Friday, March 1, 2013

Our Family Photos

“My feet can’t BREATHE. I can’t….these shoes….help!” Tommy yelled, banging his feet against the ground dramatically.

“They can’t be that bad,” I insisted.

“My feet can’t breathe!” Tommy repeated, tugging on the sides of his shoes.

I sighed. Sometimes having a kid with Aspergers and sensory processing disorder can be tough. Clothes can feel binding to them. Turtlenecks are off limits to Tommy because he feels like the collar chokes his neck. Certain pants bother him. And apparently, so did his dress shoes.

“Can you just wear them for pictures and then take them off?” I asked.

Tommy rolled around on the ground. “No! They hurt me!”

“Take them off then. Wear your sneakers,” I gave in. I didn’t want him to look uncomfortable in the photos. I didn’t want him to look like he was holding back a gigantic fart. I wanted real smiles.

“THANK you,” Tommy said and kicked off the shoes. “I can breathe again.”

I have to watch what shoes I buy him. I once got him a pair of Converse thinking they’d be somewhat stylish—and he hated the way they felt.

He’s not a fan of sandals or flip flops either. He’d rather his feet burn and sweat in sneakers.

So yes, he was wearing for our family photos.

I managed to get dressed in the middle of it all. For a few seconds, Tom pretended that he wasn’t going to change and said he would be wearing a grungy t-shirt that has seen better days. Then he wandered upstairs and came down in something nice.

We went to have pictures taken by a local military spouse named Angel. Her website is here if you are interested. She will travel some for pictures.

Tom, let it be known, is not a fan of pictures. My longtime readers know this. In the past, whenever he was in a photo he’d look A) constipated B) pissed off or C) a mixture of both. His father did the same thing. I explain that it’s OKAY to smile but apparently he does not agree.

Angel got a family photo of us:




I look weird. I do not photograph well. But everyone else looks good.


She got one of Natalie in her Daddy’s beret:



Yes, she does look cold. She was.


She got one of Tommy, who was hamming it up for her. Thank goodness I changed his shoes.





I was trying not to burst out laughing during this one. “I see your nose hairs,” I whispered to Tom.




And I love this one. She had the kids jump around for a bit. They loved it. I cannot take photos like this. Mine always come out blurry. Mind you, I only have a Nikon 40 and it’s always set on auto so…




There will be more photos. This is what she has edited so far.


I can’t wait to get them all. I plan on having some copies made so Tom can take with him and of course, some for family members and us.


So if you are around the area, I highly recommend Angel. She’s patient and fun. Not one of those stiff “everyone needs to be serious” photographers. Because who wants to always be serious?

27 comments:

  1. I think you look great! i love your hair.

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  2. they are beautiful photos of a beautiful family :)

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  3. They look great Amber!! And you can't even see his shoes in any of these anyway!

    PS My husband hates having his picture taken too.

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  4. I think they look wonderful! I'm a photographer and I photographed a boy with Sensory Processing Disorder a few months ago. One thing he really hated was the sound of my camera shutter. Unfortunately I couldn't make it softer although I wanted to so badly! I tried to tone down continuous photos and just focus on one or two good ones per pose. And he had two helpful brothers. It worked out well but I like reading it from your side. (Stopping in from SITS)

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  5. These are so good! And you do not look weird.

    My husband always smiles so big that his eyes squint and look closed. Every.single.time.

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  6. I have never been diagnosed with a sensory processing disorder but my youngets child and I have things we can't stand. Turtle necks are a biggy at our house too. I can't handle peanut butter and my noodles have to be a certain thickness. There is more but those are the few that people usually notice first.

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  7. Great pictures! You guys are so cute! I love the one of Natalie in her dads beret. :)

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  8. She did a good job! The ones with the kids turned out perfect. I bet your husband will really enjoy having those while he is away.

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  9. You have a lovely family. Your picture turned out great, but then I don't know what you look like normally, so weirdness to you is normal to me? You look good. :)

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  10. My husband is not a picture guy either. I always look either fat or like I have a super fake smile. I just don't know my angles.

    I think your family picture is really good, you look great!

    I always stress about what everyone is going to wear, the moods they are in & ultimately the pictures that turn out the best are the ones where they have stripped off the cute shoes I've picked out or they are being silly & not posey posey.

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  11. How very sweet. What nice pictures! I have an Autistic Cousin and an Autistic Niece, and enjoy learning all I can about Autism. I'm glad I ran into your blog from your It's OK Tuesday link up with Bethany!

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  12. They look great! Can you get Tom to laugh when you tell him things like that?

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  13. Great photos!!

    My husband always making weird faces when I try to take nice pictures with him. It's annoying.

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  14. They are great photos!
    I need to figure out how to get my camera off "auto".
    I'm lazy.

    I look forward to seeing more photos!

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  15. Awesome photos! You all look great!

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  16. I love how your family pictures turned out!!

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  17. Great pictures! Your kids are so photogenic, must be all the practice for the outfit posts you do. The one of you and Tom is really sweet.

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  18. They are awesome! I'm glad you let Tommy wear his sneakers!

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  19. letting Tommy wear sneakers was A GOOD CALL!! I mean, you never see him hamming it up for anyone-- so him hamming it up-- Angel must be TERRIFIC!!!

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  20. Oh they are awesome, I especially love the jumping one!

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  21. I like natural photos, too. They are lovely.

    LisaDay

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  22. Even in the picture that you can see his shoes they don't detract at all-- so yes definitely more important for him to be happy and comfortable.

    i much prefer being behind the camera than in front of it

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