Me and my boys :: Hardcastle Photography

Lately, I've had an overwhelming desire to be in some of the pictures with my kids.  Mostly, it's because as I scroll through the thousands (Yes, I literally take about 3000 pictures a year.) of pictures on my computer, I'm not in any of them.  I'm the one taking them.  I've got great photos of the boys alone and together and with their cousins and their Uncle Willie.  I've got some pictures of the boys with their dad that I just love and every time I see them, they just melt my heart a little bit.  But, in order to get a picture with me and my kids, or me and my husband, I have to hand over my camera or my phone and the results (even though I am very appreciative to those of you who accept the hand off) are, well, blurry at best.  Or, I resort to the ever popular selfie in which one or all of us have some part of our heads cut-off and missing.

I've read on lots of "mommy blogs" over the years about the importance of mom being in front of the camera every once in a while.  That our kids need a record of what we looked like and to remember that we were there, too.  And that, no matter what we look like, or how we feel about what we look like, that a little bit of documentation is good.

So, knowing that the boys were off track and that Jenn was launching a photography business and is super talented and that I wanted at least one picture of myself with these knuckle-heads right now, at this phase in their lives and mine, it was the "perfect storm" so to speak.  After a couple weeks of negotiating time and location and figuring out what we were going to wear and praying that my hair would work and not look stupid and that the dumb zit on my chin wouldn't be too noticeable, we were ready.

The photo shoot was completely about the boys.  I just sneaked my way into a couple of pictures and there were two that I absolutely loved and will love forever.  (Jenn, thanks so much!)

















I guess maybe that's a little selfish, to schedule a mom and kids photo shoot?  Maybe it's mean that I didn't include Ross, or in fact, didn't even tell him that I was going to be in a couple pictures?  I don't know.  I wanted it to be a surprise.  Was it a surprise?  Do you like them?  Would you print one and put it on your desk?  It was just something that I felt was important for me to do right now.  We'll get the obligatory family Christmas card picture out of the way shortly, but these were just for me.