settling

Yes, that sneaky Christmas holiday will be arriving right on schedule again this year in just 2 short weeks. Do you think that we've made time for a posed kid picture for Christmas cards? NO! Do we have our Christmas tree up and fully decorated yet to use a backdrop? NO! Can we afford to grovel to JCPenney and tell them that we should have ordered 80 overpriced Christmas photo cards of our lovely family portrait and kindly ask them to do a reprint into card format for no extra charge? NO! Do we have $100 to spend on Christmas cards this year? NO! Would we rather slap together a mostly unprepared family picture on a Christmas themed card stock, pay for overnight delivery and send it out to our most beloved friends and family? YES!! Check your mail.

The long and the short of the story is that since Thanksgiving fell so late in the month this year, December hit us square in our unsuspecting jaw thus causing panic and stress in our household. Well, for me, anyhow. Eric is a non-stresser. About anything. Ever. I digress. When we had planned our trip to Children's Wonderland with our parents, I already set about the mission of dressing the kids cute (how did I do?) and have them pose in front of one of the many gorgeous backdrops they had to offer. Still following? Yes, I said pose. A one and a three year-old. Ooh BOY! Any guesses on who stood still and who didn't? If you guessed that NEITHER child stood still within arms length of the other for longer than a second AND looked in the general direction of the camera: YOU WIN! (A Christmas card, maybe?)

It wasn't long before we reached the decision that in order to have a Christmas card photo taken this weekend (could not waiver) and to keep the kids still, we had to restrain, I mean, hold them. Alas, Eric and I got produced onto our Christmas picture as well. Not really as I planned because, hello... I would have put on a little more lipstick and taken care of a little less shine across the old, stressed Mom -face. Also... tha hair. **quiver** Not so good. BECAUSE I WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE IN A PICTURE!

Here's what we were up against folks:

What did I miss? Did Lincoln tell his first joke because I'm seeing two heads swiveling in his general direction.
Elaina, you know I love you. And that's why I'm asking you not to cheese quite so hard. You're cute, we get it. Meh... I also wasn't entirely impressed with this Christmas background.
Okay, this background is much better. It looks all chilly and glistening doesn't it? Again, Elaina, still cute but how 'bout a little less leg and rump showing for a family picture. Nice lollipops Kids.

I'm afraid that there is no great finale here Folks. This is it. The picture below is the one we ultimately decided on because I still love the background, nothing seems to be growing out of any one's head from behind them, body parts appear modest and even though Elaina is looking everywhere else except at the camera, it could have been worse. As presented above.

If it were all left up to me and casting all appropriateness aside, I would have just decided on this one and called it a day.

I love the look of laundry baskets stacked in the background, teetering on which may fall first. Oh, and Elaina... way to compose yourself. Now.