the making of a christmas card

yes, i am one of those crazy people who plan, stress and fret over
our family christmas card.
it has to be perfect. plain and simple.
i want it to encompass everything from the past year.
i want everyone to be smiling and at least looking in the direction of the camera.
some years, those simple qualifications are very difficult to achieve.
this is one of those years.

we started taking possible christmas card pictures during our summer adventures.
and sadly, one by one, they were axed from the group of finalists for a variety of reasons.

who knows what jack is looking at?

i love this picture by the arch. but, who sends a christmas card
illustrating the beauty of the back of their kids' heads?

no shirts, yikes!
and the one without goggles isn't even looking at the camera!

i took several pictures of this shot and this was the best one.
i think jack is looking at a horse through the fence.

this totally illustrates their personalities...
but louie is the only one looking at the camera.

in theory this was a great idea...3 sizes of stumps,
each boy in their picture day clothes, and clean faces to boot!
ugh!

 

hooray! everyone is looking at the camera.
i could make this year's card a "happy everything" with the pumpkins...

 

of course, no card is ever complete without an
orange dinosaur, ghostbuster and zombie...

this is one for the finals.
it screams 'rough, tough magee boys'

 

i love this one too.
each of their personalities is coming through.
but, i'm being selfish. i want everyone looking towards the camera.

i loved the pictures in that tree, so we went back for another shot.
aw, sam....where did your smile go?

i even tried to take another picture on the night of the holiday sing.
everyone is smiling.
everyone is looking at the camera.
and yet, jack was moving and showed up fuzzy! ugh!!!
 

then we visited the christmas tree farm and
this one felt like it could be the one.



 

each christmas card is different.
just as each year morphs from the resolutions and hopes
from three hundred and forty something days ago.

the boys are getting older, every second of every day.
they have different talents and interests from last year, heck, from even last week!
they are each becoming their own unique individuals.
the journey we take to find our "perfect" card is always an adventure.
it's one snapshot of watching sam, louie and jack grow up each year.

i just need to remind myself of what perfect really looks like...
it may not involve each face looking at the camera,
or the best photographer,
or the perfect background...

but it will always show perfectly how we felt at that very moment. ♥