A few Christmas decorations and fun

Here is our Christmas tree, newly decorated. The kids did all the ornaments- so they are kind of all sporadic and lower vs. higher - but they enjoyed every minute of it, and keep rearranging them everyday.
Here is our nativity and the pretty wreathe I put above.

Below are a couple of pictures that we took 2 years ago for our Christmas cards. I swear we were at it for like 2 hours... and we still never got the "perfect" picture. Seems like today- I can't get a perfect picture either- but then again, when we sent out our Christmas card- we got lots and lots of compliments- because it "showed our true personalities" and made people laugh because - it really is what it is like to take a picture with kids!! Oh- what it takes! LOL!
So, here Ethan keeps crawling away - he was about 18 months in this picture, and Dante is trying to get him to come back, and Erin is like- help!!!

This is the one we used for our actual "Christmas card" I absolutely love it- and will cherish these sweet moments when you are about to pull your hair out, because all you want is a picture with them all smiling and looking at the camera... and then when you get to see the proofs- you realize how adorable they are no matter what and that your children aren't perfect- THIS is who they are! :) So, I'm for real Christmas cards anyday!! We'll see how this years turn out:)


Oh- and this last Saturday was our ward Christmas party, which means another chance with TRYING to get all the kids to sit on Santa's lap. So, I'm relaying the story to one of my friends about the Santa mall incident- and then Ethan starts pulling my arm- "MOM! MOM!! I want to go see Santa!!" So, I get all excited- and Dante, Erin, and Ethan and I all walk up to Santa's chair and get in line. I notice that playing Santa this year is my Uncle Paul, and so when Erin starts pulling away- and i'm like- Erin- look- it is Ginger's dad... you don't have to be scared... it's ok. So, she looks and is like- no, mom- I don't want to go. So, Dante is all excited (again) Erin is wiggin' out, and Ethan is just in my arms waiting. When we become the next people in line- Ethan starts to grip tighter- and I'm like- Ethan - look, it's just Uncle Paul, you'll be ok! Santa couldn't come- so it is Uncle Paul. Ethan starts bawling... and will not let go of me! Dante is all of a sudden no where to be found, and Erin is again, cowering behind me. So, we take the presents and go. I start looking for Dante because it is time to go... and I can't find him. Then I am leaving the cultural hall and one of my friends stops me and I'm like- I'm looking for Dante and she says- oh, he is sitting in Santa's lap?! I was like- what?? And sure enough- he was in Santa's lap. He had left to go to the bathroom, without telling me- and then snuck back in and cut in front of the line. So- no pictures of Santa at the ward Christmas party. I told Chet when he got home from work, and I was like- you need to come home in a Santa suit and see what happens!

anyone have any tips??:)