Taking Family Photos is like Child Birth

I’ve decided that family photos can be compared to giving birth to a baby:  you do it because you only see the (hopefully) beautiful ending result. However, the agonizing pain and chaos and exhaustion that it takes to get to that point makes you swear when you are in the middle of it that you’ll never do it again! 

It’s an ugly, gruesome process; but, in the end, the actual event is soon forgotten, and you find yourself wanting to do it again really soon. (Except for us…we are done with wanting to birth more babies…)

 Saturday was our long anticipated family photo day. My friend has a photographer she knows from Washington. He comes down to Portland every year for a weekend and he does a 30 min. session for a very reasonable price. 

Our family photo two years ago (Evie 6 months)

Photo last year (Evie 18 months)

This is his third year doing our family; last year when we saw him, I wasn’t even pregnant yet! So imagine his surprise this year when we show up with four month old triplets! He probably wanted to run for the hills. 

When I thought of taking pictures with a two year old and 4 month old triplets, I envisioned a wonderful family memory-making experience.  

We convinced Amanda that she might like to partake in this experience too, so this was going to be a blast, right?! 

 So, the seven of us roll up in our mini van on this peaceful Saturday afternoon to a community park. A bride adorned a flowing white dress carrying ivory and peach roses  passes in front of us. Her three bridesmaids follow close behind, hair perfectly pinned and heels clicking excitedly. Families picnic on checkered blankets, meats and cheeses and cold bottles of lemonade displayed in a neat row. 

A duck floats in the river. 

The winds tickles the trees playfully. 

Yes, its a picture perfect day.

Our photographer was just finishing up with a cute family of four, two red headed girls in matching plaid blowing playful kisses into the camera. Their parents watched from the side, beaming from ear to ear at their charming daughters. 

Enter our family in an over packed mini van.  

We come to a stop at the curb and out emerge a very agitated toddler, three infants teetering on the edge of losing it and two parents who are already exhausted by the whole events of dressing the clan. And then there is Amanda who steps out from between the car seats, calm and collected and sparkling and ready to be of help any way she can. 

"Ok, let the fun begin"

At first, everything started out  pretty well. The boys were all smiles in their coordinated and clean little polo shirts; Evie strutted around in her new coral dress and hair bow. John and I stood in awe at our precious family.  

Then, just like childbirth, the whole process got worse and more painful and more intense and way too ugly as we got further and further along. 

It was just plain messy at the end, and we were exhausted and ready for it to be over. Evie decided that this was the day she was going to rebel at all authority and displayed this new independence by protesting the pictures; refusing to pose, smile sweetly or wear a hair bow, she openly expressed her disgust in all of this. 

And then there were the boys. They started out all smiley and cute as can be, but soon they grew over stimulated and cranky. By the end they were all crying and spitting up. 

James lost a sock.  

      Evie had a scowl. 

             Caleb wouldn’t stop crying. 

                    Levi had a colossal belch that stained his shirt. 

Additionally, I made a horrible decision on what I should wear.  My cute little strapless dress was the worst choice possible with all the kids and small hands clawing at me. I spent a lot of energy trying to keep my top up and felt very self-conscious the entire time. 

And John, well he thought the chaos just about summed up our life perfectly. 

And Amanda agreed. 

And I just laughed because I didn’t know what else to do. 

 At the end I’m sure the photographer was glad to see us go. We loaded up our van and pulled out of there…leaving behind our triplet stroller standing alone under the shaded tree. We circled back, collected it and waved to the cute, calm little family taking their photographs after us. 

Whew. 

Glad that’s over. 

It was a quiet ride home. The boys passed out in the car; Evie sulked in the back seat because she was getting punished for her behavior. 

Oh the fun never ends in the Patton household. 

Should we do it again next year? 

Absolutely. We have to be sure to remember this period in time… aka. our life. ;) 

Evie at a recent visit to the Children's museum