Being a mama is hard for a million and one reasons.
And one of the biggest – for me at least – is when your kids go and get all big and grown up… and live hundreds of miles away.
And are only are able to come visit a few times a year.
Which makes the best part of my year? The days when all my babies are at home and, even better, within squeezing distance. 
And all that togetherness, which only happens a few times a year, deserves to be captured in a photo or two, right?
Right.
And so… that’s just what we did.
We didn’t have the time (and I lacked the inclination) to go too far or try for something too elaborate. 
But downtown Birmingham is fun and colorful – and there were a few spots that I wanted to visit. 
The weather was at least agreeable in that there was no longer ice on the ground, but the sun would not be making an appearance. 
So we pulled out some of our most colorful dresses (and warmest jackets) and headed out. 
It was cold. Cold enough to make me promise them all that, if they’d just give me a solid 30 minutes and a few grins, my gratitude in having just one picture of them all together would certainly spill over into something wonderful for them.
Wonderfully yummy, that is. Which is pretty much my favorite kind of wonderful.
So we set out and walked about ten blocks – up one side of the street and back down the other side – and I put my camera away and called it good.
And then crossed my fingers that there were a few in the mix that I hadn’t overexposed or poorly composed or just flat out messed up.
And that, out of those few, the kids hadn’t looked away or made a face or just looked flat out silly.
Then, determined not to worry about what was (or wasn’t) on the memory card tucked inside my camera, I took my babies to our favorite Chinese restaurant where we warmed up on heaping plates of beef lo mien, General Tso’s chicken and fried rice.
In the end, I did manage to get a few that I think are incredibly sweet, and we did all eat our body weight in delicious Chinese food. So, I’d call it a win-win.
Being a mama to big kids living far away is oh-so hard on the heart.
But having our time together captured in a few pictures to hold close makes all that hard feel just a bit softer.
I’ll take it.