LATE!!!!!

some years i get it right, most years i scramble at the end. this year i am a scramblin'! i did not get the kids to the mall or any place to have a professional picture taken. j and i still have not completed the annual calendar of fun. have all our ideas, but has not materialized into a product or off to any printer yet. last night after arguing with my teenager about please hurry up and get a shower and get dressed (***in something appropriate for a family picture) i gave up. NEVER MIND! frustrated at her, yes... the usual answers, " my hair looks fine, i showered yesterday, i want to wear this, MOM!" so after this lovely exchange i was SO not running us all ragged up to the mall to wait in a line with 3 cranky children and 1 cranky mom to get a picture that costs WAY too much that i probably would still be disappointed in. some times you get lucky and catch lightening in a bottle, but most times, with 3 kids, not so much... then i come up with the bright idea to take my own pictures and make a photo card. i so must be a glutton for punishment.first i had the snow idea. get them all dressed up in fun bright colors with hats and scarves and have them frolic in the snow, but frolic closely together so i can get them all in one shot, oh yeah and make it quick since the sun is almost gone for the day... and this is what i get...

a lot of no one looking at the camera and the expression of an annoyed teenager. priceless!

so then we move it inside and subtract the teenager and we get this...

"hugs" AKA casey being mad at being restrained

typical male female here. casey all pouty and kellen looking at her like"what's her problem?"


ok here he is trying humor with some "peek-a-boo"
still not working for her
nice effort though kellen



then we get the festive red and green pj's on and try for another group shot
and AGAIN can never get them to look up at me at the same time
here kellen is the one being restrained by taylor, though he likes this and thinks it is a game,
get away from sissy game!



again only 1 looking, but a nice smile this time from taylor

here is the one shot i did like
happy smiley

but as murphy's law would have it, when i picked the layout for the card it cropped too much off of it and cut kellen's face in half.

UGH!

well after all this i just went through old shots i had, and did make up what i hope is a very nice card. of course to top off the evening, after an hour and a half of creating the card, my computer , or perhaps the web site i was on, froze up right as i was trying to place my order! i just got up and walked away at this point. threw up my hands. ok you win!

luckily for me i have a computer savy hubby who retrieved it for me and we placed the order. now i have to hope it gets printed and here in time to be mailed out BEFORE the holiday.

and oh yeah finish those calendars....