Family Photos 2010

Here is the link to our family photos. Go to www.kendrapence.com/photocart.  You have to create your own username & password to view the galleries and then need to enter our access code to see our proofs. The access code is "kellif". Lots of good ones of our little guys, but I finally narrowed them down and ordered today.

Little Ditty

Since I've written way too many posts about writing a song a while back, I thought I'd share it - for better or for worse :) I couldn't figure out how to upload an mp3, so I just posted a slideshow here.

To Our Moms on Mother's Day

In lieu of cards, we are doing blog posts this year...and this is by no means because we didn't get them put in the mail on time or because we were so busy preparing for the mother's day brunch at church that we were a bit absentminded this week. By no means.

Ahhhem.

So, here's what those cards would have said. And instead of a piece of paper that might get thrown away in a month or so, you now have a blog post to live infinitely in the world wide web.

To My Mom on Mother's Day, From Troy:

Happy Mother's Day! Just wanted to say I love you and thanks for not only bringing me into this world, but for also bringing me up in it. I wouldn't be who I am or where I am today without you.

Love you,  Troy

PS...what's up with that shirt? So glad you came to your senses.

To My Mom on Mother's Day, From Kelli:

I was trying to find some photos of you and me from when I was a kid. I went through an entire trunk full of photos and mementos in the basement. I couldn't find many, though. Partly because you have a way of avoiding having your photo taken, but mainly because you were the one taking photos when we were kids.

But I did find many other photos that made me smile. Some that made me cringe a bit. And all that brought back tons of memories & emotion.

Playing in the utility room with it's brown, plaid carpet. The velvety maroon couch and round glass coffee table that I apparently loved to clean with Windex. Vacation bible school. Baptism. Dressing up in aunt Jane's vintage clothes. Posing on top of the piano. Colonial Williamsburg. Splits on a 2x4 in the backyard, pretending it was a balance beam. Grade school sports. Graduation. Slumber parties. Dances. Halloween. South Carolina. Plays. Musicals. Concerts. Graduation, again. College parties. Sorority functions. Brazil. Parents' weekend. Barn dances. Another graduation. St. Louis. Old apartments. Another graduation. First house. First baby..... the trunk was too full to fit much more in after that.

Although I didn't have many photos of you and I together, I know that you were vital part of every step of my life.

Safety.

Encouragement.

Prayers.

Unconditional Love.

Thank you so much for everything you've done - both seen and unseen. I definitely wouldn't be the person and mom that I am now without you!

And for Pete's sake...let's take some photos together!!

Love you!
Kelli

Family Photos

Boy, are they lucky.

They didn't have to color coordinate. Black and white photos are very forgiving. They're probably all wearing clashing shades of red and hot pink for all we know! And they didn't even have to smile! How easy to take a photo of two adults and three children when you don't all have to be smiling at the same time.

Ahh...the early 1900s. A simpler time for family portraits.

I, however, am embarking on our 2010 family spring photos. How do these things always sneak up on me? I've had it scheduled for months now. Months. And now, in the last few frantic moments left, I am scrambling to assemble four complete outfits that define our our family. Our personalities. Our style. Our bond.

And all the while coordinating???? While not looking too matchy-matchy, of course.

I think we're going with blues and greens. Not pastels or whites, like last year. Bright, vibrant colors. The boys are {somewhat} taken care of.

I have a very tall husband, so simply going to the mall to buy him a shirt is not an option. They must be ordered online from any store that carries XLTs {thus my frantic call to customer service earlier this afternoon asking if I could order a shirt I just spotted in their catalog and have it delivered by Wednesday}. Not that we can't wear something we already own. I get that. The thing is, we just don't buy clothes very often. Clothes are functional. Not super-fun or flashy. And they get very worn out.

And I'm the worst person to dress! And dress in a dress, in fact. I feel as thought I should exude femininity {that made me chuckle just typing it} with three "men". How else to do that than wear a dress? This should be the simplest thing to buy for a woman with my body type {in short, I have hips}. But how come I've dragged my boys in a double stroller {which no tall, 57 lb 4 yr old should legally ride in} through the mall this week and found not one single dress?

I think I'm going to take a gamble and order a dress online as well. Pray that it fits. That it flatters. That it coordinates. That it exudes "Kelli"...whatever that may mean for the day.

Otherwise, I'm wearing my robe, pulling my hair in a pony, going without makeup and telling the boys to wipe all of the snot, Spaghettios and Play Doh on me that they can muster.

After all, that is real life. And that is what I want to capture. {real life, but not the robe}

Does anyone else have this much trouble coordinating their family's outfits for photos? Suggestions?