Christmas Traditions....

Some Christmas traditions we all enjoy like ordering Chinese take out and eating it while watching "The Christmas Story" or always getting a new pair of pajamas on Christmas Eve but some traditions are torturous more than anything, one of these being new Sunday outfits for the Sunday before Christmas and the annual family photo in front of the tree.

The outfit part was fun when my girls were little and I could adorn them in velvet, frilly dresses with big hair bows and lacy tights. We would all dress in the same coordinating or at the least, complementing colors and the biggest challenge I had was NOT letting them wear their darling outfits until the Sunday before Christmas. But, alas those days are long gone.
First, we're lucky to find Sunday outfits that the girls will actually wear. (I'm talking about my teenagers here. Rylee will still wear most anything but I know my days are numbered there too!) I can't tell you how many times the Christmas Sunday and photo were the only time a particular outfit was ever worn. Austin (who agreed to wear this sweater this Sunday only and left the tag on so I can take it back) will only wear a white shirt and tie and James tends to dress the same so their outfits are about as boring as they come.

But still, tradition is tradition and so today, being the Sunday before Christmas let the brain damage commence!

We couldn't take the picture before church because my oldest three had to leave an hour early for rehearsal for the sacrament meeting program. I was making fudge with my hair up in a clip and not ready when I realized that my golden opportunity for a photo opt was walking out the door. So, as soon as we got home (well, after our nice neighbor jumped Kambree's van that she drove to rehearsal-apparently some light had been left on for four hours) I decreed that no one was to change their clothes or pull their hair into a pony until we took our Christmas picture.
This is our group photo after 5 tries.
(Originally we tried to get the pets to pose but gave up on that after the first few tries.)

(The sign we're holding says "We miss you Alexey"... but even if you read Ukrainian, you can't read it-the font is too small!)

Then we tried for a group photo of just the children.
I will let the pictures speak for themselves....












Finally.....



Then the kids decided to turn the tables and take one of James and me. After just as many tries-which I refuse to share on the world wide web-here's the best we could do....