Christmas shoot

I wasn't sure when I'd get around to taking these pictures...in Oregon it just rains and rains and bright sunlight doesn't come around too often. I am not an experienced photographer that can take good pictures without natural light (although I'd like to learn how!)

On Sunday I was home with our two sick children and Jonathan was away at church. It was one of those really chaotic mornings. The kids were covered in their breakfast and their toys were everywhere. They were both miserable and crying and I could barely hear myself think. When this happens, the best thing to do for everyone's sanity is stick them in the tub. They both LOVE being in the tub. And not only were they happier, but cleaner!

As I was picking up the toys and things, I notice tiny blue patches in the sky. The patches got bigger, and I thought "Yes! I'm doing it today!" So I quickly get them scrubbed, rinsed, dried, and dressed. Yes, they were sick and had snotty faces... yes, they both needed a nap... but I knew the sunlight wouldn't last long. As I began taking pictures, the sun BURST out of nowhere and there was about 30 minutes of perfect light shining through our big screen window. It was glorious. A true Christmas miracle :)

I still can't believe that these turned out given the circumstances- two sick, grumpy, and tired kids and their mommy trying to capture the slightest happy moment. I just let them do their thing and clicked the camera, with a few prompts like "kiss her!" (for Talmage) and "booga-booga-BOO!" (for Charlotte). I'm sure I looked ridiculous but hey, it worked. 

Here are a "few" of my favorites...