Included In Photos

I usually get left out of most photos because I am the one taking the picture.

Tonight at dinner out, another restaurant patron offered to take a photo of our table so that we could all be in the photo.

After looking at the photo, I stated,

"Yes, I'm in a photo!"

Luke replied with,

"Yeah, but Papa's not."

I had to turn away so he would not see the tears that I COULD NOT stop from falling.

That makes 3 times today that Luke has mentioned his dad.

Once, just out of the blue, he said, "I miss Papa."

Once, when looking at a photo from Crystol's 16th birthday party, he said, "I miss Papa."

And then, on his own after my photo statement, he said that his Papa's not in any more pictures.

Made me start thinking about our pictures and I told Luke that at least we have many, many photos of his dad since I was always taking them.

Last September on the morning of September 14, 2011, my boys had some other boys over to swim in our pool (Daniel, Joseph, and Nathan).

We then, as a family, went over that afternoon to our neighbor's house to swim in her pool.  

I did not know I would be taking the last photos ever of a family outing with my Rob.

These are our family photos from September 14, 2011 - exactly a year ago today...

back when my children had a dad to be included in the photos.