I love Pictures!

I got the camera out to take pictures of the new strawberry that the kids got out of the yard.  I know it's dorky, but I am a total picture taking mom.  Any excuse to take pictures of these cute kids, and I take it.
So after the strawberry pictures, I was looking at Jake through the lens and I saw that his freckles are so intensly colored now that it is summer and I haven't been as strict with sunscreen as I have been in years past.  So I took pictures to remember those cute freckles (I can call them cute now). 

Then, they were being silly and wanted pictures of them eating the apples that they had left from lunch.  Jake took it to a crazier level (as he usually does) and started to blow raspberries on Allie's cheek.  I didn't tell him to stop annoying her as I usually do.  I took a picture instead.  Then it was cute rather than annoying. 

I look at this picture and it reminds me of our daily routine.  They have to have matching plates, cups, bowls, spoons, etc.  Allie's have to be pink, and Jake has to have orange or green.  When things are in the dishwasher, it can sometimes get ugly.  It's something that drives me up the wall some days, but tonight, I thought it was cute.
I think I have been sentimental because I spent so many hours looking at old pictures trying to make Mike a Father's Day book.  It reminded me of all the cute things these kids have done and how much they have changed in the few short years they have lived on this earth.  Sometimes I wonder if I have hugged them enough.  Have I held their little hands in mine enough?  One of these days they won't want to hold my hand anymore. 



One of these days, they won't think it's fun to look at the silly pictures I am taking of them.  They'll stop posing for me, or make grumpy faces like my brother did in his grumpy years.  I can't imagine them having grumpy years.  I don't want to think about them facing the things that come with getting older.  Sometimes I just want to freeze time.  I want them to stay like this forever.  But I have also enjoyed each phase of life that they have been in and have loved watching them learn new things.
I held each of them on my lap at church (they were fighting for space.  It's a good thing I'm not tiny or they wouldn't be able to share).  I could smell the sunscreen that hadn't washed off in Jake's quick shower.  I sat as Allie played with my ear lobe (one of her favorite things to do).  Nate was snoozing on Mike, making his little phantom sucking face every minute or so.  It was all so perfect.  I love these kids of mine.  I know that things were crazy when Jake and Allie were younger, but as I looked at all those old pictures, I remembered all the really fun times.  I'm so glad I have taken all these pictures through the years.  I read somewhere that not all of us will lose a child to death, but we will all lose our children to time.  It's true.  These kids are growing before my eyes.  I'm glad I have all these pictures to help me remember the joy that they bring me every day.
So my challenge through this long and indulgent post...take random pictures of your kids throughout the day.  Pictures that aren't posed.  We used to tease my mom because she would make us pose our "action shots". But I love that my mom took so many pictures.  I hope my kids will love that I have documented their lives.  Long story short, I love pictures!