216 photos to one: a christmas card in the making.

It took 216 photos, approximately 100 sneers, oopses, sit downs, stop movings, and stop making faces - to get the photo that we used on the front of our Christmas cards this year.  Like last year, I was hoping on using our Happy Holidays signs, but we couldn't get the boys to even set it in their laps this year.  So we improvised and took it with a varying of antique chairs we had in our home.  My tripod was the photographer and my MIL held the photo button down.  The rocking chair on the far right was my grandfather's - quite the treasure in our home! 

The Making of our Christmas Card.



I used Cici to set up the shot.  This one turned out beautifully!



The next step was to get all our kids in their chairs and Craig and I
would come behind them.  By the time Craig and I came around, the
boys were already running away.

I thought that we would try these signs again this year.  Cici and Nini
weren't cooperating (although cute) and the boys wouldn't have it.



We tried several times to take this shot of Craig and I behind us, but
Mr. T wasn't having it.



The girls and I wait for Craig to get Henry who had escaped.



We had everybody settled in their chairs, but just as we were taking a
few good shots, Henry came over to see Mommy!



I totally forgot about this.  First this wasn't me - really!  Hawk had just
done his business - We should have used this on the back our cards
for our annual photo outtake!



There are at least 10 photos of Mr. T honking Craig's nose!

  

Almost there! 



This one made the cut! 

How many photos did it take for your cover Christmas photo?!

Whoever has the highest number wins!

I hope you have a very wonderful holiday!

Merry Christmas

from Michelle

@ a happy heart blog :)

No caption needed!

What do your children love to play with this time of year?  Boxes?  Wrapping Paper?!

Week-Ends and Book-Ends

 I get in the habit of only show the "best" photos on this blog.  Why?  Because I want too!  Here is a look at what happens when four kids (mainly the two littles) just don't want to take a photo...

...won't sit still, screams, and refuses to let me take a photo...

 ...oh look, much of the same...

...and now it's time for the forward move.  I gave up!  Next time, Right?

I have been taking what I like to "Flash Family Photos"  randomly every Sunday.  Whatever we look like, whatever our moods, I randomly pick a moment, set up the tri-pod, and push the 10 second timer.  Whatever we get - is what we get!  It's fun and captures that moment on that Sunday!

Vintage Thursday



Me in Spain 2004



Thursdays around here will be a whole lot of vintage photos.  This week's photo was of a much skinnier me.  I was a couple months out of being sick and having my gallbladder removed.  I was stressed about being a new mom and crazed over a husband who traveled two weeks out of the month.  It's no wonder I was a stick!  Craig was over in Southern France.  My family gave me a 5-day break and I flew over to meet him.  We hit S. France, Northern Spain and enjoyed a whole lot of sunshine!  I can't remember the town in Spain, but am reminded that I need to scrapbook this.  I love this photo the texture in the background, the open door.  I was either rolling my eyes or looking up at the architecture. 

How often do you look at your old photos?
Do you cringe or reminisce?

Mom's Artistic Photo Phriday.

I have over 15 photos of a water balloon fight my twins had last year.  I love everyone of them with their cute faces hoping they won't get hit with that water balloon.  One of my favorite photos was the one taken above.  I love all those tiny balloons piled in the basket and the way it reminds me of what the world behind the scenes of all great mom photography.  It took a good 40 minutes to fill those balloons, not to mention that I got completely soaked!  I didn't mind, but it was fun to have my own little photo of what it was like to fill all those balloons - plus, I think this would fit nicely into an abstract theme. 

Mom's you carry that camera with you to birthdays, church, soccer practice, out to eat, and shopping - to name a few.  Join me on Phridays (or Fridays) for an artistic interpretion of Mom's view of the world. 

Next week is St. Patrick's Day - if you want, while you're dressing your children in the latest green fab clothes or making a fun green filled patty's day dinner - snap a photo behind the scenes.  Make it abstract and tell us about it.  For example, you are making st patty day cookies and your hands have been colored green by food dye - take a photo of your hands with a short description.  Join me or not!  If you join me, make your own Mom Phriday Photo post and link to a happy heart blog.  Leave me a comment so your fellow artist mom's can look at your work -you photo-tastic mommy photographer you!

***Please remember that photos should be your own and the content G-rated, do I even need to say this!

Do you like photography?

What are your phavorite photo genres?

Why did I order girl scout cookies?!

Just for them.

I have been a bad mom as I have not had any photos of the boys hanging on our walls.  (OK, I have one that sits above our mantle - but their little bodies just can't see it - it's too high)  Nor do I have any photos in a scrapbook or any that they can actually look at.  I had these two photos of them at 2 weeks old framed awhile ago, but never got a chance to do anything with them. 

After much debate, I decided to hang them using ribbon and hung them in our walkway between our kitchen and the rest of the house.  I did this little project during their glorious naptime (the only time I get anything done).  Later that day after nap, I found sweet Mr. T standing and staring at these two photos.  When he saw me, he turned and pointed to his photo - awww! 

When is your best time for getting things done?

New York - Time Stamped.



December 30, 1999 @ 1:42 in Time Square



Memory Lane can be such a cool walk!  I have been going through my photo files on my computer, sorting them, and putting them into into a more structured methodology; when I happened upon a file filled with random scanned photographs I took many years ago.  The above photo of New York's Time Square is fantastic!  The clock on the right makes it an actual timed moment- so neat!  Here is the rest of the file and a little bit of my own memory lane:





Sunset over Alexandre III Bridge, Paris 1999













Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris 1998





Visiting Mozart's Common Pauper Grave in St. Mark's Cemetery, Vienna 1998





Strasbourg Cathedral, France 1998



Craig @ Schonnbrun Palace, Vienna 1997

Best Photos of 2010.

Best use of baby August 2010.



Best restaurant photo May 2010.



Best cutest sleeping photo June 2010.

Best spontaneous family photo - Family Day May 2010.

Best wild eye photo July 2010.

Best big sister photo September 2010.

Best wet baby photo July 2010.

Best playtime photo August 2010.



Best mommy and son photo November 2010.



Best Nini holding a pumpkin photo October 2010.

Best cutest birthday boy photo November 2010.

Best crazy laugh photo December 2010.

Best quiet moment photo August 2010.

Best everyday mommy photo August 2010.

Best photo of 2010. period.

A little darkness with that moonlight.

With tripod and camera in hand, I finally captured
a little bit of darkness under the moonlight autumn sky!

Oh Baby!

A standing turtle.

I am starting a special segment of my blog called "interesting images" (until I can find a better name for it!) They are everywhere and I can't ignore them anymore - or at least I need to put them in their own label:

Standing Turtle, Burlington, VT Aquarium

Ice fishing, Champlain Lake - Vermont

What interesting images have you taken this week?

Post Cards from the North Pole.

Ausuble River, NY

It is such a great feeling to come across something like this and no human being could have possibly of made something as spectacular as this. I don't speak for the actual photo taking, but the beautiful of the falls and frozen ice - it's just beautiful! This is Ausable Forks, NY and our family was fortunate to drive past, have no cars behind us; which allowed me to climb up on the fence and take this photo. Isn't is so cool!

A pose with the Christmas Cards.

I waited to mail most of my cards until we could visit North Pole, NY one of at least two places in the states that receive and respond to actual letters from Santa. The post office is small and quaint and attached to a very retro amusement park that I just loved.

Nini spots Santa coming...

They had little performances which included Santa entering on a sleigh being pulled by an real reindeer, Alice, Ragedy Ann, and other animals. They sang and danced while we all watched and froze! Then we headed to Santa's house...

..where the girls met this wonderful Santa. He was so super with the girls and this shot was my favorite. It's funny, when put on the spot, Cici asked for a Teddy Bear, and Nini asked for a football - I guess she's been watching A Christmas Story one too many times.

The rides were few, but with it being winter and freezing outside, the lines were non-existant, and quaint. They were made just for small kids to ride and the girls made sure to hit this one, the carousel, the swinging swings, and the Christmas tree ride - and let's not forget a train ride.

We stayed at Acorn Cottage until Sunday hoping to come back for church in the morning. When we awoke to snow and more coming, I had to call and cancel my violin solo, and hope that my good friend Kathy could fill in for the primary conducting, and some of our missionaries could fill in for me on the piano.

On Acorn Cottage before the 2nd storm this week.

We headed back to Montreal slowly, but less than a mile from our cabin a young mother with her two kids had slid into the embankment. She seemed a little out of it and it had looked like she had been sitting their for awhile. We went back and got our snow shovel and Craig started digging her out. Her kids were OK, thankfully. Soon after, several vehicles we had seen pass us, came back and she had abou five men helping her get out. Long story short, she got out and we proceeded to get back home seeing five other accidents along the way. We must have gotten at least 15 inches.

How many of you are snowed in?
Is Christmas like you thought it would be this year?
Are you finished with your shopping?