Yesterday we attempted our annual holiday photo but it didn’t go how I planned. With daylight savings coming to an end the kids were up at 4 AM and I barely had 3 1/2 hours of sleep; so suffice to say everyone was tired and cranky, including me. About 30 minutes into the session we had to call it; it just wasn’t going to happen. After that, I’m embarrassed to admit, I was sad and frustrated because I had spent all week running around town putting together everybody’s outfits and rounding up props for the photo. I was sad because this was going to be our first holiday card as a family of five and I was sure that we hadn’t captured a shot with all of us smiling. And to be completely honest, I spent the next hour maybe even two moping about it and being annoyed that nobody was cooperating.
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It wasn’t until later in the day when I sat down to go through the photos that I found this gem! We simply took this picture to test the light and it produced a picture that brought tears to my eyes; which is not something that happens often! It made me stop and realize that I was putting to much pressure on myself and the family to produce the best holiday photo and what I should’ve been focusing on was capturing the kids individual personalities and beautiful moments like this. Santino may be my 3 year old wild child but he is kind and loving and I love how this picture embodies all of him. In his eyes you can see a little mischievous boy who loves to wrestle and knock things down but his smile and his touch show what a kind soul he is. As we approach the holiday season I’m reminded to slow down, stop striving for perfection and embrace the little moments.
