family photos 2010...still playing catch-up

Note: Feel free to skip this post. Many of you have already seen several of these pictures on our christmas card. Oh what we do for the sake of journaling.

I didn't think we would be taking family pictures this year because we didn't make our annual trek home to Virginia, which is where my friend Susan lives. She has taken nearly all of our family photos and pictures we use for our holiday cards. She had planned to pass through Austin on her way to visit her parents in Arizona so she could join in the big birthday festivities at the end of July but when her family's minivan broke down I knew that plan was a long shot. She ended up not making it to the party and we ended up without a photographer to capture the Allen's a la 2010.

By the time August rolled around I had come to peace with our lack o' pics. We had had such a crazy summer with birthdays, kid camps, playing with friends, sister's weddings, etc. that I was able to face the reality of a hodge-podge christmas card with photos from various excursions and events throughout the year (clearly that suited us just fine in 2009), but then in a blink we had an opportunity and we seized it!

The day after Tate's birthday (which was on the sabbath, aka no party) we had a party for him at Jessie's with a bounce house in the front yard. All of the kids in attendance were either Tate's cousins or the kids of my cousins, it was very low-key relative to the grand fete's enjoyed by my older two children (stinks to have a summer birthday). I spent the morning and the early part of the afternoon at the dentist (blasted miserable experience which resulted in a numb mouth, red at the corners, and me crying as I walked myself exactly one block to the SLC Nordstrom and soothed my pain and sadness by purchasing a new Rebecca Taylor dress...note to Justin: do not allow me to undergo painful medical procedures near such a dangerous shopping venue). Anyway, by the time I made it back down to Lehi, the party had already begun. Birthday parties wait for no mom. We had quite a pleasant afternoon eating pizza and having cake (well i couldn't feel my mouth, but the others ate). Any chance to chat and catch up with my extended family is time well spent. Then, just as the party was winding down, my cousin Heather (fab photographer) offered to take some photos of us all that night.

The photo shoot was very last minute, none of us had prepared our outfits (hence Lexie's heinous onesie), nor did we have time to bathe the kids and do hair, etc. but we scrounged around for what matched and was clean (Taylor even made a special trip into GAP kids to buy Tate a white shirt because his wasn't clean). The end result was quite nice and, best of all, we now have family photos documenting this year of our lives. Thanks Heath!

when did my baby boy turn into a little man?

(i have no idea why this is underlining..annoying)

i know this will be one of my favorite pictures of abbie forever, she's such a sweet girl

in the picture above she looks like a little girl, but just seconds later in this shot i can see her teenage self. i'm not ready.

this is more like it. i'm not ready for any of them to grow up.

dear lexie, please always be this happy...but do not always try to be getting away from your mother

uh, what the fly-away? thanks a lot hair

she's ready to bolt

(notice how a. i should have been wearing skinny jeans, and b. one boot rises higher than the other because of the difference in length of my legs)

oh i just love these people!

westward ho! rolling, rolling, rolling...

doesn't it sort of seem like justin should be holding a pitch fork?

this picture is only slightly different than the one above, i'm just a sucker for black and white

wuh? huh?

...a little too enthusiastic...

seriously ruby? is a normal smile just too much to ask for?

tate and my girls look so thrilled to still be having their picture taken

"well, whatever do you mean? i am just a quiet, shy, and demure young lady."

(so often i wish i was privy to ruby's inner monologue)

"OH MY GOSH! SHE SAID WHAT???"

"CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!?"

(love the hands on the hips)

"this is really as much smile as i feel i can give right now mom, it will have to do"

bright beautiful balancing baby

belly laugh

three little ladies all in a row

...and they lived happily ever after...