Quick, photo op!

I was swiping through photos on my phone this morning to clear up some space and I came upon the one you see here. It isn't a great shot and it was taken at the least opportune time. These days we don't see a lot of this type of photo because we quickly delete them for the better iteration of the shot. But sometimes there is goodness in the details of a poorly-timed photo. This is the stuff that was occasionally captured when we used film cameras and didn't know how the photo would turn out until picking up the developed roll at the photo lab. In this one you'll see Ollie just moments after receiving his Bobcat in Cub scouts. Previous to the photo, the pack master (or is it Cub scout master, gah!?!) said "Now's the time for a photo op." Of course, that's when I began my trek across the room, carrying baby Ian, to grab the phone out of my bag. This took only seconds, but by the time I had my camera ready and was balancing a babe on my hip, the photo op was over and this is what I got (plus the other kids I cropped out of the photo for privacy sake). My favorite part though, the best part of this picture, is Jess' look. He's the only one looking in my direction. He probably watched me retrieve my camera and thought I didn't have a chance to get much of a photo.   But he's smiling. And he's waiting. And he knows the photo is going to stink (I mean look at that smile!) but he's there and letting me try. As I looked at this photo my inclination was to delete. Instead, this morning it made me stop and remember all of the reasons I have to be thankful for this man. His patience, his love, his ability to make our family's lives just the best. 

And as a side note, Oliver is finishing up the "Bobcat blood" they gave the kids to drink for receiving the award. I've just been asked to lead the Wolves Cub scouts and all of this stuff is new to me. Bobcat blood traditions and all! Here's to learning.