although a partial failure in my book, here are the shots that were salvageable.