Family Christmas Photos

Does anyone else get super stressed out by family photo sessions? There's just so much pressure to get one good shot of two active little boys running full speed in opposite directions. Inevitably there are tears involved. So this year we didn't do it. We brought our own camera, along with Grandma, and on two separate days in two different locations we did our best to get a few family shots as well as shots of Ez and Declan. Together. In one frame. Preferably looking toward the camera at the same time. That's the really hard one, in case you're wondering. They have an uncanny ability to tag team us, with one being sweet and adorable just as the other one turns around and shuns the camera altogether. It's like an unspoken agreement between them to never ever both look toward the camera at the same moment. At the time I basically threw my hands up and said it wasn't meant to be, but then you know what? I got home and went through the photos and decided there were actually a lot of really cute ones. So many that I couldn't narrow them down and that's why there's a few dozen here ;)

For the first photo shoot we went to one of our favorite spots: UC Berkeley. I seriously can't get enough of that place. We got a few good family shots there, as well as some of the kids with Grandma. The other trip we took was to San Francisco Golden Gate Park. In both shoots the boys wanted nothing to do with the camera. Sitting still and posing is just not in their DNA. The best chance we had was to get them interested in some naturey type item and then snap a few quick shots while they examined something that was inevitably poisonous. Like mushrooms, or these red berries. Don't worry, we watched closely. 

Perfectly imperfect, or imperfectly perfect. However you want to look at it, this is our family at this season of our lives. A little distracted, always on the go, usually only 75% of us are smiling at any given moment, but I love these crazy rascals and I wouldn't have it any other way.