Shutterfly Christmas photo cards -- Say Cheese!

Taking cute Christmas card pictures is always so stressful for me! It's an impossible task to get 4 small kids smiling at the same time. So, I swore off of Christmas cards this year. Until, that is, I saw the cute photo cards at Shutterfly. Too, too cute! Check their Christmas photo cards out at:

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards


They have so many great options to choose from, but I really love this Merry Blossoms card (image above):


http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/merry-blossoms-christmas-card?sortType=1&storeNode=93496

I'm planning to put my kids in cute Santa costumes and having them be Santa's little helpers in the picture, so I might need a design that allows me to put more pictures in, like the Merry Memories Chartreuse
http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/merry-memories-chartreuse-christmas-card?sortType=1&storeNode=93496

I love the different size pictures in the Merry Memories card. So many fun choices!

They have different types (folded or flat) of stationery cards to pick from :

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-cards

And if you'd rather go a bit more general, they also have some great holiday cards at http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-cards

Now, will I get my kids to cooperate? I guess you'll find out when you get my Shutterfly photo card this year!

I used Shutterfly when I did Carolina's birth announcement and I loved the design and the quality of the card. I was thrilled with the end result. The site is easy to use and the quality is always great. I've been making photo books with Shutterfly for years and have never had a complaint.

Now I'm even more determined to get the right picture this year -- my poor kids!

New camera

Just practicing with my new camera (thank you, Black Friday). I'm not thrilled with it; it takes some mighty blurry pics when the subject is moving. Darn it. Oh well, at least my pictures don't all look like they've been taken in the middle of the night like my old camera. Here's Bronte, 4 months old.

Pics of Carolina

Just realized I haven't posted new pics of Carolina in a while. She's our cutie pie, but quickly approaching her terrible twos!

New pics of Bronte

See, she doesn't cry all the time.

Sad, sad, sad

Oh I'm so sad today. Suzanne has left us for good now. She just left heading out to KY and then onto NC (I'm jealous, Larry and Marsha). Then she'll be off to ID looking for a new job and moving on with her life. When Carolina wakes up, she'll look around the house for Suzanne and that will make me even sadder. Maybe we'll console each other with hot chocolate and fudge I made yesterday (which unfortunately is more like chocolate soup).

It's been so great having a friend around all the time -- almost like having a great missionary companion. Now, I love my kids but it's not quite the same as having a sister around with whom I can eat yummy food and with whom I can make fun of "Days of our Lives." Sigh. Back to real life. Brysha, why couldn't you have stayed on bed rest for oh, I don't know, another few months??

Happy 4th Birthday, Noah!

Oh, how I dread these birthdays, in a way. They remind me that my boys are growing up. Although Noah still has his cute baby cheeks, he is all boy. Not many more days of cuddling or improntu kisses. I remind myself I really wouldn't want to keep him from growing up, but there are moments when I realize how fleeting childhood is and I hope to make his childhood one that he will look back on fondly.

10 out of a million reasons why I love my Noah:

1. How you use funny catch phrases even though you're not quite sure what they mean. Example: "Are you kidding me?" -- when in fact I'm not even remotely kidding, such as when I tell you to clean your room.

2. How you love our new baby

3. How you tell me I'm your best friend

4. How you want to be just like your big brother

5. How you're such a ladies' man

6. Your beautiful hair and big brown eyes

7. How you love for me to tell ghost stories but then get scared and try to sleep with us at night

8. How you get words and phrases a little mixed up, like "Patty cake, patty cake, bake your friend."

9. Your crazy dancing

10. Your sweet nature

Blessing Day

August 8, 2010. It was great having our families there for Bronte's blessing. I don't know why the pictures turned out so dark, though.

Pics of Bronte

1st day of school

Oh what a day!

And so it began on Sunday, July 18th, at 2:30 A.M. Twenty-four long hours later, our Bronte Ashlen was born weighing in at 8 lbs 14 oz, 20 1/2 inches long.

Fat me

Brysha got a pic of me baring my 38 week old pregnant belly. Her young daughters kept coming over to me and pulling my shirt down. They were very concerned with my modesty.


Well, I have some mean sisters who want to see how huge I am compared to my oldest sister Brysha who is pregnant with twins. I'm about 36 weeks pregnant here. Brysha is due in November. Now, I know I look like the abominable snowman looming over her, but I think she deliberately wore black to look more slimming. That's my story, anyway.

Waterpark

Mary was nice enough to come up and see Dan's play that she helped edit. The boys loved seeing each other (except when Carter was puking). We took them to the water park and they loved it!

Barker Family Reunion

It was great seeing everyone at the Barker reunion. We missed all of you who couldn't come, but my kids had such a blast playing with their cousins, catching lightning bugs, and having a good ol' fashioned marshmallow roast. (And P.S., whoever stole my Hershey chocolate bars -- all I will say is what goes around, comes around!)




Here's a pic of Angie's little boy, Amanda's, and Carter. The cycle continues!