Bad Lighting, Good Kids

Before I got this fancy new camera of mine, I used to think: "If only I had one of those huge, awesome cameras, then I would take remarkable pictures!  Everything would be right in the world!  Disease and famine would cease to exist!  Wars would stop!  I would be so happy!"

As it turns out, I was a bit wrong. 

These things are hard work.

I am learning this the hard way.  Meaning: crappy pictures.  A lot of crappy pictures.

Luckily, I'm not getting too down about it, seeing as how I have a million other things going on right now.  Sometimes being highly overwhelmed pays off. :)

So, with that very long appetizer, here is the meat and taters of this post:

Christmas Pictures.

Ah, the annual tradition of spending hours trying to dress everyone in coordinated outfits, debating whether this will be the year Orrin and I finally join our children in the pics (yeah, like that's gonna happen), scouting locations (and finally deciding on the desert right across the street), trying to align everyone's schedules (again: an impossibility)...

So much work goes into getting those darn Christmas cards out.

This year, I had a slight opening in the schedule on a Monday night when it seemed like everything would work out.  Cooler weather, Orrin was actually home, no after-school clubs, no friends, nada.  So I proclaimed on Sunday that tomorrow would be the day.

As it turns out, Adi has dance on Monday nights.  Yep, I forgot.

So we rushed home from school, rushed through homework, rushed doing hair and getting dressed, rushed, rushed, RUSHED.

And... we got out there too early.  The sun was blinding everyone and everything.

But, again, I'm not letting it get me too down, seeing as how I'm moving into my beautiful new home in just a few weeks.

For your viewing pleasure:

Merrill Kiddos, 2012

Can I please begin by showing you just how difficult it is to get a decent pic of my four little rascals?

I even brought Orrin along to help.

I had this vision.  I wanted it to look like my four loving children were holding hands, walking down a desert road.  Instead, I got this:

I seriously couldn't get them to face the right way.  Or get Wyatt to walk away from Orrin and I.

Then came a stroke of genius.  "OP, walk Wyatt all the way back there with the other kids, sit him down, and run out of the picture fast so I can get them walking this way."

And...

That didn't work.

So we moved to the awesome old rusty gate.

And then we tried individual pictures.

*Piper is shadow dancing here*

I seriously feel like I'm herding cats with these kids.

But, hey- they're worth it.

I. Am. Overwhelmed.

Let's move right before Christmas.

Sounds brilliant, right?

Wrong.

With a December 18th closing date looming ahead, I am trying like crazy to not only pack this tiny house that is brimming over with Merrill possessions, I'm trying to juggle Christmas too: making sure I have bought all the gifts (where did I put that dang list again?), have them all wrapped (so they are all ready to be pulled out of the box and placed snugly under our tree in the new house), making sure I have everything I need four our two upcoming family parties, planning games, still trying to keep the Christmas spirit alive and well with boxes, tape, and permanent markers as decorations instead of lights, bows, and holly.  Let's add to this list the guilt that presses down on me every time I see my camera and remember the four or five posts I've been meaning to get around to (stinking Blogger has officially declared that I've used up all of my free storage space and requires me to pay $2.50 a month if I wish to continue posting pictures).

I'm beginning to crack.

This is evident by the fact that I'm sitting here typing this at 6 o'clock in the morning when I really should be getting the kids ready to go to school.

My priorities have become jumbled.

As has my brain.

So, please forgive my disinterest in this humble little blog at this moment.

I will return soon (with the sad results of our hurried Christmas picture taking).

Until that happens, please enjoy the mental picture of my children making forts out of our boxes and moving blankets in the garage.  

They've got the magic

It was a big deal.

I mean: A BIG DEAL.

The girls got to perform for the Phoenix Sun's halftime show.

 Ain't they so sparkly?  Also, their make-up reminded me of a lady-of-the-night (if you know what I'm implying).

Think Adi looks a  little nervous? She was on the brim of tears all night.

Piper, however, kept eating early Halloween candy and asking if it was time to perform yet.

And then.  It was time.

Look girls, you made the jumbotron!

Lucky for you, some kind person posted a video of the dance on YouTube. So, for your viewing pleasure, I present their dance:





They got to walk off the court like bosses.

 Posing with their neighborhood dance buddies.

BFFLs:

These dance shoes cost $25.  Yep $25 for foot underwear.

Aunt Whit scored these babies for free for the girlies.

Nana was awesome and paid for the girls to get their cheeks painted by this kindly old man.

Good job ladies! And if any of you fam and friends are interested in watching their next Sun's performance live, they're doing it again in January and I can get you discounted tickets!

This Was Halloween

On Monday, we had our Family Home Evening where in which we carved pumpkins.  Or attempted to. 

Orrin and I scraped the guts out while the kiddos were at school, or napping, whichever may be the case.

(Oh, and OP did most of the work.  What can I say?  He loves me)

 And then we carved.  Well- Orrin, Piper, and Porter carved.

 Adi carved a mustache on hers and then whined that it was too hard to finish the rest.

So OP did.

Wyatt watched a Halloween movie (after he threw his pumpkin on the ground three times),

 so Orrin carved his.

And then my messed-up hands gave out, so he carved mine also.

Such a good guy.

In the wee hours of Wednesday morning, the Halloween visited our home and left it so very prettily decorated.

Incredible work, right?  ;)

And yes, those are chocolate chip spider pumpkin muffins,

 Porter Pot really liked the decorations.

Well, everyone did. Except Wyatt.  He just wanted to throw everything on the floor.

This year, the girlies ditched the rest of us.  Piper went to her BFFL's.

 Adi went to her BFFL's.

Notice the matching costumes?

At the last minute, I whipped up Wyatt a new costume.  Because I felt guilty that not a single person would get his Doctor Who costume.

Hello, Clark Kent.

He refused to have the cape around his neck.

And the werewolf was stuck with us too.

And then we went trick-or-treating with Minnie Mouse.

There were quite a few people that really got into the holiday this year.

There was a person inside of that coffin right there in the bottom left corner.

Fun, fun night.  Once PG was tuckered out and begging to go home, I collected the girlies from their buddy's.

Happy Halloween!

Thank goodness it's over.