this is home

sunday school'd

July 30th, 2023
"Why does everything have to be a photoshoot with you?" Max asked, grumbling as she leaned against the doorway. Her older brother woke everyone up an hour and a half early, claiming that they had to make sure to get pictures before their last day at church. "Because I want to get pictures to show Mom next time we see her, so check your attitude at the door and come here." JD growled, pointing at the ground close to his feet. "Mom knows what we look like–she picked our outfits out last freakin' night!" The seventeen year old argued, not moving from her spot. That was another one of her big brother's rules that she found ridiculous: no one can curse on Sundays unless they want a beating. It didn't make any sense, but she wasn't going to give him a reason to pound her. "Maybe she does, but if you don't get over here, you're gonna be so sore you'll be standing the whole service!" JD threatened, his voice low in order to prevent their neighbors from hearing his outburst. Why did Max have to make everything so difficult, he asked himself. Was it seriously too much to ask for some cute family photos to give to their mom? It would be nice to have one day where he didn't have to threaten someone to stay in line.

"Fine." Max agreed. She kicked herself off the doorway, taking her spot beside JD. Last night, while on a scheduled video chat with their mom, he let her pick out everyone's outfits for church. It was a big day after all, and he wanted to make sure that she was as involved as possible.

The twenty-five year old wore a black mock neck shirt that was made from a sweater material. The shirt had brown, khaki, and mustard yellow sunflowers scattered on it. It was his least favorite shirt, but it had been a gift from his parents, so it stayed in his closet. His mom paired it with a pair of khaki colored dress shorts and a brown belt. He also wore mustard yellow ankle socks and black loafers. As per Mary's request, JD finished the outfit with a brown watch that he wore on his left wrist.

Then there was Max, who was not a fan of dressing fancy on any occasion. So, her mom made sure to put her in something that she would feel comfortable in. The seventeen year old wore a white mock neck shirt that was lettuce edged, but the lettuce edging was black. She wore a brown and white houndstooth patterned vest that was buttoned up and tucked into a pair of brown carpenter pants with white stitching. She wore a black belt with silver accents for an edgier look. She paired it with a silver wallet chain that attached to two of her belt loops on the right side of her body. Her mom let her wear her black platform doc martens with the outfit. Mary picked out some silver chain earrings that she wanted her oldest daughter to wear as well. She also asked her to keep her hair down, which Max did without question. She may have been cranky, but she still wanted to make her mom happy.

Third, there was Grey, or Tony as his mom liked to call him. He always liked to accessorize, so she kept that in mind when styling him. The sixteen year old wore a short sleeved, light blue button down. He left the last button undone and tucked the left side of the shirt into black pinstripe dress pants. He wore a small black belt with a silver buckle. His mom also asked him to wear his cropped, ribbed black sweater vest. She paired it with light blue crew socks and black faux leather loafers with silver detailing. He also wore a beaded necklace with a silver dragonfly on it. She asked him to wear his dangly cross earrings that were silver, so he spent half the night searching for them. He wore his hair in a messy bun, his mom's favorite style on him.

Nikki was always her mom's favorite person to dress up; she had the prettiest clothes to choose from. No matter what her mom picked, the fifteen year old would be happy to wear it. She didn't keep anything she hated, even if it had sentimental value. Her mom picked out a white maxi dress with short, bell puffed sleeves and a slight slit around her right leg. The dress had dainty blue flowers all over it and lace details on the trim and around the waist. Mary had her wear light blue ruffle socks and her black mary janes with a silver buckle in the shape of a flower. Lastly, she asked Nikki to wear her hair half up and half down with the half up portion in a crown braid and the half down portion to be curled. She had to admit it; her mom picked out a really cute outfit.