Beaming Love

Family Pictures

"Sisi are you going to smile big? You're going to listen perfectly for grandpa right?"

She jumps around in his arms smiling nonstop showing my dad how she's been rehearsing her poses.

"It looks perfect! So cute."

"Okay come here," I take her to get ready "We have to get your dress on and brush your hair."

"Aw she isn't staying in her diaper? But she looks so cute that way!"

"I'm not going to have my one year old running around in her diaper ruin our pictures."

"I think that would make them very interesting but whatever you want I guess..."

I bring her over to where Sherry has her first dress laying out for us. She immediately picks it up, holding it as close as she can to herself smirking at us.

"You're going to look sooooo cute in your little dress!"

Sherry sets her on her lap so I can wrestle Sisi for the dress, trying to get it out of her tight grip and over her head.

"Sisi if you don't let me put it on you can't wear it..."

"Mineeeee!"

"Yes, baby, it's your dress but we want you to wear it. Not hold it."

"You're sooooo beautiful!"

Sherry stands her on her lap once she's dressed, admiring everything about Sisi's little outfit.

"Your hair... the dress. You and mama did perfect picking it out. Grandma LOVES it."

"Ama wuv?"

"Grandma loves it SO much, baby. You look so cute."

"We had tons of fun picking it out and playing in the store, right baby? You and daddy loved playing with everything."

She completely ignores me, playing with the design on Sherry's shirt acting like she has never seen anything so cool before. She cutely talks to herself about everything she sees on it impressing Brad and I as we watch her every move.

"I told you she's never going to stop talking..."

He tightly wraps his arms around me, commenting on the fact that even though we can't understand her, she hasn't stopped talking for a few minutes now.

"She's too much like you. Thinks everyone wants to listen to her."

"Hey! We have important things to say. Maybe if you actually listened you wouldn't be in trouble all the time."

"Just wait until you can get in trouble with both of them. Jen told me I was grounded once when she was 2 or 3."

"Sienna dragged me over to her timeout chair yesterday. All because I told her no more cookies."

"Brad she pointed to it and you were dumb enough to walk over. It's not her fault you're dumb."

"It was still mean of her," My dad sets her on his lap "Sisi you do that to mama, not dada, okay?"

"Dada no cooooookies!"

"Baby you'll live."

Aj finally walks in the yard just as the photographer gets here to try and capture some cute Christmas card pictures. Sienna runs right over to play with him, wanting nothing to do with the rest of us now that he's here.

Before I even get to ask her to, i notice the photographer has been taking pictures of Aj and Sisi's embrace, capturing all of the precious moments between them as they play.

We all watch their special bond, Sienna so excited to have her uncle with her, and Aj more than happy to put up with all her ridiculous requests.

"Look how messy that dress is getting already..."

"But she's having so much fun. She loves her uncle Aj."

I hear her adorable giggles as she runs over towards us, noticing that the photographer has already changed directions to focus on us.

The constant clicking surrounding us captures our every natural move as Sienna jumps into my arms, pulling Brad closer for a big family hug. Our lasting embrace reminds me of how happy the three of us are when we're all wrapped in each other's arms.

Sisi wraps her little arms around both of us so we're as close as we can be with her squished between us enjoying the never ending moment.

We separate once she's had enough of Brad and I, letting us know by running over to everyone else with the biggest smile, once again allowing the photographer to get natural pictures.

"These are going to be some pretty interesting Christmas cards..."

"I know. Look at her. Poor Sherry's outfit is ruined too."

The photographer directs us all to stand together once Sienna has enough of the last set of pictures, having us all pose certain ways so everything looks good.

"She looking at the camera?" I ask my dad through gritted teeth as we're all smiling.

"Not at all. There's a bunny to the left of her."

"Sienna..."

"Mama?"

"Look at the camera, baby."

She reaches up for Brad to hold her while we rearrange ourselves until we find the perfect positions.

"Dada doooooooown!"

"Hold on a minute, baby. You can get down as soon as we're done."

"Noooow!"

"Sisi you can wait."

She completely flips out mid picture, trying her best to throw herself out of Brad's arms as he tries holding her closer to him.

"Sienna Mae!"

"Mama!"

I ignore the laughs I'm getting from everyone else as I chase her through the yard, especially since I have on heels that should not be used for running.

"Babe just let her run. She won't want to be left out of the pictures if she sees we're all taking some without her."

He pulls me in closer, wrapping his arms tightly around me as we have a sweet embrace. I lay my head against his chest, feeling the warmth of his facing heart while staring deeply into his eyes.

It feels like we're the only two people around when he has me wrapped up like this, so content in his warm arms watching the sunset.

And then, just as the photographer gets some romantic pictures, our child ruins everything.

"Sienna, no- John! Go catch her!"

We turn to see her jumping right in the middle of a huge mud pile, just looking for trouble while she watches our reaction.

"Oh man these are going to be some amazing pictures..."