The Truth about Young Kids and Photo Shoots.

Late this fall I decided I wanted to get in one last photo shoot before the snow flew.

I wanted something different for this one though . . . something magical. Luckily for me, my sister-in-law Andrea is always up for adventure and has four kids.

I explained what I was looking for and she dug through her dress-up box and came up with some great fairy tale costumes for her kids. I brought along bags of gourds, a suitcase full of assorted props, and a few wooden props.

We all piled into our trucks and headed for a nearby park. Thankfully the older kids were able to help carry the props into the park. I've got to find a better system for getting my props from place to place. Ideally I would just bring less props. But that's not going to happen any time soon . . . Henry choose a roomy Yukon XL for me because he knows me and my ways better than anyone. Ahem.

We had a great time acting out fairy-tales and making up stories of our own that afternoon. And then, because I'm smart that way, I thought we should see if we could sneak in a quick family session with the kids . . .

We started out pretty good . . .

Some one very quickly noticed me and my camera . . .

Someone else had really difficulty with the whole, 'stay sitting down' concept . . .

Tongues poked out, props were eaten, thrown and knocked over . . .

 Mom spent a lot of time putting someone back in the shot and fixing the props . . .

 All in all, an amusing challenge.

I did get some sweet moments though. Not technically 'perfect' mind you, with everyone looking 'perfectly' at the camera, but sweet none the less . . .

So now you know the truth about young kids and photo shoots.

There is no way to control what happens, you just take what comes.

And that's just the way I like it.