the attempted family photo

We don't have any photos of all 4 of us and I thought fall in Telluride would be a great opportunity. At the onset, I bribed Joachim with ice cream if he smiled nicely for the pictures. He did exactly what is predictable for a 3 year year old and made a goofy face in EVERY single picture.

Finally, we went back to the condo and I told him in no uncertain terms he would not be getting ice cream (to which he reacted predictably). Realizing how important this picture was to me, Ben graciously gave him another chance (although I would not get my cool outdoor picture, I was happy). We wiped the dirt smeared tears from his face and he did a little better, but if it wasn't him then it was Anna.

Notice my plastered smile, I'm thinking "all he needs to do is smile once, just once, c'mon and smile once for me." I really wish Mhari was around to work her photo magic and create art from my family. Perhaps I should just make this into a collage, I have three times this many pictures.

These are the pictures in which one or the other of my children appear drugged.

And so we enter the sticking out the tongue portion of this photo shoot.
On the bottom here we have the winner, it lacks the fall flare I was going for, but we're all in the same picture and Joachim did get his ice cream. There are plenty more family photos to take and now I have a new appreciation for all of those beautiful family Christmas pictures we receive.
My dad snapped this one while Ben and I were discussing what to do with Joachim, he had no problem being cute here.