we had a wonderful thanksgiving day spent with a large group at my mom’s house. we had to eat dinner on tables set up outside-the group was too big to eat together in the house!
one part of the reason the group was larger than normal was emily and her family…they got to spend their first american thanksgiving with us. and i have to say, my mom has adopted them and i think they have adopted her too. ivy has taken to calling her mimi-just like my kids do-and my mom just eats it up. everyone just adored them. and it was fun for me to share this tradition with her-because of course, aussies dont celebrate thanksgiving!
before we ate dinner we snuck into the ditch behind my moms house for some quick photos. i took some of em, mick, and ivy…
and she took some of us….
this one was fun to see-me with my gaggle of children….no wonder some people think i run a daycare.
and this one is for my clients. just so you know-every family usually has at least one who isnt cooperating completely. even me! nathan scratched his arm and couldnt let it go, and then of course it didnt help-the typical dad reaction is always to threaten to take something away-so jeff threatened to take away his gameboy if he wouldnt just hurry up and smile! and of course, ANY child is going to want to smile after that….that is the exact wrong thing to do. so i was trying to soothe the raging beast, (both jeff and nate) but pretty much after that, we were done. FYI-please dont threaten your kids to make them smile. it will NEVER work! (ahem-JEFFREY!)
the best thing to do is take a quick break, take the pressure off the kid, (and dad) HA! and i know better, and i still didnt do that. we were in such a hurry to get it done before dinner was ready and the light was gone.
but we made it up to him with extra pieces of spice cake and brownies for dessert.
it was a lovely day spent with family and friends.
Thanks for sharing your Thanksgiving day pictures with us. The expression on Anna’s face (somebody is in trouble)in the last one is precious.
Thanks for sharing those awesome photos! I just cracked up when I looked at the last one! I’ve been there with my husband and kids. I love how you keep a positive attitude!
I love the picture of all 6 of you together, and your husband has his hand on your shoulder. So touching and beautiful.
I loved the story of the last shot as well, and I completely understand how you must have felt. You just want everyone to be happy and okay, and they just aren’t. Such is the life of a parent, isn’t it?
So glad Emily got to spend her first Thanksgiving with your guys…couldn’t think of anything better Ü
The pictures are gorgeous…Emily looks radiant-they are such a cute couple. So so happy that you both have each other. I LOVE McKenna’s outfit…love how Drew is totally loving her. Can I just say that I’m sad for Nate, but can’t help but laugh that even you too have those moments! Thanks for sharing-glad you guys had such a nice day Ü
LOVE mckenna’s hat! :) so cute!
i would like to ditto erin’s comments. i was cracking up so hard at the dad threats though. everyone does that. my parents are famous for that too. lol that picture is priceless and totally says your story about the threats.
I love all these shots..nice to know its not just my family who dont cooperate for family pictures..( yeesh ) Sounds like you had a fab thanksgiving..
Such beautiful photos Tara. So great that Em and her family can share in these special times with you all. Thanks for looking after her!
I think you always find the coolest places to take photos! Or at least make random spaces work magically!
P.S. We tried bribing our 3 year old with some chocolate, and that didn’t work for much of a smile either ;)
I swear there is no one on the face of the planet more photogenic than your family. Except maybe Emily’s!!
heeeee! this made me laugh so much! i wish i had captured some of jeff’s eyerolls on camera!
beautiful photos and scenery. i know em will treasure hers forever. :)
That last pic is PRICELESS!!!! Gosh, how many of us have been a part of THAT scene! LOL
Just gorgeous! I love the family crisis-it happens way more than people realize huh? They always think it’s only their family! Not so. Thanks for sharing! Jane
OMGosh! He’s so going to be a ‘russell’ when he’s 13! ;)
Great photos, Tara. Such talent from both you and Emily.
Beautiful photos Tara — LOL at the last picture. :)
Such great pictures! Gotta say I adore Emily’s very Thanksgiving-esque dress (so pretty!) and McKenna’s super cute sweater jacket and hat. I’m 23 and I want to steal them both ;)
LOL! Love that last photo though! So much emotion in there! :)
I adore your photos and I love to see that you blog everything so we get to see the person behind the masterpieces. I am currently trying to become a photographer full time shooting children/families. I can’t wait to finally step out there!!
What a great day, with picture fiasco and all. It’s all worth it for extra sweets. Came out of lurking because I thought of you instantly when I saw “SYDNEY, Australia – The hugely popular children’s group The Wiggles is expected this week to announce the departure of its lead singer because of a serious illness, media reports said Wednesday.” So sad. I read that on the Yahoo News.
Threats definitely do not work but I’ve had wonderful luck bribing my little Dictator with donuts!!! I have a lovely Christmas picture taken MOMENTS after the tears ended — once a donut was passed under her nose and placed in a very prominent place behind the camera! See the donut. Smell the donut. Get the donut once mommy gets a picture!!! She refused to allow the dentist to check her teeth — we tried every 6 months for 2 1/2 years. Finally, I put a donut in a bag in the car. She knew if she let him check her teeth, that donut was hers when we left the office. Behold, the power of the donut!!!!
Can I just say I LOVE the picture where Jeff is putting his arm on your shoulder…they way he is looking at you…*sigh*
lucky, lucky girl. x5.
I love those. But that little area is way too pretty to be called a ditch.