If your family has been, ahem, busy with making babies, you know that it isn't easy to take any family photo, let alone a good one.
Which is honestly what makes the photo of Chrissy Roussell's parents' 17 grandkids, wearing color-coded, numbered t-shirts to show the six family units and birth order, all the more magical — the children (15 girls and two boys!) are all looking forward with their arms around each other, smiling peacefully into the camera. Eleven of those children are under age 5. Oy.
Surprisingly, though, snapping the photo — taken by Roussell's sister-in-law, Katie Fox, the photographer behind Annabelle Rose Photography — wasn't a challenge. "When we were lining them up for the picture, we shouted out each number and each child proudly marched down to his or her spot, smiling ear-to-ear," Roussell, a blogger, told GoodHousekeeping.com. "It was actually pretty easy to get the littlest ones to stand still, because they were so happy to be a part of all the excitement!"
Their pride has a heartfelt backstory — the frame-worthy photo, taken on a family beach trip with Roussell's mother, five siblings, their spouses and offspring, was a testament to her parents' legacy and a keepsake of the lives they've made possible. In lining up in their shirts (crafted by Roussell's sister, Maryellen) to showcase their growing family, the children were also paying homage to their grandfather, who passed away three years ago.
During the month after her dad's death, Roussell, already a mom of three girls, became pregnant with spontaneous triplet girls (kids 13-15!) — her nephews,16 and 17, were also conceived during that month. The family calls these kids the "Frederick Five," after their beloved dad.
"The photo is an amazing visual of the growth of our family. It reflects so clearly my parents' love for each other, in that all 17 kids are such funny, thoughtful little people," Roussell said. "We consider this — these kids — to be my dad's greatest legacy."
[h/t PopSugar
