I hereby fully confess to yet another reason why some consider me kooky with a side of crazy sauce…. I have relationship statuses with television shows. When a show captivates me from the very beginning and leads me to lust and crave the next episode, I am “Fully Hooked”. If a show in the aforementioned category fizzles and takes advantage of my dedication by producing yawn-provoking episodes that leave me wishing I had those 42 minutes of my life back, I “Break Up” with it, and I will forever be resentful of the hours it wasted after it begun to take its tailspin (hello, can I please have all of the hours I invested in “Heroes” back please?!?!).

All that to say, I have recently become an emblazoned convert of the show “Raising Hope”. It is currently in my #1 “Fully Hooked” slot as it often leaves me giggling alone in the dark while watching. Any show that has a crazy great-grandmother who thinks her grandson is her dead husband and attempts to nurse a baby has my blessing. Over Thanksgiving break (during my passionate and torrid 10+ episode watching stints), I watched one episode that I found particularly relevant to family photo shoots, “Say Cheese”.

In the episode, the family realizes the value of authentic family photos versus the contrived, “Olan Mills” type sessions. Like the Chance family comes to realize, I personally abhor “Olan Mills” type sessions. Every year when it was time to take our Church Directory family photo, my sister and I would collaborate on how to make the photo turn out catastrophically much to my mom’s passionate and vocal dismay (let’s just say wigs and matching jumpsuits were involved). I’ll have to share those stories on another day or I fear this post may turn into a novel.

All that to say, I am a firm believer that family photos should be authentic and truly representative of the personality and life of the family. I mean, how often in “real life” did your entire family wear denim and white tops on the same day while smiling on command on a blanket in the middle of your front lawn? Mine sure as heck didn’t! When families are game to allow me to photograph them for who they really are, I am giddy. The moments you are able to capture when you just your let kids be kids in are far more priceless memories to have and treasure.

One of my absolute besties, Lauren, should enter the Olympics for her ability to create beautiful babies. I’m pretty sure that her photo is next to “Mother of the Year” in the dictionary. She makes being an amazing wife and mother of two rambunctious boys 2 and under look like a breeze. The love, joy, and laughter she continuously bestows upon all of her boys (young and old), is something that I am certain every mother should aspire to have. And somehow with all that she does, she finds the time to be a thoughtful and steadfast friend (and make her own laundry detergent!).

Blanche- I hope that these photos enable you to cherish the real moments of your life…. crazy as it may seem at times!

xoxo,
Bev

P.S. Mad props to Blaine, the manny (male nanny) for creating verses to the wheels on the bus on command to help entertain the little urchins. And roaring like a lion.

P.S.S. I have a few last minute family photo slots available in time for Christmas for any fabulous little broods out there… not that I think family photos should only be taken around the holidays!