Christmas was looming close and we still hadn't gotten any family pictures taken to pop in those Christmas cards! We'd tried a few times, but trying to co-ordinate the schedules of nine people is a little difficult - especially when one is working out of town for most of the week. We decided that a Sunday would be our best bet, mostly because we'd all brushed our hair at least once that day, and Rich is always here on Sundays. But then sickness interferred too, so that left us with only the last Sunday in December before Christmas to get our pictures done - Dec. 18.
I told everyone to go and put on jeans and a shirt of greens, blues or browns. {Let me add that this felt really strange. We (the girls!) usually stay in our skirts all day - it helps us remember that it is the Sabbath Day. We act more reverently when we're dressed differently from our every day attire.}
Let the photo shoot begin!!! We didn't have a photographer so we just set the camera on the timer. Then we had to play around with the flash and what lights to have on in the house. So these photos of the girls are practice shots - but fun to look at anyway! And we took way more shots than what I've posted here.
Lovely face Chelle!
All the girls! Let's see, their ages are:
Chelle - 19.5, Jas 17, Jordyn 14.5, Carlee 13, Jenna 10.5, Katia 6.5 and Mackenzie 2.
They were singing and swaying back and forth!
"Fa who foraze, da who doraze, Welcome Christmas, Christmas Time!"
We lined up the sides of the pictures with the girls and then had to put mom and dad in the middle, so Jordyn is seeing how that looks. Katia was too short so we had to find a stool.
First attempt with the whole family. Hmmm!
A better family arrangment. Something in your eye Katia?
What are you doing Mackenzie? Carlee? And where are we supposed to look?
So we all looked up at the light and . . .
. . . got our ""It is Better to Look Up" photo {Elder Carl B. Cook's talk from the October General Conference}. And we're not sure which light Rich is looking at!
Still trying for that somewhat perfect shot . . .
. . . nope, that's not it! Rich bumped the camera when he was jumping back into his spot for the picture - which is why he's almost not in the picture, but the tree is!
Kenzie fixing Katia's hair!
And after much effort, we quit after this one . . .
. . . it seemed the most decent of everyone - and we were tired of smiling!!!
I delight in family pictures - not just mine, but all of them out there in the world. I love to get Christmas mail and post new family pictures on my fridge. I love to look at the progression of families over the years. Looking at our family picture, I can't help but wonder how long it will be before Rich isn't the only male in the picture {I'm talking sons-in-law here - not a new baby for us!!!} Some family pictures are absolutely gorgeous, and some are just random pictures, but they're all wonderful because they are families.
And family is everything!!!
