Family Pictures

I love making my Christmas card every year.  And one of the most important elements is a family picture to go on the front of it.  Getting one of those seems to always be a fiasco, somehow.  One year the friend that offered to come and take it didn't show up, so we used the timer and spliced together until I had everyone smiling.  So I gave up on having someone help take them, and one year I ended up taking pictures of the kids together, and pictures of us together separately, because I just couldn't make it work otherwise.

So it was in the back of my mind this year - ugh, I should figure that project out soon.  And then while I was on my girls trip a few weekends ago I just happened to find coordinating shirts!  All I needed was it to be warm enough to take the picture.  I figured I would just wait until after Halloween chaos was over. 

And then it got really cold.  I would be mad, but it IS November.

I waited until the forecast had gone up slightly and enlisted a friend to come and click the shutter, and thank heavens for her.  Because the rain that was supposed to start after the shoot came 12 hours early, and it was SO COLD.

We got out of the car, took this first shot, and then I moved the camera and fussed with the tripod to get things lined up for the next shot.

And in the time that took, Kaitlyn was shivering - and then outright bawling from the cold.  So we got into a pattern.  Keep the kids warm in the car while mommy sets up the shot  . . .

Pull them out and line them up quickly . . .

Take twenty shots until everybody had been smiling at least once in the set . . .

And then have the kids race back into the car while Mommy figured out the next picture.

Thank heavens for Photoshop, that can magically make it look like the kids were happy and smiling in each picture!  I might not have been able to get fun casual shots since we were in such a hurry to get warm, but the overcast sky was really nice to work with.  Now I don't have to think about it for another year!