Anatomy of a Photo

Besides being the first photo of the entire family taken in roughly 18 months, there's a lot to discuss with it. I want to first address the fact that we have no dress standard in our family. My two rules are cleanliness and modesty. After that, if the kids want to wear it (even to church), it's pretty much a go. And yet (perhaps because it wasn't mandatory) you'll notice that the boys are all sporting dress shirts and ties. I love that on many leves.

Micah's tie was a Salvation Army find that we got for the dress up box. All the boys have taken a turn in wearing it into public, though, because apparently oversized ties with polka dots rock. And that outfit has debuted at school many times. Micah loves his dress shirts and ties. A lot. And FYI - he's being held in the photo. That hand ensconsed in Becky's isn't just deep sibling love.

Becky is always well dressed. She has impeccable taste and a style that's all her own. That particular dress (as well as several others in her closet) came from the vintage section of the thrift store. Vintage is her favorite, because she pretty much has the same taste as an 80 year old woman, and yet she manages to make everything she touches look awesome.

Luke asked me to take him shopping to buy a tie for Easter. That pink streak down his front was his choosing all the way. I love a boy who's comfortable enough with himself to wear pink. And I love that Easter Sunday turned into father-son bonding time as Daddy taught Luke to tie a tie, and Josh tied Micah's for him. Maybe you had to be there, but it was a special moment. And then prolonged as they realized mens ties dont' exactly fit smaller boys all that well.

Josh now has his own very small collection of dress shirts as the basketball team has to dress up (complete with ties) on days of away games. It was another of those father-son moments when we took Josh to get shirts. He learned that small, medium, and large aren't going to cut it when you're asked what size dress shirt you wear. Judging a neck size is an interesting feat if you don't have something to measure with, but we managed to get him a decent fit by winging it. And also, holy cow did that boy grow in the past year! He's standing uphill from Sam, but there's no doubt he'll be taller than his dad by the time he's in college. Have I mentioned that he's just 14? Yeh.

And while we're talking height, I should have probably placed myself on the uphill end of that photo. The family really does tower over me, so I need to learn to stand strategically. And I'm going to point out that I have a fitted dress on, with a belt. It seems I found my waistline when I lost those 20 pounds. Who knows what else I'll find when I lose the other 20.