Annual Family Pictures

The adventure began on Saturday morning when we all in coordinating outfits arrived at my parents house. We decided to not even attempt going to the mall to get the family picture taken this year. Instead our friend, Dan, came over to take the pictures.

This was one of my favorites. I keep trying to justify the blurriness by thinking it's one of those romantic, soft-glowy pictures.

The session was supposed to start at 11am. All the kids were in the matching outfits that my sister sewed herself. This is what the set looked like at 11:05am.

By 11:15 we were ready to go. Ruthie was only content in her mother's arms. I think this one is a little too bright but it's acceptable.

Most of the pictures we deleted were of the kids moving their arms or legs around, looking down, etc. This one was an exception since it was my mother who couldn't stop pointing to the camera.

This was another good one too, but again, I think it's too bright. At this point Jamison is not sure he likes this and doesn't understand why the twins are screaming. There are a number of pictures we had to delete because he was giving them dirty looks.

Finally, it was time for a snack break.

Then we tried to get the kids on their own. (Maddie, Lily, Jamison, and Ruthie's rear)

Where are you going Ruthie? And where are your fancy pants?!?

And then we lost Maddie. Jamison promptly took Ruthie's spot. Lily is imagining the ice cream we have promised her.

So our next idea was to throw mom and dad into the picture to hold the kids. Ruthie was not pleased. Jamison's front was all wet from his snack and is on the verge of making a run for it. Did I mention that my sister made these outfits with her own hands? I don't know if you can really see them but she did an excellent job.

So these are the two that we like the best. Ruthie is looking down in this one and it's dark. I think Lily is slightly blurry in the next and I think it might be too bright. But we're trying not to be particular at this stage in the game.

Overall, we're just glad it's done with. Check that off of the list of things to do. We traumatized the kids enough with the flashes and demands of sitting still. We drove my dad crazy enough to spend the rest of the day at the office and my mother had an appointment with her masseuse two days later. Hopefully everyone will recover and extensive therapy will not be necessary.

Cookie Makin'

The problem with making cookies with Lily is that she immediately wants to eat them. Doesn't even matter if they're baked or not. Luckily, these ones were baked.

This is what the cookie was supposed to look like.

This is what ours looked like.

I know there was no alcohol in this recipe but I don't trust the licorice mouths on these cookies. I think they were sneaking something when we weren't looking.

Jamison is in sugar shock. Lily is beyond sugar shock. It took 3 hours for her eyebrows to go down.

Um, Jamie, you have something on your nose. Oh, no worries, sister will help.

After eating all the candy off, he was done.

Our new cookie friends. Who would meet an untimely death in the near future. It's tough being a cookie. Your life expectancy is so short.

Christmas Pictures for the Family

If you are not family you probably won't care about these pictures. But feel free to scroll down anyway!

We just shut down the computer after tracking Santa's sleigh on NORAD and were making hot chocolate and snacks for Santa and the reindeer.

Why she cannot take a normal picture is beyond me. We say we're going to take a picture and she poses. But here is Lily with cookies and carrots for Santa and Rudolph. I hope they share with the other reindeer.


Brian reading The Night Before Christmas to the kids. Side note: this poem was first published in the Troy (NY) Sentinal (right across the river from us) in 1823.

Jamison jumping on the trampoline that Santa gave him.

Which he then got caught in and was stuck.

Opening the stockings.

Jamison trying to stuff a gingerbread man and a plastic candy cane down his throat.

15 minutes after being introduced to his new trampoline he bit it. Out of love.

Lily playing with the castle that Santa brought here. She played with it for four straight hours.

She was reluctant, but we made her open more presents.

Jamison, on the other hand only wanted to rip open more presents. His gifts were mostly cars and airplanes.

Rip, rip, rip.

He found someone else interested in airplanes.

After all the presents were opened and naps were taken, we decided to make Hershey kiss peanut butter cookies. Brian told us to turn around for a picture and Lily kept posing like a model. How does she know to do these things? It cracked me up and Jamie was just confused.

Finally, a somewhat normal picture.

Then, Lily and Brian made Grandma's rolls for dinner.

We're teaching her now so that she knows the recipe so innately she will think it's a part of her. And then she will do the same thing to her children.

And while that was going on Jamison was drinking his sisters juice and Tulip was hoping that he would drop some food.

She didn't even need Brian at this point.

These hands will be working making this bread for the next 80 years. Get used to it, girl.

Notice that she's still in her nightgown. It was 2:30pm and she had no desire to get dressed.

It was a completely relaxing and enjoyable day. It wasn't a rushed, crazy frenzy of gifts being ripped open. That will be next year. I have 364 days to prepare for it.

Princesspalooza Part 2

Shield your eyes if you are easily startled. These pictures are not for the weak at heart. If you do start to feel ill, please blame my mother. She is the one who bought my daughter princess wigs for her birthday. In fact, I will punish her now for the wigs:

Due to the snow storm that was heading for us on Friday we switched from a birthday dinner to a birthday lunch. We also had it at the office so that dad and Brian wouldn't have to come home and then trek back out in the snow. This is what my father's office looked like after the opening of only three gifts.

She is not a neat gift-opener. She's a rip-it-open-try-it-on-where's-the-next-one-gift-opener.

Lily actually has been asking Santa for these wigs and I am dying to know what the Santa in the mall thinks about a four year old asking for wigs.

I'd like to call this one "Little Pretty Woman" instead of the Little Mermaid. I can imagine this being the wig of choice for the cheapest prostitute in Vegas. The wig is actually a neon red/pink color. It's hideous.

I put up a few birthday decorations for when she woke up on Friday morning, so that's what the poster is behind her. She wanted to take pictures standing next to the princesses that she was dressed up as.

She wanted to make sure the Ariel backpack was in this shot. Because it just wouldn't be worth it without the backpack.

Notice that she had to stand on a step stool in order to be next to Belle. We don't mince effort in the Whitt household.

I know there will be a time that I look back at these pictures and wish for the little girl who loved princesses to come back. So I truly do try to appreciate these moments...which is why I couldn't resist having a princess-filled birthday for her.