The final days of summer are fraught with angst. The whole family is trying to overdose on Vitamin D before the long winter sets in, the leaves are gorgeous and the kids just love the outdoor air. Sometimes little moments present themselves and while they may not always be ideal, you should keep taking those photos anyway.
One day my son will no doubt look at this photo and find himself instantaneously embarrassed. "MAAAAMMMM!" he will yell in frustration. I will retort with, "But look how cute and little you were!"
And that is the point. Kids change in a flash before our eyes.
When I see photos of my daughter just three months prior to this I am in awe of how much she has grown. We do not get to keep these little ones, the time is fleeting. Meanwhile, my son had to grow into 4T pants six months prior to his fourth birthday because he is tall for his age. Hence, his pants just didn't fit him as well as they could have. Nevertheless, I, his mother knew better, this photo is still ridiculously cute.
As parents we have to take these photos. They need to be seen by our little ones and shared, printed out and archived. In our digital sphere, far too many images are patiently sitting and waiting to be utilized in the way that they were intended. Photos preserve our memories, even on the most mundane days in the middle of September. So the next time your kids are outside on any ordinary day, get your camera, take photos. The smiles may not be perfect, the lighting may be ridiculously harsh -- take the photo anyway.