Family picture shock

So we got family pictures taken a few weekends ago and this week I finally got to see the highly anticipated snapshots. We haven't had family pictures taken for almost 5 years so we were way overdue. Fortunately for us, my middle brother has real talent for photography and so he took them for us down at the park by our house. We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. The weather was great and the park was gorgeous with all the fall tree colors and leaves scattered on the ground. I'm not sure how we managed to schedule this in advance and pull it off, but no one was sick, had injured themselves on the face, was currently in braces or had a bad hair day. My youngest was missing a few teeth but it fit her age so pretty much, we appeared as a well-put-together family of five.

Other than a few minor cat fights and a little bit of bitterness between the girls, I felt like we gave our photo shoot a great effort. After it was over, I couldn't wait to see how they turned out. About a week later my brother sent me all 95 photos online to rifle through at my leisure. I was so eager to see them, I almost couldn't stand it. It'd been SO many years and I'd wanted them for so long. Family pictures had been on my "mom" list of things to do forever and FINALLY here they were!

The photo slideshow started off with adorable pictures of each of my precious girls, some individual, some of all three together. Those turkeys can drive me batty somedays and make me want to slap someone but when I laid eyes on black and white, close-up pictures of their perfect little faces, I just wanted to weep. Just "angels sent from heaven" as my mother would quote.

Anyways, as I continued to scroll through the pictures, my girls continued to look beautiful... but for crying out loud, what happened to their mama!! Holy frijoles, when I got to the pictures with me in them, I about cried. I am really looking older! For some reason, I was foolish enough to think that I would look the same as our last family pictures....five years ago. What happened from age 35 to age 40 is beyond me but it's not pretty. It's actually quite an ego killer.

Anyways, I'm trying to keep in mind that these are pictures that aren't touched up in a professional studio, but man, that's what I need. I need a ton of airbrushing, a bucket full of wrinkle remover and a load of color, and then I might actually look presentable. However, not having that privilege, it is what it is and I'm going to have to settle with my aging face staring at me daily in our family picture hanging on the wall.

Hubby and the girls think the pictures are great and haven't really said a word about my wrinkled eyes and smile creases, which reminds me that's how they see me daily, so why would they comment on it. I'M the one who doesn't see myself that way. Why do I still feel like my face should look 26? I still feel 26 inside, but those family pictures sure proved that I wasn't. Whew! Reality check anyone?

Anyways, like I said, it is what it is. I'm glad we got the pictures and I will do my best to proudly display them without worry. Just had a little bit of a shock there. Wonder how I feel when we get the next family pictures? Better ask ahead for a lot of retouching!