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