Family Pictures 2012

Every November or December, we always get our family pictures made. This year we didn’t have the budget to get professional photos taken, so we just improvised by taking our own outside in the yard. We are super high-class, obviously! : )

A couple of weeks ago I took a few pictures of the kids. I am definitely NOT a photographer and I never mastered the lighting for my pictures so they aren’t the highest quality. It was also COLD outside so the poor kiddos’ smiles are pretty strained in some of the pictures! But I still managed to capture a few cute shots.

Makenna (Makenna actually likes having her picture taken, so there are more pictures of her than Max. Max complains about me taking his pictures and says, “Are we done yet?!?” after each shot! Also, Makenna is SUPER photogenic usually but she was really just freezing and shaking all over during these pictures. We will have to try again in the Spring when she’s not so cold!):

Makenna and Max together:

Max’s smile here cracks me up!

Love Max playing with Makenna’s hair in this one:

Max:

Makenna is in the background of this picture, but it’s still my favorite shot of Max!

He insisted on wearing his “puppy ears”:

On Sunday, after Church, I said “enough is enough! Let’s take some family pictures now!” We were all wearing Christmas colors, so we all sort of coordinate even! : )

We didn’t have a photographer, so we sat on the hearth at the fireplace and Austin propped the camera on the back of the couch and then ran and jumped in the picture. We had to redo the picture several times until we were all actually in the picture. : )

Then we went outside to take pictures of parents with kids.

These two are SO photogenic!

Austin with his “mini-me”:

This pose didn’t work out so great for us… But it is still pretty fun!

I have to admit, I don’t really like any of the pictures I am in. I am absolutely huge and my face looks swollen and I have no color in my face… but I am 30 weeks pregnant so I will probably not like any of my pictures for a while! At least there are cute kids sharing my pictures!

We finished off our photo session by heading back inside for a “Mommy and Daddy” picture. I actually do like this picture—I love my handsome husband! (Also, totally off topic, but for some reason this pregnancy has turned my hair curly! I shower at night, go to bed with my hair wet, and wake up in the morning with curls! So crazy!)

So there’s the Matthews’ Family Portraits 2012! Not our best pictures, but I’m still thankful for my gorgeous family! : )

Sibling Christmas Gift Exchange

Ah, the sibling Christmas gift exchange. My favorite tradition growing up and one that I love sharing with my own children. This year we, once again, went to Five Below so the kids could pick out anything in the store they wanted to get for their sibling. I took Makenna shopping and Austin took Max. It was so fun watching how concerned Makenna was with finding the PERFECT gift for Max! Haha, Austin said Max was mostly distracted by things HE wanted in the store. Maybe next year he can focus more on his sibling. : ) Anyway, they picked out great gifts for each other and then, a few days later, had fun wrapping the gifts they bought.

On Sunday night (Christmas Eve Eve) we let them exchange their gifts. They were SUPER excited to give their gift (and see what they received in return).

Holding the gift they bought and wrapped for each other:

Max’s turn to open:

Makenna had to show/tell Max about the present. She got him a hopper ball (looks like a big bouncy ball with a handle that he can sit on and bounce around on):

Makenna’s turn:

She got a Littlest Pet Shop toy. Ha ha, Max was like, “Ooh, what did you get? Who got you that?” Oh Max…

After opening presents (and giving each other LOTS of hugs), the kids had fun playing with their new toys.

Such a fun time! I love that my kids enjoy giving each other gifts. Now, each time they play with their new toy they say, “This is what my […..] gave me!” Love it! And love that next year we will have one more kid to add to the mix!

Merry Christmas!

Dance Recital Videos Take 2

Okay for some reason Makenna’s dance recital videos didn’t show up on that last blog post… so let’s try this again!

This is Makenna’s ballet and tap dances during her recital. In each video she is on the front row, on the far left.

Makenna’s Tap Dance

Makenna’s Ballet Dance

Makenna’s Christmas Dance Recital 2012

Makenna’s dance teacher is VERY pregnant and is having a baby at the end of this month. So of course she is planning on taking a break from teaching dance to have and enjoy her new baby. As a closer for dance (for a while), the dancers had a Christmas Dance Recital on Saturday.

Makenna has been practicing for the dance recital quite a bit. This little girl LOVES to dance and will, totally on her own, practice her dances for seriously two full hours! She did great at her recital! I love that she has something she enjoys doing so much!

In both videos, Makenna is on the front row on the far left.

Ballet Dance

 

Tap Dance

Before the recital we took a few pictures of the dancer girl. I love how she posed, ha ha:

Makenna and Max (I kept telling them to stop looking at me and look at Daddy, who was taking the pictures, but they never did…)

(Why is it that the cutest pictures are always the blurry ones?!?)

Makenna with some of the dancers in her group (not sure why the grumpy face…):

During the recital, Austin stood in the back taking pictures and video and I was in the front taking the little girls on to the stage. So where was Max? Umm, running around WAY too much and probably popping up in everyone’s videos! He has entirely too much energy!

This is just a snapshot from the tap dance video. Makenna is on the front on the far left:

The final bow (Makenna is the second from the left in the back):

(middle row, second from left)

After the recital, Makenna’s dance teacher presented all the little dancers with a flower (look at how great this lady looks! Would you ever guess she is having a baby in three weeks?!?). Makenna is the non-blurry red bow girl:

Makenna with her flowers from us (the purple ones because she loves purple) and her flower from Ms. Jenni (the red flower):

Makenna and Ms. Jenni:

I think Ms. Jenni is planning on teaching dance again after her baby is born—but it will at the MOST only be for a few months because she is moving away this summer! We will miss her so, so much! Makenna absolutely adores this lady!!!