Just One

For weeks now I have been wanting to take my kids out to get one picture of the three of them together in a beautiful setting so that I have a nice picture of them together to hang on my wall. I had a whole scene pictured in my head. I knew just how I wanted them to look, and exactly where I wanted to go. So, this weekend JM agreed to tag along and help me finally produce the image that I so wanted to take. We got the kids dressed and ready to go and then headed off for our destination. There were a few things I didn't factor into my plan though. Doop started getting a terrible cough this past Friday, and it was much worse by Saturday evening. The wind was blowing at a pretty good rate when we arrived, and the light was fading behind the mountain fast. In the meantime Seej was struggling to make it where I wanted to go since she has pretty severe allergies, and Lou was all about exploring this new and wonderful place. When we finally made it to the spot I wanted to go Doop was crying so hard his face was purple, Seej had "stuff in her shoes", and Lou was busy with a handful of rocks she had collected along the way. Taking their pictures just wasn't going to happen, and after trying several times to get a picture of just the girls, and then just Lou we finally had to move on. Between the wind and the light, and their non-participation it just wasn't going to happen. On this day, the place I really wanted to take their picture in just wasn't going to work. I made them tromp through the grass with me one more time to a different spot, and by that time Doop had finally stopped crying although he was still on the edge, and the girls were still restless. They were also hungry, and after a painful 5 minutes of trying different tactics I decided to call it a day and I packed them all up in the car with JM's help and we left. I was upset. I had planned this out so thoroughly, and they didn't cooperate. Not one single bit. I didn't talk as we left, and the ride home was pretty quiet as well. I was going to delete all 9 of the images that I took (you heard me right- 9!), and then I decided not to be so hasty. This is the one and only shot that was even half way decent. I wanted to trash it as well, but decided that I may not get another chance to attempt taking their picture again. The more I have looked at this one the more it has grown on me. I think I like it now because it reminds me of the torture we went through for one single moment to be frozen in time. It reminds me that this really is our life, and I love it. Just before I snapped this shot the girls were fighting, and right after this shot Doop started crying again. I have to give him credit. He really didn't feel good, and I spent all day yesterday with him on my lap while he rested. When I showed this picture to the kids they were delighted. They love it. In their minds they did cooperate, and to them this image was beautiful. JM says they love it because they are still here today to look at it, but I actually love it too. Although they aren't all smiling, and we weren't in the place I really wanted to be, we made a memory together taking this photo. I wasn't real happy at the time, but it's one of those moments I can look back on and laugh about and this picture helps me do that. In the grand scheme of things it doesn't matter that I didn't get the exact image that I wanted. I did get a picture that depicts who the kids are, and that should have been my real goal. I was hoping for just one that I would love, and that's exactly what I got. I truly do love it!