Our First Christmas Together

Getting a Christmas card together is incredibly stressful... hmmm, no wonder I haven't sent one out for the past three years!  But, this Christmas we have so much to be celebrating and couldn't pass up the opportunity to introduce our newest blessing to friends and family around the world.  So, I bit the bullet and managed to get past my loathing of finding outfits for pictures - seriously, that is really what keeps me from doing a Christmas card -so sad, I know.  But, if I'm being honest I just really dread having to find "matching" outfits that aren't "matchy-matchy" knowing that these pictures will last for all eternity - ok so I'm a little bit dramatic.  

It's funny, the more honest I get about my feelings with these sorts of things and the more I actually write them down, the more asinine the reasoning sounds in my head.  Glad to be moving past my fear of Christmas pictures ;)

So I woke the kiddos up early (7 am is early in a homeschool house), stuffed a bag of cheerios in their hands for breakfast as I combed out Penny's curls with conditioner (our least favorite activity each morning although I have now figured out the trick to getting it done fast... No more chasing her around the hallways and bedrooms with a comb.  Now I head her off at the bathroom and corner her with conditioner and comb in hand and work super duper fast while she unwinds a whole roll of toilet paper, which I then rewind because we don't waste toilet paper in this house!) 

Poor kiddos were freeeeeezing cold when we headed out to a neighboring town called Waxhaw.  I think it was close to 30 degrees that morning and we couldn't take pictures with snow coats on because then I'd have to figure out how to do the matching thing without being matchy-matchy on a whole 'nother level and I've already admitted that just might throw me over the edge!  

We met our youth pastor's wife, Kelli, in the quaint little downtown area of the town where they have an adorable footbridge over the train tracks.  Kelli snapped picture after picture while Trent, Kate and I stuffed cheerios in Penny's mouth in between shots.  The whole thing took us less than 30 minutes and I wondered how Kelli would make anything out of nothing.  Well, the girl is a miracle worker!  When she sent me the photos I was in awe.  I am so glad I got over the outfit thing and have these special photos as lasting memories of our first Christmas together as a family of five!