I'm Never In Photos

Being the one with the flash camera I'm rarely ever in family photos, I'm always the one taking them.  Sometimes that bothers me but usually I'm so busy snapping away I don't even notice.  But the lack of photos of me with the kids was brought home to me sharply thanks to James' recent obsession with photos of himself.  He loves to sit on my lap and order up "Baby James photo", "James and Charlotte photo", "Daddy James photo", etc.  He's quite clearly put out that there are no recent Mama James photos.

Then we went away for a family reunion on the weekend.  Once again I was designated photographer and I snapped away while people ate, talked and mingled.  As the night wore on my poor little man was getting more and more tired.  Eventually he sidled over to me and I thought he was going to ask for bed for sure.  But instead he turned his pleading eyes up to me and said, "Pwease?  Mama James photo pwease?"  How can you resist that?  So I quickly set the camera, let him climb onto my lap and then extended my arm and hoped for the best.  The result was one of the better self-portraits I've ever taken.

The best part about this photo is the reaction it got from James.  On the night he just said a triumphant little YEAH.  But at home when I put it on the monitor for him he froze, staring at it and then he turned to me, eyes huge with wonder.
"Mama James photo!"
"Yup, Mama James photo.  You like it?"
"YEAH!  My like it!  My like it!"
And then he did the cutest little happy dance, galloping around in a small circle and giggling with glee.  When he stopped and I managed to stop laughing I asked him if he wanted me to get him a copy for his bedroom wall.
"YEAH!" he squealed, "Mah bedroom wall!  My like it!"

Being the mother of a small boy is to be a movie star in a world without critics.