Christmas Card Photo Shoot

For our Christmas card this year, I decided to do something a little different. I had this idea in my head of the kids surrounded by Christmas lights in a black and white shot. It would be a challenge for my photography skills and a beautiful card (at least in my head). After baths one night, I got everyone into their Christmas jammeis, plugged in some lights and went to town. Lucas was SUPER well behaved for this shoot...lots of smiles and looking at me. Shea...well, Shea is 18 months old, so I get what I get :)  The next post will have the actual card we went with, but I thought I would share some of the shots I didn't use, too. Be prepared for WAY TOO MANY pictures of my favorite kids!

Loved the smiles here...

I ALMOST went with these two separate shots because they are so CUTE!

Random December Adorableness

THE EYES, PEOPLE!!!!

Lucas loves to decorate the tree...by putting all the ornaments on one branch.

Mimi made chocolate dessert. Hah.

Snowman

Each year, as we decorate for Christmas, I have tried to snap a shot of Lucas with our snowmen statues. It's always amazing to see how he has grown in such a short time. I am trying to get Shea in there, too, now, but she hasn't been too into cooperating lately (or ever). Here are the shots from the past four Christmases...sorry, none of Phil and I posing with the snowmen prior to kids.

2010 - about 10 months old:

2011 (about a million times taller):

2012 - the year of the great smile, and Shea joins the mix:

2013 - no one but mommy is into this:

Love watching my kiddos grow!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

I got the Christmas decorations down a week early this year, since Thanksgiving was late and we were going to be out of town anyway. The SECOND his little tree came out of the attic, Lucas was insistent that he get it out and decorate it immediately. As I would never be one to quash someone's desire to decorate for Christmas, I got out the decorations he chose last year and let him go to town.

He was SOOO into the decorating again this year and once again, he stacked all his ornaments on just a few branches. I love it so much!

Shea helped...without pants, for some reason. She got her own tree this year, too, which I forgot to take pictures of. She picked purple and blue ornaments from the store, so mommy loves it!

I just love the house all done up for Christmas, and I hope the kids will continue to love it as much as they do now!

Dress Up

Shea is very into dressing up right now. She loves to put on hats, gloves, necklaces, etc. She has "asked" for a whole bunch of dress up clothes for Christmas, but, in the meantime, she makes do with things like this:

She wrapped herself in her baby sling and sashayed around the house like a diva (carrying mom's slipper) for about 20 minutes. (Note: the sling was out because, prior to this happy moment, she had spent HOURS screaming every time I set her down). 

Mommy likes to play dress up with Shea too. Love her new Cici and Ryann dress for church!

 

Happy Halloween!

We took the kids Trick or Treating in my parents' new neighborhood this year, and they had the BEST time. Here they are getting ready to go:

I just love this one of Lucas watching the cars go by as he waits for us to leave:

My sweet little monkey!!

We practiced with Lucas beforehand, and he was so excited to try out his Trick or Treat skills!  Unlike last year, he wasn't shy at all. Every time someone answered the door, he YELLED Trick or Treat at them. Haha! Shea was right behind him the whole way, charming everyone with her little "Tweat, peese!"

We only did about two blocks before they were tired, but they had a great time. My little cuties ate their fill (and then some) of candy, and they were WOUND UP at Mimi and Papas afterward. Shea had never really had sugar, and you should have heard the squealing :) I would say they enjoyed it, and Lucas is already planning costumes for next year.