New Year, New Family Photo

 My friend Mara took our family photos a month ago. I don't know why I love Mara most, but add these to the list of things that endear her to me. I think this might be my favorite family shot. Even with Joshua's eyes shut I'm so happy that we're not all squinting at the sun.
 This is my next favorite shot. Our kids love it when we smooch. As in, they ask for us to do it right in front of them, and they dare Dan to do it in public. 

I didn't give a lot of thought to the set-up for these photos. We took them on our school's playground, a hundred yards or so from our house. I didn't buy a single article of clothing, pulled clothes from drawers a few hours before, and ending up forgetting to change out of the jeans I had been wearing when I scrubbed the kitchen floor a few hours prior. This, folks, is how we look on most days. 

Mara shoots with film, and I loved the variety of looks that came as a result of that. She is a brave woman. 

Since this photo was taken the twins have lost three of their four teeth between the two of them. I love how different these two are. I worry we might have to work through some anxiety on their part over this very issue, but I am pretty amazed by how they came this way.

 

 We are currently working with Joshua on how to smile normally. He has to be tricked into it, because he has some this idea that smiling involved covering his bottom teeth with his lip so that his chin sticks out. We don't get it, but someday he'll see what we're talking about.

 Amelia was pretty excited to get a photo with her eyes closed. Mara's daughter is photographed this way on Mara's Instagram feed sometimes, and Amelia was pretty pleased to learn all about how to pull off a "relaxed face."

 I love this family of mine. 

 And I love this guy, his tiny bits of silver hair, and his cardigans. About eight years ago we had our family photos taken at a Target studio, and the photographer made us take an affectionate photo of our heads together. Dan was absolutely cringing when that photographer took that way back then, but it is one of my favorites of the two of us. When Mara asked Dan to snuggle into me, I knew I'd be happy she did.

 These were some of my favorites, but there were so many more that I loved equally. I'm extremely grateful that she captured these moments for me.