We're Going On A Tree Hunt

Another weekend over, another week closer to Christmas, a cast free baby and a new year!

These are some pictures from two weekends ago, when we went to a local tree farm to cut a tree, (something we have not done since we moved to Michigan almost 3 years ago!)

The pictures made me laugh out loud as I edited them, because they are SO deceiving. You would never believe while looking through them that Oona threw a major, loud, ugly tantrum for about 90% of the time. Or that Olive and Silas wouldn't stop fighting over who got to sit in front of the sled, who got to pull the sled, who's tree was "better..." As we got ready to get the hell out of there leave the farm after tying the tree up to the top of the van, Matt and I each shut a sliding passenger door, and as the eardrum-popping noise of three children wailing angrily died away a guy in the car next to ours yelled "WHOOO-EEEEE, I SURE AM GLAD I'M PAST THOSE DAYS!" I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so I laughed.

Christmas Cards With Tiny Prints

After Oona's diagnosis and surgery rocked our sense of normalcy, we have since found a new "normal" - it's a more exhausting, chaotic kind of schedule and we're all still adjusting. Because of this, I thought Christmas photos and cards would be impossible to pull off this holiday season.

We just so happened to luck out with the weather in October - 70F, sunny days for over a week straight in west Michigan at the end of fall is really rare! We rushed the kids to the beach on one of these nice evenings to grab some photos. It was all rushed and kind of chaotic, (hmm, kind of like life right now...) but I really love the pictures we got. I especially love how all the kids wore different shades of purple to match Oona's cast. These photos will always remind me of these crazy, grace-filled days with our kids.

I was thrilled when TinyPrints reached out to me this fall to try some of their fabulous personalized, holiday stationary options. We ordered our cards from them last year, and the quality is just fantastic. They seriously have so many beautiful designs and templates this year that trying to narrow down our choices was a real challenge!

We ended up going with the "Cheerful Holly" die cut snowflake card, in Hazlenut. Look at that gorgeous floral print! *Swoon.* I love it in all three of the colors TinyPrints offers it in! The best part is that it's the perfect ornament size, and is something family and friends can keep for years to come. (I hate throwing photo cards away every year, and love the idea of having the photos on an ornament!)

This year I also wanted to try out the matching envelope liners (an add-on when you purchase your cards,) and personalized postage stamps. These little details are such easy ways to make your Christmas cards look extra special! I think family and friends will get a kick out of seeing the small Freys on a postage stamp this year. ;-)

If you're in need of creative, high quality photo cards and accessories this year, I highly recommend checking out TinyPrints! I can personally vouch for their fantastic customer service, unique designs, and fantastic, quality photo printing! (They're running some great holiday promotional deals right now too - hop on it!)

* Thanks TinyPrints for partnering on today's post! Opinions are my own.*

Picking Our Tree

We went back to the same tree lot that we loved so much last year - and loved it just as much this year! Nicest folks ever - they go out of their way to make sure you're getting a tree you love, and insist on getting a family picture with your tree on the lot...which was great after we got a series of "fails" - it must have been too cold for small Freys to feel cooperative!

Outtakes, for your entertainment:

Oh boy.

I'm Most Thankful For...

...These guys!

We've all got so very much to be thankful for. Let's celebrate it today, and every day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

DIY Christmas Card Family Photos

Last Christmas was I think the first year since Matt and I have been married that I did not send any Christmas cards out. I was almost 9 months pregnant, exhausted and stressed and just decided cards were an easy thing to cut from my holiday to-do list to make life easier. The funny thing was, it really bummed me out not sending anything out last year, not because I think Christmas cards are all that important but because they've always been something I've really enjoyed doing every year.

After missing out on the fun last year, I made getting cards done this year a priority. I wrangled my family of 5 into somewhat-coordinating plaid outfits and coerced them to accompany me to a local farm on an unusually warm November day to take family pictures. 

We're do-it-ourselves kind of people, so we knew we wanted to take our own pictures and save the expense of hiring a photographer. I just set all the settings on my dSLR for my sister and coached her on taking the pictures. It wasn't the easiest set-up but it worked out well in the end! (You did a great job Grace!)

We personalized and ordered our cards from Tiny Prints this year, and we couldn't be happier with the printed results! 

Getting pleasant pictures of three children under 5 years old together is no easy feat. Some tips I would recommend if you are a do-it-yourself photographer like me:

-Make sure the little ones are well rested and fed! Also, pack a special treat to use as a motivator for following directions and being patient. (M&Ms are great for this!) 

-After dinner, around sunset, is a great time to plan for outdoor family photos. The lighting is ideal!

-Try not to think "matching" outfits, but rather "complimentary" colors/patterns etc. Your pictures will look more natural and relaxed.

-Trying to get children to pose is often exhausting and fruitless. Aim for happy candid shots by making the shoot fun! When our kids started getting crabby we made a game out of throwing leaves into the air and ended up getting our favorite shots that way! Incorporate fun props, do a human pyramid, play ring-around-the-rosie - I promise everyone will look happy and animated in your photos. Photos that tell a story are always more interesting than posed portraits.

-Get "perfection" out of your head before you even start. Life with young children is unavoidably crazy and messy and it's ok for your photos to reflect a bit of that honest, beautiful chaos. Remember, this is a special, short lived season of life - embrace it and just go with the flow!

The Epic Valentines Day of 2014 Post!

Alternately titled: "Good Intentions Go Wrong."

So...Valentines Day. If you didn't already know, V-Day is one thing when you are dating or newly married and a whole other thing when you've got a 4 year old, a 22 month old and an infant and you permanently smell like spit-up.

Nevertheless - I'm a fool-for-all-things-red-and-pink who likes to commemorate the silly day anyway, and decided to give Matt the gift of some cute printed pictures of our three offspring. (Thanks Target, for the photobooth props and inspiration! No, this is not a sponsored post but it would be nice if it were! Wink wink!)

So that was the good intention. Things started going south the minute we started getting ready for our photoshoot. 

Silas was not feeling it. At all. He refused to hold the props the right way and when we tried turning them the right way he'd immediately toss them on the floor.

There's Silas trying to get into a shot that I don't want him to be in...

...Here's Silas crying real, giant tear drops because his mother asked him to hold pink and red things and pose for silly pictures. The inhumanity...

...Here's Aunt Grace (who is an evil genius) breaking out the big guns to coax Silas into sitting still for 2 minutes so I could get a whopping TWO decent pictures (out of about 500...)

And now, here are a bunch of out takes for your viewing pleasure...

...And of course we couldn't call it quits without torturing the poor baby for a bit...

Do you have any idea how exhausted this little project left me? I was a shattered, haggard old woman by the time we wrapped this up. Never again, I tell you... Well, maybe in ten years, when they can actually take direction we'll give it another go.

Happy Valentine's Day, everybody!