Christmas Card Photo Shoot

It's that time of the year again! Christmas card time!!! I know some people like to go to a real studio for their Xmas card pictures...but not me! (well I would, I just never have!) Instead, I try to capture the spirit of Xmas myself! This has led to some pretty tacky Xmas cards in the past...I was looking for our Xmas cards from the previous years...If I find them I will post them some other time. I liked them at the time, I think, and I still like them now because it's my little Libby in the pictures. But, I think when she grows up she may look back at them and ask me, not for the first time I'm sure, "Mom, what were you thinking?" So here we go, another year, another Xmas card! I really do think I am getting better! Or is Libby getting better? Either way...Here are some of the pictures that didn't make it on the Xmas card this year! I don't want to call them rejected pictures, because I love all Libby's pictures! But it's just not practical to send out Christmas card posters!!!

We started out well! These are Libby's new jammies! I love them on her! She looks so grown up and fancy in them!

This pic DID make the card, but I wanted to explain what she is doing to Ginger...
She is trying to make her smile! Isn't that too funny?!



I think this is only Ginger's 2nd year in the Xmas card. She doesn't quite get the concept yet! She is also wearing her little Xmas snowman tshirt and I couldn't get her positioned so it would show up in the picture.
And then we take a short break for a change in outfits! Yes, I do all this to my daughter right before bedtime!

Now we are back and Libby is wearing her new princess dress. But she's not ready to pose for pictures, she's ready to dance!

She's a dancin'...

...dancin'...

...dancin' machine!

Still dancing? She's losing steam!

I really like this picture! She looks like a princess with her dress all spread out around her, and she's just looking up at me like she's the sweetest, most innocent girl (like her mommy)! This was actually one of my pics for the Xmas card, but I couldn't find a card that would hold 4 pictures. SO it got bumped!

Libby has had enough of the smiles...she wants to make funny faces!

This was a concept that we couldn't quite capture on film...

She is blowing kisses...mmmmmwaw!

I think she was getting hostile!

This is her "on-demand" fake smile. I try to explain to her there is such a thing as too much smile!

I do like this picture, but it is too serious for a Xmas card. She looks like a little doll...her eyes look really blue and her lips are nice and rosy!

Notice the facial expression and the hands on the hips! If she were standing up, her foot would be tapping, too!

I'm not sure what's up with the disco finger! I'd say she was dancing again, but she is sitting down.

This picture was a close runner-up, but in the end it didn't make the cut due to the borderline too-cheesy smile.

This was actually a good picture, but it's so hard to see ginger because she's black and Libby's dress is black. So many things to consider when trying to get the perfect Xmas card! You all thought I just took three pictures and threw them on the card! I think I took something like 43 pictures! And aren't you glad I'm not posting them all!

Libby wanted to me to take a picture of her big straddle. Gymnastics filters into everything she does!

This was actually the next morning. She wanted me to take MORE pictures of her...can you believe it??? So her she is modeling her antlers with the bells. This could have gone on forever, luckily my camera card was suddenly full!

OK, so I deleted a few pics to make room for more... Here is Libby standing next to her stocking that I made her. And yes, it does get filled, really it gets overfilled believe it or not! Last year it actually pulled the hook off the wall! I know I need to practice a little self control, but I love doing Xmas...stuffing her stocking is probably my favorite part!