Igloos and Winter Fun

Christmas was really magical this year and Thomas was at that perfect age to enjoy all the festivities. He has finally gotten over his dislike of snow and went sledding with friends (until his friend fell on him and face planted Thomas into a snowbank--he liked snow slightly less after that). One favorite gift was an igloo-block maker, which Andy and Thomas put to good use after yesterday's sticky snow. Buzzy likes anything associated with the snow and will plow through any snowbank with the mere command "go get it!"

"The Unknown Santa"

Not sure if any of you remember "The Gong Show" back in the 70s and the Unknown Comic who told really stupid jokes while wearing a paper bag over his head. Recently we uncovered "The Unknown Santa", his lesser-known cousin....

The Quest for the Perfect Christmas Card Picture

It's always a challenge for our household to get a great photo for our annual holiday card. You would think this would not be a problem with a photographer for a mother, but trust me...it happens! This year Christmas just stole up on me. I don't know if it's because Thanksgiving was late, or if I was just overwhelmed with too many irons in the fire, but everything seemed like it was last minute this year. The card was no exception as I herded the kids down to the studio on Tuesday night to take photographs. Thomas is at that age where he has the cheesy grin photo, so it's near impossible to catch a genuine smile. Madelyn said she was having a bad hair day and wasn't feeling particularly photogenic, so I had my work cut out for me.

Here are the best of the lot. We had some fun outtakes that I'll upload later this weekend. I finished up the last shoot of the year on Dec. 22nd with a wonderful family of fourteen, and now I'm just doing planning for 2009 over the next couple weeks. I'm enjoying a much-needed rest! I've been doing some renovation at the studio with my new studio-mate, Ed Doyle, so we're excited to have the space renewed and maximized for the space.

Merry (Belated) Christmas to all, and a very Happy New Year in case I don't get back!