The truth is...

Sunday after church, I took some pictures while we were all looking good. I have people comment or ask me regularly how I get good pictures of my children. The truth is, I take a whole bunch! I feel lucky to get one good one out of ten. For the most part, the kids like getting their picture made or at least they don't usually resist. :-) Truth is they mostly do it for me, because they know I love it and it makes me so happy to get some good ones! But, it really is so hard to get everyone looking in the same direction, smiling, eyes open, etc. all at the same time. Bella Peace is especially hard at this age, because she always tries to run off. Actually most of the time, she is trying to run to me to look at the picture on the camera. They learn quick, don't they! Here are some of the ones I thought turned out pretty good.






Luke thought he was done and started to play, but of course I had to stop him and seize the moment for this cute pic!


Grace really likes having her picture made (most of the time) and offered to pose for this one.


I included this one simply because I thought it was a pretty good picture of myself. Most days, I can be found at home with no make-up, hair in a ponytail, and dressed super casual. That is if I actually had a chance to shower and get dressed at all. So when I get a good one of myself, I like to show it off. Vanity, I know. :-)


While I am telling truths here, let me just tell the truth about this little cutie pie.


She is absolutely IN TO EVERYTHING!!!! I cannot turn my head for a single second without her getting into something she should not. Recently she has started using crayons, ON THINGS SHE SHOULD NOT! This has not happened to me in my nearly 7 years of motherhood. None of my other children have ever written on anything except what I permitted them to write on. But, Bella Peace has managed to do this about 4 times in 2 weeks! I think the problem is that there were never crayons, pencils, pens, etc. out and available when the other kids were small. The other kiddos use these things a lot more now that they are older. We all think we are doing a good job of putting things beyond her access, but she manages to find and get into them anyway. This is just one little example of the things this girl is up to lately. She may look like the sweetest most innocent thing you've ever seen, but truth be told her little mind is always plotting her next move.

Another funny truth is that like I shared earlier, we don't always look as good at home as we do all dolled up in our Sunday best. And the kids don't always participate in having their picture made. Check out this example.


Unless we have plans away from home, the kids usually pick their own clothes and dress themselves. This is Mary Ruth's outfit today. I cannot help but smile when she comes out of her room from getting dressed sometimes. She also fixed her own hair today with some help from Grace. You cannot get a good look at it in this picture, but she has several ponytails and a hair bow. So cute, even if she did not smile for the camera!!!!

Speaking of her hair, Mary Ruth decided this week that she wants to let her bangs grow out so that she can have hair like Grace. She asked me to fix her hair with no bangs. :) I explained that I could pull her bangs back, but that we would have to let them grow out if she really did not want bangs at all. Here are a couple of pictures with her bangs pulled back. She loved it!


I think she looks older without her bangs and am not so ready to give them up. Her Daddy agrees and says he doesn't think he's going to let her do it! She and Grace are wearing matching Christmas nightgowns. Both gowns are used and came from Kid's Kloset. I bought one last year and one this year. I don't think I paid more than $3 for either. Gotta love deals like that! They've already started wearing them. I say, why not?

The truth is, real life is not always as pretty as a picture. Some days are hard. Some days are really, really hard. But, I know as I look at these pictures I'm gonna miss all this one day! And that's the truth!