Almost, But Not Quite

What it takes to get a decent picture for our Christmas card . . .

First off, at this age, Katherine is a piece of cake to get a picture of!

 Except, of course, when she finds leaves and refuses to let go

 Jackson decided to "help" even though on this particular day, he refused to change into picture clothes and participate

 The runner-up for Katherine's picture

 All it takes for a smile like this is for Katherine to see her Daddy.

On to the second round of shooting and trying to get Jackson and Katherine together.

The first picture I took of the two of them actually turned out to be their runner-up.  Not my ideal picture, but at least Jackson is looking and neither one have a ridiculous expression!

 Then it went downhill

 At this point, we're bribing Jackson with candy, but Katherine is feeling a little left out

 Trying a different pose and Jackson is getting disgusted.

 Really disgusted.

 The new pose didn't go over well, so we're back to Jackson holding Katherine

 And she's spotted that Snickers bar, again

 Jackson realizes what she's after and makes sure it's out of reach

 So, we give up on pictures with the two of them, hoping there is just one decent picture, and attempt to get just one picture of Jackson. 

As usual, refusing to look at the camera.

 The Snickers bar wasn't working well, so we turned to 'Nilla Wafers for a little help.  They apparently didn't help too much either.

 Finally, a little smile and a glimmer of hope

 My heart dropped when I saw this picture . . . perfect, except that he's blinking

 If only he would look at the camera

So, those are a few of our Christmas card outtakes and here's hoping that next year's attempt(s) isn't quite as stressful!

Vaughn Christmas

We traveled to Alabama this past week for Christmas with Zach's family.  There are a ton of pictures, so I'll let the pictures do most of the "talking"

Katherine opening her first Christmas present!

 Ohhh, a baby doll!!

 Trying to get a picture with Emma, Katherine, and Jackson

 Oh wow!  My very own purse!!

 Katherine already has a vanity on her wish list for a future Christmas

 Cracking Grandpa's finger

 CHEESE!!!

Christmas Chapel

Jackson attended his last day at his current preschool last Wednesday.  They have chapel every Wednesday, and once a month, the parents are invited to attend.

He was sitting up so big and happy to see us!  When Jackson walked in with his class, Katherine spotted him and started jumping up and down in Zach's arms!

Zach was asked to read The Christmas Story to everyone!

At this point in the post, I intended to have the video of his class singing Jingle Bells, but I've been trying to upload it for days and am having no luck.

Jackson with some of his friends after chapel

Jackson, Logan, Presley, and Hannah
Jackson and Hannah are apparently partners in crime

Later that afternoon, Zach and I showed up early to pick up Jackson and we brought cupcakes as well.  His teachers lined up everyone from his class and we were able to get a picture before we left!

Presley, Hannah, Jackson, Cooper, Logan, and Tripp

I think Logan and Tripp are eyeing Jackson's goodies he got early since he would miss the Christmas party the following day!

Santa Train

Bear with me, this is wordy!

Each December, there is a Santa Train that comes through town dropping Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus off near the town square.  There is also a drawing for a chance to ride the train with Santa . . . Zach entered Jackson in the drawing, and Jackson was one of four kids whose name was drawn to ride the train!!!  We knew he would love the train, but based on Jackson's track record with Santa the last 2 years, we were a little concerned that Santa being around may ruin Jackson's fun!  We were at the  pick-up before the train arrived and Jackson was ecstatic!  He loves just being around the tracks!  By the time the train arrived, however, we were getting concerned.  We could hear the train coming before we ever saw it and Jackson was scared to death and trembling in Zach's arms.  His preschool class watched Polar Express sometime recently and some of the kids were scared of the movie, so now Jackson is terrified of it (even though he watched at least 3 times per day last December).  With that being said, we think he got scared of the train because of the movie.  By the time the train was stopped in front of where we were, Jackson was hiding in our car.  I was able to get him out of the car and to the train.  By the time we were standing next to the train, his attitude was the complete opposite--he was screaming to get on the train!  Although we had planned that Zach would ride with him, I ended up riding the train with him.  By this point, we were just glad he got on!

The train arrived and we had to wait a few minutes before loading and Jackson was throwing a fit to get on!

All of these pictures are a little blurry . . . Zach was holding Katherine and each time he held the camera up to take a picture, she went after it causing most of the pictures to be blurry!

On the train and waiting to leave!

He did great on the ride and was so cute waving out of the window to the stopped cars when we crossed the highway!  Santa talked to him as well and it didn't seem to phase him!

Getting off

Arriving near the square . . .

remember Zach is still holding Katherine and she's attacking the camera!

And on the way home. 

He wasn't too happy to be leaving.

He is screaming "I want that way" over and over, wanting to go back to the train and Santa

{Zach loves this clip, so that's the main reason it's on here!}

And after we got home and he finally calmed down, this is what we found!

Christmas Babies

I wanted to get pictures of Jackson and Katherine together in Christmas pajamas, so before Jackson had his bath and in pajamas, I was taking a round with Katherine.

As usual, she cooperated and smiled {at her Daddy, of course!}. . .

but this is what she really had on her mind . . .

Once Katherine investigated Sadie enough, Jackson was in his pajamas and bribed {M&Ms work wonders} to sit with Katherine for some pictures!

He's showing her an ornament and I'm sure she's furious he can reach them and she can't!  She's been after the ornaments for the last few days!

And the very first picture I took turned out to be the best!

Merry Christmas!!

Just for Size

She's only FOUR months away from her first birthday!

My, my, my, the time has flown!

 While I was taking pictures of Katherine, she decided it was the perfect time to pull herself all the way to standing.  This was the first time she has done this and I was able to catch it!  I was hoping we could keep her crib at the top level until we move in a few weeks, but from the looks of it, we'll be lowering it.

Our sweet little girl isn't so little anymore!