The Holiday Photo

The thought of how, when and where to capture the Dawes children to represent this holiday season for all eternity has lead to much planning, and even more dread and procrastination.

Anyone whom has tried to capture more than one child on film (okay digital media) is probably empathetic with my challenge. The first year with Grayson alone (in a tux with ornaments) seemed so difficult to only be topped by the first year with both Grayson and Eme (an outdoor in their duds looking like poor Irish immigrants). Then the next year of Grayson and Eme after many failed attemps of photos in the "new" house, many tears - mostly mine, we ended up taking two individual pictures and calling it a day. I was so scarred by the experience the following year I took some photos now including a baby Anna, didn't like any and decided to boycott the holiday cards. Year 5 gave me new renewed hope. I shot maybe 5 pictures outside in a great oak tree, had dad and grandparents to help and met with great success.

Now comes year 6, 4 kids. I contemplate calling up The Picture People at the mall and passing on the responsibility. However I am just too cheap to pay for something when I think I can do it myself for nothing.

So the hunt for the photo outfit starts of the long arduous process. Of course this is my favorite part. I try to look for something that is similar for all the kids but a reflection of them in some way (usually color variations - this year in pants). Then I look for something that can be worn as regular clothing for the year to come. And lastly it has to be reasonably priced. Thank goodness for Old Navy, and a hand me down Baby Gap sweater one piece that Neve is now the 4th child to wear (and thank goodness she has grown big enough to fit into the 6-12 month size). Again I can not stress how much I enjoy this hunt, as online shopping is definitely one of my fondest pastimes (and Paul's Achilles heals!)

Then once the outfits are bought, then I have to get the cards - close to 100 nowadays. This is usually the easiest, as Target always has such a great selection and as long as I start looking early enough (right around Halloween) I never have too much problems. Though I remember, not so fondly, that first year with G I actually made the card from scratch (clearly too much time on my hands back then).

Okay now I spend a couple dreaded weeks working up the energy to get the mailing list together. Although this should be an easy task I send out so little snail mail correspondence that I usually end up procrastinating on this task. This year however I did have a slight incentive, Neve's birth announcements, which I have been processing in parallel to the holiday card. So I spend a couple days printing envelopes, and in spite of the multiple times I check and double check invariably there are a couple envelopes that I have to chicken scratch and hand write (though in the less children years I would have actually reprinted them)

Mid December has arrived and I realize that I can no longer put off the inevitable. The photo must be taken. And as luck would have it Paul's parents are visiting, so I hope to cash in on some of last year's karma.

Saturday morning dawns, rainy - so no outside shot. Paul takes the older kids in the hot tub while I ready Neve. I put her in the swing in her Christmas best while I go to get the girls out of the tub to realize that their hair is now soaking wet and I have no desire to try and dry it before taking a picture. No problem the kids can eat breakfast naked (don't want to spill food on the clothes) and by then their hair should be dry, besides they'll take a better photo on a full tummy. (lemonade out of lemons right?) I announce the change of plans, go and pick up Neve to discover she had vomited up her milk breakfast all over the front of her outfit in a catastrophic wardrobe disaster. Ahhhh, quick with hungry naked kids running around strip her down and get her outfit in the wash. Decide this is not in the cards and today is not picture day.

The day goes on, the tree goes up, spirits are high and in the holiday mood. Neve's outfit is washed no worse for the wear. Like the sun peaking out from behind the clouds I decide late afternoon pre dinner to give it another shot. Hey why not in front of the tree Grayson suggest. I decide what a great idea, only caveat Paul's parent, my good luck charms are out and about on an afternoon walk. No problem I can do this, besides Paul's here.

I set up the scene get the kids ready, whoops the batteries are near dead on my digital camera, no problem I put new batteries in. (A little history, this camera was top of the line when I bought it, back in 99. As most of you know with new technology they pretty much outdate themselves the minute you take them off the shelf, so by modern standards this camera is an antique.) It does take great photos under the right conditions, however it does like to suck up batteries like children do candy and the auto focus is adequate for landscape shots in bright light and all but unusable with moving children inside next to a lit tree. A couple of shots into the shoot, Paul's parents arrive yeah!, and the phone rings (Paul's brother, so I loose Paul as my assistant) boo! After about 10 shots and the promise of candy corn as a bribe if they can just do this, the new batteries die (not kidding) and I decide to take a look at what I have. 10 bad shots, and know I need to reload batteries and try again. More candy corn bribes - 10 more bad shots, me getting more than a little angry at the camera, us not being able to find Paul's camera to use instead, and me fuming that Paul is still talking on the phone. arg!! Things are not going well and the kids are now hopped up on candy corn on an empty stomach, and I am fearful that I might not have enough candy corn to actually pay off the bribe if I try again. Okay last go, new batteries, 10 more shots and one that I under any other circumstances would not accept, I decide that I am better off letting go of my ideal perfect shot and take what I have and go with it.

So that's what I have done, and now I am in the process of cutting out 100 of those photos and putting them in the cards, which I discovered after I had printed them don't really fit, but I am too fried to even care.

Merry Christmas to all and too all a good night!

Turning 6

Grayson turned 6 yesterday. Wow I can't believe it.

A couple weeks ago we had a massive "spooky" birthday for him (I learned that with a bday so close to xmas if you want people to attend your party you have to have it sooner rather than later). There was 50+ people and we had a mini carnival (where tickets won could buy prizes) and a haunted playroom where Grayson lay waiting dressed in costume (a vampire) to both spook and then hand out candy. It was exhausting but even being unnecessarily humble I would have to say it was a success.

My favorite memories of this birthday:

Watching the expression on Grayson's face when everyone gathered around singing happy birthday. A mixture of awe, embarrassment and thrill of being the center of so much attention. Absolutely worth every penny and hours of work that went into the party.

Second memory was from yesterday. His sisters gave him their present (my thought was his present from mom and dad was the party). Before he opened it he says to me, "don't worry mom, you already gave me my present". I was thinking he was referring to the party, but thought to continue the conversation "what's that Grayson?" He says matter of factually "Neve; you gave me a new baby sister". I was speechless (not any easy feat for anyone to accomplish). In near tears I told him how much I appreciated him saying that.

Happy Birthday Grayson!