Family Picture Time! :)

It's that time of year again...Christmas cards....ummm...need a photo! :)  Each year my SUPER-SWEET/TALENTED S-I-L Heather takes our family pictures for us.  She takes them, and then I do the editing.  It is a WONDERFUL set-up for me!  There are 2 major reasons in particular I am grateful for her help:
               1.  I am a photographer as well...so I can be a bit picky with pictures.  I admire Heather's talent and so feel perfectly safe having her do them.
               2.  As my family grows, the more and more difficult the family picture-taking experience becomes.  Being the auntie of my kiddos, I know she will still think they are sweet...even after seeing them in this o-so-fun setting. :)
Did I mention she is the best???!!!  Thanks again, H!

We do a family photo shoot every year, however, this year's family picture-taking experience was actually split into 2 photo shoots...that's right folks...I did this twice!  Here is how it went:

Photo Shoot #1:  Being a photographer myself, and in a jam, needing an updated picture of my kids for a craft I was doing...I actually took the kids to Thanksgiving Point and did a photo shoot of just them.  Trev was out of town and I was all by myself, however, I needed to have the print of the picture the very next day for my craft.  I knew getting a good picture would be a challenge, considering the ages of my kids (6,4, 2-2 year olds); but I had to try.   After scrambling around to find outfits that at least went together, and reminiscing on previous failed attempts to get all 4 our my kiddos to look at me/smile/hold still for a group picture the whole time...I decided to start PLEADING with the only person who I knew could help me...Heavenly Father.  I BEGGED Him for 2 things: 1. to help me get just 1 picture that I could use for my craft, 2. help me not to freak out on my kids. :)  It is amazing how He answers our prays...even when we set the terms.
 When we got to the location, I could already feel my pulse rising.  "Father, I need help with this...please keep me calm."  Calming feeling came.  Took the first few photos...GOT THE ONE I needed!  Thank you Father.
I decided to keep going just try to get as many as I could of them together, and also individual ones.  Why not right??  I mean, I am already here.  My composure stayed calm.  NO mom-melt-downs.  The quick shoot ended  abruptly with Jake smashing his finger between 2 large pieces of stone and screaming his head off.  STILL no melt-down on my part!  Amazing right??!!  Thanks to help from above (thank you Father), here are the pics I was able to capture.

Jake's smile is pretty cheesy...but he was TRYING so hard to be good, that I couldn't be mad.  This is the best you get with little ones this age. :)

Love...

Love...

Love...

Love...

Love...I am really pleased with how the individuals turned out. :)

PHOTO SHOOT #2:  Now that I had ones of my kiddos...I needed some of all of us (Christmas Card/Update for Gma's and my walls at home).  This is where Heather came in.  I just wanted a family pic/Trev and I together/and Trev and I with the kids.  It was a quick shoot...taken at my M-I-L's beautitul home in Suncrest.  Love the ones we got!  Here they are:

I love getting our pictures done...after they are done.  The experience is not fun, but the results always melt my heart.  I truly believe when I am old, and looking back over the years of raising my sweet kids, I will cherish/and probably sob over these images.  That is why, even though it is a pain to do the photo shoots - we will keep doing them every year. :)