This is us 2017


This is us 2017. 

 We took them at the Bethesda fountain in Central Park. Every place in NYC is a great place to take photos, but my heart has a special spot for Central Park. I love it there so much, which is why (almost) all our NYC family photos have been taken there. 

 This family photo session has been the most difficult we encountered (if you cannot tell from the photo above, which was the first of the day, not the last). The kids were not having any of it. Our poor photographer did not have a lot to work with. She did make magic, and amidst the  craziness she caught sweet moments, and quick smiles. I was so sure there would not be any good ones, because we were so awful that morning. I was blown away when we got the photos, and there were so many good ones (especially the one at the top). 

 The photos session included silly faces, kisses, hugs, lots of tickles to get smiles out of the surely ones, a few tears of frustration (from me), and the traditional tossing the child in the air photo Lyndon maintains. A few/a lot of our favorites below. 



Possibly tickling to get a smile out of me. 

Future leader right here. Spunk and confidence out the wazoo. 
They are twins in look and dress. 
My three little buddies. 
Definitely some tickles going on.

TRADITION!
I did not even notice it until just now, that Cosette is giving Raphael a kiss on the head. Sweet moments caught! I love it. 

A serious face, but those little lips. 

Always exploring, this one. He probably just threw a stick on the ground. 

Though it is not the best of the whole family, I love it of Raphael leaning into give me a kiss. I am treasuring free kisses and hugs from him, really any of my kids. They stop giving them too soon. 

 Keeping our annual family photo session alive is not easy, but so worth it to me. Kids grow and change so quickly. I love having the visual portrait of us every year, and seeing how much we have all changed. It also brings back memories from that time. I love that too. I will look at these photos and remember that it was the school Halloween hop that day, October in NYC was spectacular (and warm!), I went on a run that day (which felt so great), the weekend before we had gone to Salem, MA, and so much more. 

 2017 has been a year full of changes, and adjustments. I look at these pictures and see we are a very close knit family. The move has not unraveled us. In the words of Elton John, I'm still standing, or in our case, we are still standing. My kids are flourishing. Lyndon loves me more than ever. Little things from Singapore have crept in the photo, only noticed by me. 

 Love emanates through these photos. These photos will depict that love for generations. Hopefully our posterity will look at them, and see they come from a legacy of love. All you need is love, love lifts us up where we belong, I can go on. 

 These photo show much more than our smiling, silly faces. They show everything that has gone into that year, that got us to that day. This is us 2017. 

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