If this doesn't make you smile then........

I love this!

The Annual Christmas Photo or Now, WHY are we doing this?

At this point in our lives you might think that the annual Christmas photo would be a pretty easy task.

Oh, so not true!

Between the dog (who we actually forgot for half of the photos), and the boys who don't know how to just stand and smile, and the Grandfather who wanted to make the grandson smile (Not his job), and a grandson who thought we were taking WAY too long (we were), and a slow camera, I thought I was going to murder someone. (Not the darling grandson, most likely the boys who don't know how to stand and smile.)

It is done.

(This should give you some idea of the boys behavior.)

A Bit of the Old before a Bit of the New

Before I begin the new year I have to catch up with just a few photos that capture the end of last year.

The tree did get decorated, it was beautiful and it did stay alive through the holidays.

Santa came to the family party on Christmas Eve at Aunt Diana's.  It was wonderful, as always, to spend time with those we love.  Next year we will have a baby to sit on Santa's lap.

O Christmas Tree!

Last year we purchased what we thought was the perfect Christmas tree.  Five days after the lights were aglow the perfect tree was as dry as a creek bed in southern Utah in August.  We only turned the lights on Christmas morning for pictures while we opened presents and then the tree went dark.  This year I have been a little nervous about the whole tree thing.  We waited a little longer than normal this year in hopes that the tree would last through the holidays.  Wouldn't you know it, the man-of-my-dreams is now so involved in a huge case at work that he has had no time to get a tree and wasn't  really clear when he would.  I finally decided that if I waited for the trial to end there would be no trees left.  So.... I enlisted the help of Andrew and Zach and we went tree hunting, without the Dad.  It didn't feel quite right to do it without him but we did find a tree (only 2 stops).  The boys brought said tree home and covered it in Wilt-Pruf (J&L promises it will keep the tree green and supple!) and re-cut the bottom and plopped into water.  After it dried they brought the new perfect tree it into the house and now it sits in all its glory in the family room, naked, waiting for the-man-of-my-dreams to put the lights on it.

Tis' the Season

I have had the hardest time getting into the holiday spirit...that is until the snow came. It was so beautiful and all of a sudden......it was CHRISTMAS!

Smile!

Another year, another Thanksgiving and another photo for the Christmas Card.  Next year we will have Peter home from his mission and it will be Zach's last one before leaving for his mission so we will have the whole family together and maybe we will have an official family portrait done but this year it was the same story. (How's that for a run on sentence!)  Get everyone together, deal with the whiners, find the dog, pose the group, check the viewfinder--can we see everyone?--make the boys behave, calm the man-of-my-dreams down,  get the dog's attention.......SMILE!