Who Else Struggles With Family Photos?

I try to have professional family photos taken every 6 months. The kids grow so fast and look so different from one year to the next,  that twice a year seems to work best for us.

Getting everyone looking in the same direction and smiling has to be one of the top 10 most frustrating things on my list. We only have 2 kids, so I can't imagine what chaos ensues for families with more than that. But, I'm guessing it's probably laughable at some point. Tears usually start about 5 minutes in and it's a solid tie between myself and the toddler.

Luckily, we had the BEST, most patient photographer. While I was chasing my one year old around the portrait studio and sweating like I was running a marathon, she snapped away and managed to get a few usable images.

Here's one good one of the whole family.

Please tell me I'm not the only one that struggles to get one good eyes open, no crying photos of the family?