A picture isn't always worth a thousand words...

I was determined to get a Christmas card out this year...

so I decided to start early.

November being VERY early for this gal!

Last year, December got 

sooo CRAZY busy...

 that a Christmas Greeting

from the Snowden fam

 simply didn't happen.

I was...

too worried about everyone coordinating...

too worried about finding an awesome card...

too worried about getting a shot

 where ALL of my kids looked cute...

(you know there is always at least one child who's the "ugly one" by default.)

This year ...

I had grand ideas of how 

they would turn out...

Those ideas of grandeur didn't pan out so much.

If you have children 

and have ever tried to take posed shots of them...

you know my pain.

We were running out of light...

They were sick of smiling...

I was sick of saying 1...2...3...cheese...

through my clenched teeth...

I was fit to be tied...

They were fit to be tied...

Don't let the smiles fool you.

The second the flash went off...

instantaneous mayhem ensued. 

Elbows were being thrown...

she touched me...he touched me...

I'm hungry...I have to go potty...

They all should have been swatted and sent to bed...

(if that was the sort of mother I was...cough cough)

Why do we put so much pressure on ourselves 

for everything to "look" so perfect?

SIGH...

when will we learn???

Now I just need to find a great card....

(I have yet to learn the lesson)