if you didn’t find one in your mailbox…

it’s still here on my shelf with your name waiting to be addressed.

……………

some of our most memorable moments come when we are trying to capture our family christmas card photo.

like many of your photo sessions there is a story behind the photo.  someone is grumpy. someone is being bribed, someone is whispering play-by-play commentary under their breath and someone was just crying a few minutes earlier because their foot was stepped on.

this year i convinced the kids to sit with me on the beach for ten shots, that’s all i was going to let grandpa take. simple as that…..promise.

we didn’t want to stay long anyway, the deserted beach behind us was empty for a reason.  a hurricane was coming and the outer banks was being evacuated.

my heart was set on a grassy beach photo, but my sweet and loveable 6-yr-old was in a weird mood that day (must have been the strange weather), so the grassy one’s were thrown out because of the cryptic gang signs he was flashing.

nope. we’re not going for the best pose.

try again.

falling apart.

maybe a quick change in scenery would help.

we moved to the sand. 

“hellllloooo zachary?”

seriously what was he doing? finding his zen among the chaos?!

we were on number 12 of my “only 10 shots i promise” promise.

so we squeezed together and got this little blustery-hair-squinting-eyes gem.

happy times friends!

so much of the joy and goodness we have found on our journey are in the little things of life like listening to the ‘sounds’ of Christmas. it is what brings us happiness and defines who we are.

we are grateful to have friends like you who enrich and inspire us.

wishing you peace and hope this christmas/new years/valentine season and lots of joy on your journey!