It’s that time of year again, friends.

Time to shop for the photographer; shop the wardrobes; bribe the kiddos with every extra piece of Halloween candy you’ve got to make this year’s attempt at the coveted family portrait worth your while.

You’ve searched Pinterest.

You’ve got the vision.

And if the stars align, you’ll come home with a family actually as happy as the one you hope the photos will reflect.

Nifty Fifty, right?

Sounds great and glamorous and all, but speaking as the mama herding cats in front of the camera, that ideal image we create in our heads turns to mush the moment one of our littles decides to remind us how much he hates taking pictures.

More often than not, the hubs dreads it. The kids start goofing off. Someone has to pee.

WIND.

It’s chaos.

Possibly torture.

Yet, at the end of the day.

It’s your chaos.

It’s a blink of an eye as your babies get bigger and your love story continues on.

And that’s the masterpiece of it all.

The opportunity to get your people together and remember the chapter you’re on. A chance to take a break from the grind and reflect on what God has done.

It’s not the poses or the perfection that matter as much as the people.

And one day, you’ll miss the people you see in the day-to-day just as they are right now.

And nothing will sound sweeter than reliving the sweaty chaos that comes with taking the family photos.

So, let’s agree to let go of the dream of what’s perfect and embrace the story we’ve been given today.

And we’ll come to find out what’s captured is pretty dreamy after all.

(Mommys15Minutes, Jaclyn Warren)