Woops, Almost Forgot

We got our family photo taken in late November 2012.  I've recently discovered (per Brian's co-workers and friends) that taking a family photo every year is not something every family does.  It was something my family always did because Grandpa was a photographer.  I treasure all those family pictures.  It's the best to be able to look at a photo of all of us together and remember that time of life.  I'm a big believer in capturing the moment in time.  I had my friend Jessica Cutler take the photos.  We had to reschedule several times (mostly for weather) and when we finally did it she was very ill.  (I didn't know that until later.  She was a trooper for sure.)  This was the first photo she took, I'm convinced:

After that, my little saboteurs realized it wasn't Opposite Day and they needed to get back to work.  Here was one of the last shots she took:

 Sure it's more realistic, but really not the way I want to remember things.

Somewhere in between she got some other images that are treasures to me.

Sweet Bridget with the beautiful freckles and hazel eyes.  She got her hair cut just before this photo was taken and it makes her look so grown up to me.  I always say she looks like a character from a story book.

I ordered a large print of this because it is my favorite.  We told the boys to hold Bridget's hands and they didn't hesitate for a second.  She is the best big sister in the WORLD.

There we are.  We took these photos a few days before our 16th wedding anniversary. :)  I haven't started coloring my hair, so in this moment in time it's fun that Bridget and I have almost the same color hair.  Kind of amazing, really, because mine should be more gray by now.  And she's adopted. 

I like this one.

I already posted the individual photos of the boys in their birthday report.  After an hour of trying to get pictures, we were all a sweaty mess.  That's in addition to the stress of finding the right clothes to wear, the location for the photo, the time that works for everyone (except BYU football, because I don't care what works for them), the weather to cooperate, and finding a good photographer...  But now look what I have - my family immortalized looking young(ish) and happy.  Which is what we are.