Picture Perfect...

So each year around Christmas, Rick takes family pictures for several of our family and friends. We have several different locations where we do the pictures, and each family is rotated to a different location each year. It is quite a system we have going! My job is to "pose the family" and "hold the reflector..." very important duties Rick assures me:)

Anyway, this year we were cursed...or the people we took pictures of were cursed. We had some funny mishaps (let me qualify that as funny AFTER THE FACT)!

In our quest for a second location to take their family picture, we got our friends the Brondum's stuck in the sand. Of course, their picture turned out so cute that they couldn't possibly be mad at us. GET OVER IT ERIK! (ha ha).

Then on the way to the location where we were doing our friends the Johnson's picture, they hit a huge pothole and got a flat...not just any old flat...the $300 kind of flat. We were in such a hurry because the lighting was PERFECT! Rick is such a great photographer...its fun to see him in action. One day I will perfect my VERY IMPORTANT "photagrapher's side kick" duties:)

Here are just a few more of the pics that Rick has done.

Trail of Stone...

When I was growing up my Mom would always tell me that she could tell exactly where I had been and what I had been doing in our house. She said I would leave a "trail." I now know exactly what she was talking about! Stone leaves a perfect trail of destruction through our house. Anyone could walk in our house and be able to tell exactly what Stone has been up to. Today he was out in the snow playing...you can see from the pictures that he shed his snow clothes by the garage door, shed his jammies (which he was wearing under his snow clothes) at the bottom of the stairs, then got in the bath tub upstairs. So funny! Stone definitely didn't get his looks from me as he looks JUST LIKE Rick...but he did get my "trail" making skills:) That's something right:)

Dear Santa...

There is nothing we love more than Stone's yearly letter to Santa:) At "Tingle and Jingle's" prompting Stone got right on his letter to Santa. It went something like this...

Dear Santa:
I've been a very good boy this year. For Christmas I'd like big blocks so I can build a fort, airplane geotrax, a remote control dinosaur, legos, the Eye Clops, a v-pocket, and a guitar. There are more things I'd like but I just can't think of them now. I know this is alot to ask, so just do what you can. Thanks Santa...I love you!

We got such a chuckle out of the fact that he acknowledged that he was asking for a lot but that he would "let Santa off the hook" by saying "just do what you can." So funny! I love Christmas and all that comes along with it! I can't believe it is only a week away! It goes by WAY too fast!

Tingle & Jingle...

We borrowed a fun Christmas tradition from our friends, the Johnson's. This is our 3rd year having "Tingle and Jingle" our family Christmas Elves visit. They come during the night sometime during the Christmas season and leave a little note for Stone to give him a "status report" on how he's doing on the "naughty & nice lists". They also leave him a little Christmas present.

Stone has been so excited for "Tingle and Jingle" to visit that he hasn't been sleeping through the night. He will come in to our room at 3 am to let us know that "Tingle and Jingle" didn't visit yet, but that he would try to go back to sleep to see if they would come:) Finally, "Tingle and Jingle" visited this week! They left Stone a cool marble toy and a note that went something like this...

"We’ve been watching and waiting for the right time to come and visit you. We were so excited that you didn’t have to pull a card in Mrs. Larsen’s class yesterday that we thought it was the perfect time to visit."

"Keep up the good work Stone. Nothing makes Santa more happy than when you are listening to your parents and are doing well in school. Santa is so very proud of the way you’ve been working on your spelling words and doing so well on your tests."

"Santa said to remind you to send him your list soon…he is busy packing up his sleigh for Christmas. Also, keep working hard in school! Work on your handwriting, and especially work on paying attention so you don’t have to pull cards. Good work Stone! Merry Christmas!"

I know what your thinking...we've added to the "Santa" threat and you would be right! Stone not only aced his spelling test this week, but he didn't have to pull one card! Thanks "Tingle and Jingle!"

Family Night Gone OH SO WRONG...

We love Monday nights! Every Monday we have family night with our friends Cindy and Kallie Jo Stewart. They endure some new recipe I'm experimenting with for dinner, we go on fun outings, we play games, we do all sorts of goofy things. But tonight we had the family night of all family nights! I know what you are thinking...you are thinking we invited Keith Urban to dinner...but NO that is Rick...lol. Or as we now call him, "Kevin Urban"...Keith's long lost brother:)

Since Rick started his own company earlier this year, he decided that he would not get a haircut until January 2009. I think this is his rebellion from having to travel and do so many tradeshows at his last job. So he has been growing his hair since around May. His hair has grown bigger and bigger with each passing day and don't be fooled, he LOVES IT! He is very proud of his hair and we have more fun teasing him about it than you can imagine. Of course he wakes up first thing and in his fake suave voice says things like..."I wake up with my hair looking this good...jealous?" Ahhh, have I mentioned how much fun it is to be married to my husband? There is never a dull moment or a day without some serious laughter. Sorry Ladies...he's taken!!! :)