As I was writing my post yesterday, I was going through all of my photos to add pictures to the post.  I should have thought ahead on that post, as I have tens of thousands of photos that are not organized.  I need to go through them.  I did however find some that I was planning on adding, but in the end, it would have just been random.

So, here on Throw Back Thursday, I give you the random pictures.

My dad is a really gifted Cinematographer.  He always took amazing still shots too.  One day when my kids were small, we went to visit  him on set.  This is a mini replica of the houses in Nauvoo.  My dad’s job is AWESOME.  I love that Toad has always had the same personality.

This picture is the one and only time that I have ever been to Yellowstone.  It was over UEA break and it was FREEZING.  I had just turned 21 in this picture.  I am with my mom and my 4 youngest siblings.  I am a great deal older than my youngest sister.  Someday I want to go back, when my eyes aren’t frozen and I can enjoy the sights!

Oh, I love this picture.  Toad was just tiny.  I was a newly single mom and attend my youngest sister’s graduation from high school.  She graduated a year early and we went to support her.  I love how Toad has always been my snuggle buddy.  So sweet.

Oh boy, this sums up my family’s personality in one photograph.  My parents are constantly working on a new project.  This time it was the front yard, again, for the umpteenth time since they have lived there.  I don’t remember why the piano was in the front yard, but hey, it made a good idea for a picture.  I love my family.

This is one of the few pictures that we have with our entire family together.  I was married with two kids I had dyed my hair dark dark brown and was on the way to lighten it back up again.  I am pretty sure my brother Devan was engaged and about to get married.  Note… the front yard is being demolished.  It was taken the same day as the piano picture.  Now I am really curious as to what went on.

This is the day that Kelton was born.  He was born at 4:22 in the afternoon and that morning was picture day for Kyra in Kindergarten.  I raced to get her dressed in a darling outfit, do her hair and drop her off at a neighbors house so that she could get to school.  The look on her face for her pictures that day was priceless.  Poor kid.  I then raced to the freeway where my mom could meet me to pick up Kaeson and I made it to the hospital with  about an hour to spare.

She didn’t really care about seeing her brother at first.  She was more concerned seeing me hooked up to IV’s.  After a little bit, she warmed up.

Ah, and now we get to a classic.  My dad, like I mentioned, is a very professional photographer.  My mom was and still is a perfectionist when it comes to her family.  We were always perfectly put together for family pictures.  We always coordinate, if not matched completely.  We usually stood in age order, although this one, we aren’t for some reason.  Even mom matched.  You know, if dad had been in the picture, I bet he would have been matching too.

And here we are coordinating once again.  I wonder where my mom found all of our matching outfits.  I have to hand it to her, she did that well. I am duly impressed that the Santa isn’t totally creepy.

Oh boy, boy, boy…. This is the older five with my maternal grandma.  Yep, we even matched with pajamas.  The boys all looked shell shocked and Devan has a bloody nose.  I wish I could remember what was going on there.  Downi was such a cute baby.  I was obviously going through one of my many ugly duckling stages.  And NOTE:  The curlers.  I now have a great fear of pink curlers.

I really want to know how in the world my mother got the boys matching soccer outfits, in purple no less.  I was so excited that I could crimp my hair and look like Gem from Gem and the Holograms.  I had sunglasses and a denim jacket to match.  I felt SO cool.

We didn’t have a lot of money growing up, but you would never have guessed it by the way my parents posed most of our pictures.  We always looked so put together.  I remember this Christmas very well.  I helped my dad flock the Christmas tree.

I have a very vague recollection of this chair in our house.  It was suspended from the ceiling.  I think that was a pretty standard place for our portraits to take place when I was very young.  Now, I look at it and I totally want ta chair just like that!  We are so little in this picture.  I am 2 1/2, Derek is 1 1/2 and Devan is brand new.

This is the first day of third grade for me and the first day of first grade for Derek.  I remember being SO excited to wear this outfit to school.  I thought the fact that the front had a flap that revealed another color was totally cool.  I was excited to have a messenger bag instead of a back pack.  That hair.  Look at that hair.  Isn’t is great and awesome.  Seriously, that is how I looked until I got out of high school.  Did I mention that putting my hair up in curlers was on my job list.

My grandparents lived in California and would come to visit us every couple of years.  This particular visit they came with presents.  They had made each of us our own chair made out of PVC pipe and fabric.  They had little pockets on the side.  Looking back, there were pretty styling chairs!  I remember that Devan had his destroyed by the cat.  He left an ear of corn in the pocket and the cat LOVED corn and at through the pocket to get to the corn.

When I was really little, living in our tiny 2 bedroom house, my dad put together a photography studio in our basement.  We were his little models.  He has always been amazing with lighting and positioning.  I am so glad that my parents were dedicated to taking pictures.  I am the same way now.  My poor kids hate that I take so many pictures.  I think it drives everyone else nuts too, but it is such a treat to look back and see these times and recall the memories.