Oh yeah! This was funny.

Way back in November, my family came for Thanksgiving.

(Yes, I am cleaning pictures off my hard drive again.)

Anyway, the entire weekend was a smashing success. The meal, the memories, the moments...

And I had a thought. Since my mom was there to man the camera, I could finally get a "family picture" of Brian, me and Bo. Of course, these things never happen on their own - you've got to corral and cajole people into your photo. And since my husband and brothers and dad were in the middle of Band of Brothers, it took all my corralling and cajoling powers to pull Brian away for the picture.

"Come on, babe," I pleaded. "Let's take our family Christmas picture." My mom stood by, waiting patiently.

"We're in the middle of a movie," he moaned.

"You can pause it. This is the last evening to do this. I really want to get a Christmas picture in front of the fireplace."

"Aww," he whined. "I'm not dressed up."

"You don't have to be. You look fine. Come on."

"Do we have to do it now?"

"Yes. It will take a second. Let's go."

"Hmmph." He got up from the couch and sauntered downstairs to the fireplace.

"Finally," I said. "Thanks."

So we posed, putting Bo on a stool in front of us in front of the fireplace, and we grinned our best Christmas grins. And my mom got to clicking away and, as this sometimes happens when you're using an unfamiliar camera, she was having trouble with the focus. "These are all blurry," she said. "Maybe it's the lighting." She switched a lamp off and turned on the overhead lights. "Hmm, still not great."

Brian's grumbling resumed. "Just hold the camera still," he said.

"Well, I'm trying." She took another. "I'm not sure if they're any good. Oh, Bo looked weird in that one. Let me take another."

"Hold the button down halfway until you see the orange light and then click," I said.

"Let's try this again." She took a few more.

"I'm hot," said Brian. "This fireplace is hot."

"Brian," said my mom, "you're killing me."

"Hang on, babe," said I, impatient. "Just a few more."

"Let me see the ones you have so far," Brian demanded. He clicked through the pictures. "They're fine!" he declared. "I'm going back upstairs." He stomped off.

I scowled at him. "Thanks, honey."

"I think I got some decent ones," said my mom. "But you might want just a couple more. Here, Joel, you take the camera, and I'll step in for Brian."

She made a face. "Why do I have to take a dumb holiday picture?" she grumbled in a low "Brian" voice. Click.

"This isn't any fun, I don't understand why this is so important, grumble, grumble, grumble." Click.

"Do we have to take this picture now?" Click!

"There," she said, laughing. "You can send those pictures out to your friends and family if the ones with Brian don't turn out."

I love my mom. She cracks me up.