Tullos Crew through the years...memories...

So because it is still the holiday season and I can't stop being thankful for the family the Lord has blessed me with, I thought I would walk down Memory Lane and look at our Christmas family pictures through the years.  Actually, I have a new external hard drive that I have been busy putting all my pictures on that have been stored all over my stinking house in every form possible.  The cool thing about compiling all my pictures together is I get to look at all the pictures of my boys taken during the last 8 years.

As you will see below, I started 8 years ago with Lonnie, baby Kason and myself all wearing the same color for our picture.  So each year after I kinda stuck with that idea and coordinated us somehow.  For those who know me well you are saying, of course you did!  That's so Victoria of you!  Truth be told, I grew up in a broken family and I never experienced things like family pictures for yearly traditions with my parents.  So my poor husband and kids get a big spoonful of my yearning for family and traditions.  They humor me well and go along with my antics.  I love those guys!! :-)

So as I have previously posted, here is the 2010 picture.  I did not put us in matching colors (after therapy) but I just had to at least have a theme. (baby steps) The boys asked for this theme so I went along with it.  We are a walking advertisement for under armor.

This is the 2009 picture.  Though Lonnie and I are in the same color, if you look closely, the boys have different color shirts (under their matching pull-overs...) Again, baby steps.

Here is 2008.  Yes, all matching.  I was unwilling to go to therapy at this point.  Marshall the dalmatian was not in the 2008 picture and we got lots of grief, so he showed back up for 2009 & 2010. What you would probably never notice (but drives me nuts) is that "Daddy" got the boys dressed that year and accidentally switched the shirts on Kason & Gannon.  I know...OCD...I know

Here is 2007.  This was my formal stage and I begged Lonnie to wear a tie.  (poor man) Marshall the dalmatian made his grand entrance into the family that year.  I was feeling green that year. um...the boys will not be fond of this one when they are in High School I'm sure.  Sorry boys, humor me....you know I love you!...

2006 was  our first year in our current house next to the lake.  I recall this being an extraordinarily difficult year to get those boys to cooperate.  And have you noticed that when my green eyed hubby gets outside without sunglasses he turns into an Asian man.

2005 was our last year in our old house.  Baron was only 6 weeks old in this picture and he was not in the mood AT ALL.  You can't really tell, but Baron was screaming his head off during this picture so we photo shopped his head from another picture.  I swore I would never tell but that story is just too funny to keep to ourselves.

This is the 2004 picture.  Now THAT was a crazy year with two little guys ages 1 and 2.  wow...gotta love my hair in this one!

2003 was pretty funny.  Gannon was like 2 weeks old, Kason was 1 year old and I was huge and PALE!  But my boys looked so cute!  Remind me not to wear white again when I have avoided sunlight for 2 years!

2002 was our 1st family picture. Kason was 4 months old and so stinking cute!  I however was wearing an awesome pair of high waisted jeans and my face was...lets just say..."fluffy".  Lonnie is Asian again.  memories...



I hardly remember what it was like to have just one baby.  I'm sure we were fussing about how hard and busy it was...oh silly rookie parents!  We had NO CLUE at that point what craziness lay ahead.  Ignorance was bliss!

Hope you enjoyed that little trip. 

On the Blog Again with a family picture day

Wow.  I have not blogged in two months. Lets just say November and December are so stinking crazy that I'm lucky I had time to clean our clothes and sleep.  I have said during previous holiday seasons that I am going to make more time to relax during these busy months and I have been able to accomplish that to a degree.  Blogging, however just did not make it into my schedule.  BUT, I am determined to stay on top of this blog in 2011.  Lets see how well I am able to keep my "typed" word.

Well, the 2 people that night read this received my Christmas card already but this was the final family picture we sent out this year.  Everyone has their eyes open, everyone's jeans are dry (explanation to follow) and the dog made into the picture though he is busy watching ducks and not looking at the camera.

The boys look so big compared to last year.  Its hard to believe they are not still in diapers!  Now Kason is so big I can wear his clothes.  And sadly enough, and being the tom-boy that I am, I often steal his Nike basketball shorts to wear.  I know...I need to learn to dress my age. Not sure if that will ever happen. :-)

Needless to say, the above picture looks like we are such the mature and stable family with the perfectly behaved dog (someone actually asked me if the dog was real or photo shopped into the picture).  Well, if you could only be there to see what it takes to get one decent picture. A few examples...

As you can see the older boys are clearly not looking at the camera, Marshall (the dalmatian) is looking worried that the ducks will swim away before he can jump in the lake to chase them, Baron just wants to give peace a chance while his father is doing this only to please his OCD wife...who is not in the picture frame because she is too busy trying to explain to the volunteer photographer the perfect picture angle. Lisa I owe you lunch!  We did not choose this picture...

Baron, the family clown, attempting to send a nonverbal message to all.  Either that or these are the early stages of gang signs...not sure.  He will have to work on his angry face.  We did not choose this picture...

Marshall at this point was losing his Doggie mind and could do nothing but watch the ducks.  We did not choose this picture...

So we decide to take some pictures by a pretty tree away from the water...and ducks. 

So now you may be wondering why the boys are trying not to laugh (or not trying) during the "tree picture"... Well, you see, Marshall our idiot savant dalmatian, could not take his eyes off the stupid ducks at this point, who were swimming back and forth just to taunt said dalmatian.  Then he realizes that he is near a tree (I assume via scent because once again the stupid dog was not even looking where he was walking). So what does a male dog do when next to a tree you may ask... here in lies the problem.  Marshall is standing next to Baron...not the tree.  You get were this is going. 

So the stupid dog pees on Baron, Lonnie starts yelling at the dog who now can't stop peeing on Baron (a boy thing), Kason and Gannon begin to laugh hysterically and fall to the ground and Baron starts to cry.  So after a few minutes of craziness I try to pull us all together (minus the dog who has been tied to a fence at this point) for a couple last shots for the sake of a nice Christmas family picture.  Kason couldn't do it and kept laughing, Baron is covering up the pee on his jeans with his hand and I guess when I am irritated I contort my face to look just like a beaver.  So we did not choose this picture either...

All I can do is laugh when people tell me how beautiful our family picture turned out.  If they only knew.

I hope I keep my word and blog again soon.  Honestly, I have to write this stuff down.  It happens daily around this house!

Victoria