Mitt Romney Family Pictures From Mary's 'Mormon Mommy' Blog

He's barely recognizable, but a picture from Mary Romney's personal blog shows her usually helmet-haired father-in-law, Mitt Romney, with unkempt tresses.

The photo is just one of many re-published by BuzzFeed's McKay Coppins in an exclusive about the use of social media by the Republican presidential candidate's family before the blog went private.

Mary Romney, who is married to Mitt and Ann Romney's son Craig, posted the photos on a blog she has kept for several years. She made the site private after Buzzfeed approached the Romney campaign, but snapshots taken by Buzzfeed show parts of the website filled photos of the family, anecdotes about vacation and pictures of the renovation of their house.

The blog, entitled Me & My Boys, is considered to be very typical Mormon mommy blog -- part a movement first captured by Salon as cheerful and wholesome, full of pictures of vintage crafts, kids who look like Baby Gap models, and with a Zooey Deschanel-esque vibe.

The pictures provide a glimpse into the personal life of the former Massachusetts governor, who is often criticized for not connecting with Republican voters. Coppins analyzes the home life of a candidate whose family takes advantage of Twitter and blogs but appears frustratingly inaccessible.

His family faces the constant, absurd criticism that it's too attractive, too perfect, McCay writes. Romney's skill at projecting a Christmas-card perfection, and his difficulty in breaking out of it, are qualities rooted in the religious culture that has shaped so much of the family's character.

In addition to a snapshot of Ann and Mitt -- he with tousled, uncombed, gray-and-white hair -- the blog shows the candidate and two of his grandsons with a hose in a back yard. There are also photos of Mary and Craig with their two boys, Craig posing while on a cross-country road trip, and a photo Craig tweeted by Tagg of Mitt doing his laundry.

Mitt and Ann Romney met when they were kids in elementary school. They began dating when he was 18 and Ann 15; he proposed in 1965 when she was 16. They have 5 sons and 10 grandchildren.

All the photos can be seen here.