Family Christmas Picture

This year's Christmas card came with this picture. We took it right after the Stake Center Christmas performance that both Will and I sang in as well as Ariel, Abi, and Daniel. It was amazing that we were even able to get this picture with no one crying. We tried to get one before the performance, but Cael had fallen asleep and when we tried to wake him up, he just cried. By the end, though, everyone was so tired. (That's why Ani isn't doing her usual "say cheese" pose.) Again, if I had a better camera, or if this picture had been taken outside, it would be better quality, but as it is, I think it's a pretty good one!

Pictures of kids

Okay, so for Christmas this year, I decided to to a large picture frame filled with pictures of my kids for their grandparents on both sides of Will's family. I spent hours setting up and getting the kids ready for a "photo shoot." These pictures are the best ones I ended up with after days of trying to get just the right picture. (By the way, the best lighting I got was around 4 in the afternoon just before the sun set.) It was crazy to try and get everything just right. The hardest part was getting the two youngest to not be screaming. The next tough issue was getting Daniel and Abi to not make cheesy smiles. Luckily, I had Jenica, my "angel" neighbor, to help me for most of the shots. Will helped me as a last ditch effort on the day I was supposed to give them as gifts, which turned out some of the best pictures.

I think I did a pretty darn good job for not having a professional camera or photo editing software. If my camera were better, I could have these blown up to poster size, but as it is, they'd be blurry...too bad. I'm so glad I have these shots, though. I LOVE taking pictures of my kids. They probably hate me for it because most of the time I'm yelling at someone to "LOOK AT THE CAMERA", but they'll appreciate it one day, right? I printed out each picture in color, black and white, and sepia to get the best look. I'd love to hear which one(s) are your favorite.