First things first.

This is my 4ooth post!

I've been itching to write.  Because the number 400 is exciting!

(slightly more exciting than 396 and strangely, way more exciting than 402)

I don't have anything riveting to write about.  Life has been smooth which really hurts my writing vibe.  Not that I'm asking for crazy.  Speaking of crazy.....

This year marks the first time we've ever had a professional family picture taken (not including the church directory pictures). Every year I force family pictures for Christmas cards, but this year a Christmas picture card just isn't in the cards.  The kids must feel like their forced apparel, unnatural poses and head tilts are all in vain.  Just so I can say they weren't tortured without purpose, I'll post a couple of the family pics along with

Ten things you wouldn't know from looking at the pictures

1. Someone has syrup in their hair.

2. Somebody slammed the door on someone else because they were in a tiff when we left the house.

3. We were later than we anticipated to the photo shoot because we had to stop and get gas even though somebody told somebody else hours before we left that we had plenty.

4. Later than we anticipated meant we still got there early so that somebody could take pictures before the pictures because she's a control freak.

 

5. Only one person in the pictures likes taking family pictures.....it's the control freak. And by taking pictures, I mean she wants to hold the camera.

6. We talked about the zombie apocalypse on the way. (We have a safety plan and it includes the underworking of the Rainbow Bridge.) That's enough.  I've said too much.

7.  Somebody bought bright pants because she wanted  vivid color in the pictures.  And then didn't like the pants because they were bright.

8.  It was really cold and windy and we weren't as happy as we looked.  The photographer probably wasn't happy either.  We were bossy to her.

9.  One person wore white dorky socks, but that person was forced to take them off and put them in his pocket.  (He did this same thing two years ago).

10.  The piggy back smooch thing is not for real.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Not all of those words are nice.....

or pretty....

or even necessarily true.

But it's all of those thousand words that makes life a beautiful story.