merry and bright

I never intended to be a mom who got her kids' picture taken with Santa every year, but it just kind of happened, and the truth is, I really kind of love it. Here is a little look at each year so far:

2007 and 2008 with baby and toddler George:

2009 and 2010 with toddler George and oh my, we added a baby girl! It really is kind of a fun way to track the growth of your family over the years. I am so glad I have these, and the grainy, poor quality photos kind of just add to the charm, right? And, holy cow, I just noticed George is wearing the same shirt in both photos. Not planned, promise.

I made a half-hearted attempt at taking a family photo for Christmas cards, but when John didn't have a shirt that coordinated (someone please buy that poor boy some clothes), and we picked a day with the most intense fog I've ever been in (definitely NOT the "merry and bright" I was going for), I kinda just gave up. We got a couple of mildly okay pictures, but I was not about to spend time and money making them into a Christmas card. We could have tried again, but you know how December goes. Too many other things occupying our time and minds, so sorry, no cute Christmas card. Instead I photoshopped the words "Merry Christmas" onto the very mediocre photo, and here you go. At least it was in a Christmassy font!

At any rate, we truly do wish our dear family and friends the merriest of Christmases. We are looking so forward to basking in these next few days of family, love, and faith, and wish for you all the same. May your holidays, unlike our photo, be merry and bright!