It has become a Walkush family tradition to wear coordinating outfits at Easter. I generally make sure to secure the boys' outfits first and then let the colors in their outfits dictate the colors in Ryan's and my outfits. Because children's Easter clothing is more limited in selection, I've found this method to be one that works for us.
At some point, it then dawned on me that "hey, since we're all dressed so fancy pants at Easter, why don't we use this opportunity to take a family photo" - and let me tell you, it has indeed been an evolution.
In 2007, this was the first year that I had this brilliant idea - but this was our somewhat unconventional year for the photos.
Here's Aidyn and me sitting on a stone wall:
Here's Aidyn and me walking into the woods to collect some sticks for him to play with:
And I love this one - it's me swinging Aidyn, and I happen to think that I look like Mama in this photo:
You'll note that Ryan Barrett Walkush played the role of photographer for this photo shoot. He did appear in some of the photos in his very BEST Cleveland Browns Dawg Pound T-shirt. :-/
In 2008, we had just moved into our new house, so we apparently didn't take Easter family photos that year. In fact, when searching for the 2008 Easter photos for this blog post, I found them in a folder labeled "Family Room Renovation" - so I'm guessing if we were renovating the Family Room at that time, there was no way we were going to put too much effort into picking out matching Easter outfits. I bet Ryan Barrett Walkush thought he won!
We did dress Aidyn in a cute outfit that year - here he is hunting eggs among the daffodils with his cousin Charlotte:
In 2009, we had another member in the family, and I certainly was not going to pass up the chance of a family photo again. So, this is the one that we got:
A cardinal rule was broken here, ladies, I was holding the baby in the picture, and that generally makes you contort your body into weird and unflattering shapes. Additionally, and perhaps even more unfortunate, Ryan Barrett Walkush zoomed the camera such that my fierce shoes were not shown. (Live and learn on both accounts - make Daddy hold the baby and always show the shoes!)
In 2010, I think Ryan was getting used to the fact that this Easter photo thing was something he was saddled with, I mean, lucky to participate in:
And besides the kids who didn't want to smile (in any of the photos that year), it looks like we're finally starting to get our act together with this Easter photo stuff. (Note: You can see my shoes in this photo - they're right next to that pinwheel - scratch that part about us getting our act together.)
This is the photo from 2011 - the kids are getting a little better at smiling - and nary a pinwheel to be found:
By 2012, you can tell I've spent some time on Pinterest. In no time, we were able to get both a funny shot and a traditional family shot. No, the lighting's not perfect, but we're not professional photographers (we're definitely learning as we go here . . . .):
And for this year's 2013 photo, we didn't even wait until Easter day. Today's weather was so nice, we wanted to take the photo when we could take advantage of the warm temperature. We got another funny and traditional shot. The lighting is better in both shots - we're starting to get the hang of it!
Note: people who know us probably recognize us much more from the first photo!
Hope this inspires you to make a concerted effort to get those family photos and to keep at it until you get something you love!
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