It beginning to look alot like Christmas!

I decided to go out and try for a Christmas card photo one afternoon.  It was actually quite cold and windy but the moment I mentioned outside to the kids there was no going back.  They were so good to work with but getting all four to look, smile and hold still for more than a milisecond was not possible.  But I still like the photos anyway.  They were outside which they LOVE and were laughing and hugging almost the whole time and that was worth the work it took to get them out there.  I also think it is such a representation of how are family is right now.  We try to work together but get sidetracked easily, we are happy but not always at the same time and often someone is a little out of focus and sometimes were are just watching one another with wonder.  So this is us... minus my husband and I of course but someone has to take the picture and someone has to provide for the family so this is where we were at this particular afternoon.

I also love watching my kids together when they are having fun.  It makes my heart hope they will always be close.  Early this week I had to go to GF to get groceries, Christmas presents and bring Julia to her 18 mo appointment.  On Mondays, my mother-in-law has some combination of 2 or 3 of the kids so I thought I would get a bunch of stuff done on this trip.  No, not so much.  My father-in-law was recovering from surgery on his foot and my mother-in-law did feel so well this past weekend so I was on my own.  Jay volunteer to have one of the kids be with him at work and while he made root beer with his family that day so Bekah was taken care of.  It ended up that my mom had an MRI sceduled at the same time as Julia's appointment so she was dropped off at my parents that morning and picked up by me at the hospital just in time for her appointment which worked out really well.  So Jack, Hannah and I headed off for GF.  These are the times I feel like we have fun together, adventures together and I hope that I will be able to do it with all four of them at the same time someday!  But let me tell you even though all went well, I was exhausted.  My main moment of panic was when we were in Macy's.  I, (not even thinking about my children copying my every move) noticed their Yearly crystal ornament ($75 value) hanging with 5 or 6 others on a metal display tree and cupped it in my hand for a better view.   Wrong move, seconds later Jack was about to do the same.  And even though he seemed to be approaching them with care, all I could do was quickly multiply 75 x6 and I didn't like the figure that popped into my mind and jumped to stop him as I didn't want the tree to topple over!  There was no disasters, little whining and really no major melt downs but it did take a lot out of me.  However it was so fun to see the fun the kids had together.  We looked at Christmas stuff in stores, spotted Santa and sang our own version of Jingle Bells in the isles of Target and it was a great Christmas time memory in the making.  Oh how I love these kids and hope they are learning to love the season that celebrates our Saviors birth!  So I will leave you with these photos in anticipation of the official Christmas photo and also a question of what family traditions are you forming for your family?  I want my children to remember our Christmas seasons so fondly.  I'm trying to come with my own.