Impromptu Reunion: Family Pictures

The stereotype insists that family pictures are a painful event.  I've always rolled my eyes a bit at that idea, and thought, "it's really not that big of a deal." I suppose it was time to be humbled.

Getting forty people to do anything together is a challenge.  Getting forty people to all look reasonably decent and looking in one direction with a smile on their faces at the same moment is near impossible. When more than half of those people are young children, well, I'm sure you can imagine!

 

We started with the big group of cousins, hoping that they'd all be compliant and happy early in the process. It was a sound idea, and initially looked like it might work.

It's not a quick or easy process to coordinate!

By the time we got everyone semi-organized, some of the little ones (coughNelliecough) decided they did not care to cooperate.

It quickly became comically painful enough that I caught a few moments of the circus on video.

We decided to give the kids a break while taking some adult/sibling pictures. 

Aubree was happy to help by holding Cohen.

Originally, we'd plan to get pictures of cousin groups at the end of the session.  By the time we finished with the other pictures however, everyone was DONE! Most of us were ready to call it good and scrap the cousin shots, but Colleen and Katie insisted.  I knew I'd eventually be grateful for their insistence, but in the moment, I was ready to flee. Seeing the pictures now, I can say a sincere "Thank you for forcing us!"

All of my siblings with children have had girls as their oldest child.

Bryce, Killian, and Kylee are all 9 (or nearly 9).

Thane has the biggest cousin group, with Tyson, Anna, and Elizabeth. All of them are 7 (or nearly 7).

Graham, Alexander, and Chase will ALL turn 5 in September.

Aubree doesn't have a cousin group, so she asked to be included with the babies.

Nellie should also be in that picture, but she preferred to run away.

The photographer also got a few great shots of Mom and Steve.

When the shoot was finally over, everyone was more than ready for the bribed promised ice cream.  Ian and Chelsea picked up a few requested flavors from the BYU Creamery and we all went back to Kira's to celebrate surviving.