One last Christmas entry (with pictures!)

(Lots more pics in previous 5 entries!)

I thought I was done with Christmas-related entries, but then I realized that I forgot some pictures (since I have them in a different folder on my computer). On Sunday, December 23, we did a family photo shoot. My sister-in-law Jess's brother and father have a photography business, and they graciously agreed to take some pictures of our family, since who knows when we'll all be together again. They took over 200 shots (I think), but don't worry--I'm not going to post all of them. Just a few highlights. I think they did such a great job, and I am so grateful to them for doing this.

I'll start with some group shots. Here I am with all my siblings. (Yes, I know I'm short--shut up. They even made me take off my shoes [with 2-inch heels] so that my real height would be represented.)



All the girls... (well, minus the toddlers)...



...and all the boys.



We did shots of each couple too, so when it was mine and Tony's turn, Tony decided to be funny and pick me up. "Oh, yeah, great," I said. "Like everyone wants to see this." And I smacked my butt. And, apparently, they snapped the camera too.



This one is much better.



Then we tried a family shot. Easier said than done.



We actually did get a decent family shot, but I'm not posting it here, since we'll be using it for our New Year's cards.

Then it was time for pictures of the cousins together. Neither one was in the mood for pictures, and we just had to laugh about it. I mean, what did we expect? I was actually surprised we got as many good shots as we did. See the doll Ari is holding? That's Olyvia's Sleeping Beauty doll--basically the same style as Ari's beloved Belle doll. Ari must have sensed the resemblance, because she kept grabbing this doll.



But Olyvia wouldn't put up with that, and kept taking it back. I love Ari's expression in this pic.



But the great thing about toddlers is that their moods easily change, and they don't hold grudges.



I don't think we got any shots with them both smiling at the same time. But one is better than nothing, right?



And, of course, we got some shots of Ari by herself. This is another one of those shots that helps me imagine what Ari might look like when she's older.



Reading a book about doggies...



Making a weird face...



Relaxing in the chair...



Look--a real, live smile! (Hidden behind a dog, but let's not be picky...)



And last but not least, the entire family. As you can see, Olyvia and Ariana were so done with posing at this point. Of course, we were all laughing at their antics, so at least all the adults are smiling nicely.



OK, and that concludes all the Christmas entries--for real this time.

And a Happy New Year to all of you! We spent New Year's Eve at Pastor and Dawn's house with them, their daughter Meagan and a few of her friends, Brandon and Kerry and their kids, and Greg, Wayne, and Wayne's mom. We played the Wii, had a rousing dominoes tournament, and ate way too much junk food. But it was fun. Tony, Ari and I slept in on New Year's Day, then braved the wintry mix falling from the sky to have dinner at my parents' and see Dave and Jess one last time before they return home. We watched Stardust (great movie, by the way) and then played the Wii for a little while before heading home fairly early in the evening.

And now it's Wednesday, and I'm back at work. I think the hardest thing about seeing my vacation time end is not just missing all my siblings, but missing Ari. I got to spend so much time with her over this past week and a half, and it was fabulous--she is such a fun little person now. Tomorrow she turns 18 months old, so expect an entry all about her tomorrow.