elastic waist bands and family pictures

Yesterday I talked about lunch - you know, the big Thanksgiving kind of lunch.  Today, I want to talk about what happens after lunch - you know, the part where everyone has to change into pants with stretchy waist bands because we've all eaten too much.

Anyway, I had this big, awesome idea of taking some pictures of me and the boys together outside in the field behind my parents house.  I even bought the boys cute coordinated shirts and picked out an outfit for myself (this one from my existing wardrobe).  I thought I'd take the pictures in the morning - you know, before lunch and the ineveitable pot belly that I would eat myself into.  But, Gavin didn't want to get dressed.  He was much happier running around in his diaper.  I thought about wrestling him into his clothes and then forcing my kids outside for pictures, but then I thought Hey!  This is Thanksgiving!  Forget it!  I'll do it later! 

So, lunch came and went.  For a nanosecond during lunch I thought I could get Gavin outside right after eating for some pictures, but that thought ran away the second he melted down at the table from exhaustion.  Down for a nap he went, and out the window went the idea of an "after lunch photo opp."  I wasn't worried.  I though after nap will be fine.

I didn't take into account the drastically shifting Iowa weather.  What started out as a very nice day for Iowa in November had turned into an extremely windy and much colder day by four o'clock when Gavin got up from his nap.  Not to mention he didn't wake up in the cheeriest of moods.  And I thought Oh well.  Maybe tomorrow.  It's okay if they're indoor pictures I guess.

After that I dressed Gavin up in his footie jammies (his choice), and I changed into my pajamas (the pants have an elastic waist band - woohoo!).  And then I thought Why not now?  After all, a family picture is a family picture.  Who cares if we're not wearing color coordinated clothes in a pretty field with perfect lighting?  And Logan was more than happy to put his pajamas on, too!

And that's how I got my perfect-to-us Thanksgiving Day family photos.  It's not what I envisioned, but I think in a lot of ways these pictures turned out even better.  They capture exactly who the boys and I were on that day (and most days):  three happy people who love each other and enjoy hanging out in our pajamas together on a very special day!