Our Xmas Photo Shoot

Every year I do this and then after taking 5,000 pics wonder why oh why I subject myself to this. It's about the same time the tree goes up and I ask plaintively- please..why don't we have a Norman Rockwell xmas once???! No one of course listens to me. This year I didn't even try and add Kev to the mix. He's the biggest baby of all...always complaining and it was a bit later than we normally take our photos.

Read- brisk and freezing. Jacket weather for sure. I made Katie and Mikey wear their vests but little Anna had no vest so she was wearing this old jacket which makes me shudder but she loves. It didn't match so I knew it was going to come off. What I forgot was what a ruckus she makes when she is unhappy.

We get to the park near our home..fantastic setting. Love the barn (Cari turned me onto this a year ago). And we proceed to snap quick as my hands are freezing. Anna is whining about no jacket so like a true model we keep bundling her into it at breaks. We get an awesome pic of the dog that KATIE took. And some ok ones of the kids...we finally about 100 pics in get THE photo...I am loving the light, etc..but still need a group one....and Anna is having a meltdown.

Mikey was just slightly better than the other two..but kept looking at me like...MOM get on with it already. Love this shot of him. :)

I had promised myself to be that zen photographer..um so not going to happen with MY kids..bribes don't work...they hate this...Katie in her most serene in pics in the tree...is glaring at me between takes saying. I just ADORE Christmas MOTHER. :)

A helpful guy with his family and like 12 dogs decides *now* is a good time for camera talk..um are you serious? Really? And starts trash talking my new baby- the 20D. Um I do not think so. We are leaving and the funniest thing - a family with a car with a bow on it trying to get a pic of the car and their not so small selves (3 ppl) with this TINY -and I do mean TINY, teeny camera that is a point and shoot on the smallest tripod I ever saw. I think..she's breaking *every* camera rule...you are going to look 500 lbs heavier if you take the pic from the ground UP and you will never include all those ppl and a freaking car. Being nice I offer to help them..and she was so rude to me..probably embarassed to be in the parking lot taking up the whole place with this ridiculous photo shoot. Word to the wise ppl..bring a person to SNAP the picture. :)

Anyway here are some we got that were good..the 2nd best pic is actually my header picture!

For next year I've already made plans...I am swapping kids with anyone of my friend's...they'll for sure cut down on the whining then! Or I am renting a family. Apparently the kids and Kev agreed to chip in. This year's xmas photo:

Love, Fee!