No Christmas card this year for us.....

I've decided to skip a Christmas card this year.....if I was going to get one out, I'd want to do it rightnow seeing as we have a new address this year so it'd be a holiday card / moving address update card - that way anyway who is kind enough to send us a card, would have gotten ours first with our updated address.  Anyway, getting a good pic, designing, waiting for them to arrive, addressing them all and then mailing isn't going to happen anytime soon.  And considering this fall we had to unexpectedly fork over a small fortune to buy a new HVAC system for the second floor (awesome, Merry Christmas kids, you get heat!), saving the cash on Christmas cards is an added bonus.  So here are the virtual outtakes of no less than 200 shots when I was toying with the idea of a card this year.

Round 1:  Reese was mad.  Can't remember why now.  But dramatic tears and unwillingly to comply.  Even when bribed.

 Happy Holidays! We love our new house.  I should have used this one:)

 Then it was Em's turn.  Not that it mattered because Reese looked like we had just told her we had cancelled Christmas.

 I love kids.

 Round 2:  we tried inside but the lighting was horrible and Reese was still anti-family.

 Round 3:  downstairs, lighting is better but apparently Reese's family is still pretty awful and she has better things to do with her time.

 Round 4:  Em has decided Reese is onto something and her family isn't worth showing up for a christmas card for.  Just look happy for eff's sake!!!!  Does anybody know photoshop?  Can you just add Emerson?

 I will begrudgingly sit here but to hell if I smile.

 It's about noon on Thanksgiving day, btw, just a few things going on since we hosted this year.  I might have cracked open a bottle of wine by now.

 Round 5:  outside, who cares if it's drizzling, we're taking a picture damnit.  And wouldn't you know, the one decent shot I had, I overexposed it.  Proof that the good Lord has a sense of humor.

 By the time I course corrected, it was apparently time to start digging for gold.

 Round 6:  I had given up, Em changed into her daily ballerina attire and I thought I'd give it another shot.

 Round 7:  showered and dressed for Thanksgiving dinner....back outside girls.  Clearly not outfit coordinated and Em's hair looking a little nuts.

 Had I gone with a shot, it probably would have been the one below.  So just envision this came in the mail on some nice cardstock with some simple holiday message at the bottom.  Oh and our address change on the back.

Or this one, since, let's be honest, this is the most real....

Happy Holidays! 

Tire Swing Reincarnated....

When we moved we had to say goodbye to our beloved tire swing and the swingset we had just installed about 9 months prior.  Oops.  While we have no plans on adding another swingset here, Grant did find this fun little number on Amazon and hung it last weekend.  No complaints from the ladies of the house.  

 This is the face Ryan made when I asked her if she had a boyfriend....

she doesn't, for the record....

Em was sad because I asked them to cease spinning for a second to take a photo.  The nerve.

The best view of all:)

Yesterday

I'm trying to bust out the "good" camera more.  Yesterday was a half day and Reese's friend came over for the afternoon so I sent them outside to enjoy the beautiful weather and took a few pics.  A few notes:
1.  Two sisters + one friend = a catfight of some sort will eventually occur.
2.  Emerson has big girl underwear on!  It was a big struggle to get any clothes on her as she's been naked the last 3 days potty training, pajamas were all she would wear.
3.  Grant needs to hang the big, black circle swing thingy - until then it proved a great rolling toy.
4.  Ryan likes to apply blue eyeshadow to friends who enter our  house:)  you are forewarned.