SNOW DAY IN VEGAS--I guess we don't need to move back to Utah afterall!

The air was filled with excitement Wednesday as snow flurries floated to the ground in Vegas. It has been thirty years since Vegas had this much snow fall! It felt like a holiday as we watched the nightly news anchor announce that school would be closed on Thursday due to the weather! To my disappointment, we awoke to a green, soaked lawn (good thing they closed school!). But then Grandma Moon called and announced they still had plenty of snow to play in! Henderson got a whoppin' 8 inches! Preslyn noticed the white stuff on the ground as soon as we got out of the van. I sat her on a plastic bag and a sweatshirt so she wouldn't get too wet and she cautiously reached out to touch the cold, wet snow. She especially liked it when I put some in her mouth. Since we didn't have gloves, we improvised with socks on our hands. Demarie was so excited and got the biggest kick at hitting Mommy on the bottom with a snowball and making snow angels. The snow was perfect for building a snowman, or in our case, a snow woman. Demarie named her "Frostina." As we drove away at the end of the day, she sadly announced that she would miss her new friend.

YEA! IT SNOWED!!!!!

Once there was a snowman, snowman, snowman...

Once there was a snowman...

tall

TALL

TALL!


And living in Vegas, I'm sure that in no time it will be small, small, small!


THANKS GRANDMA FOR A FUN FROSTY DAY!

Pretty ponies!

I took these pictures over a month ago. I just thought Preslyn looked extra cute that day, so I took her outside for pictures. I love this outfit and these were the first double pony tails in her hair. Doesn't she look cute????

The "It-took-me-a-year-to-complete" blanket

I bought this material over a year ago to make blankets for the bunk beds in Demarie's room. With a lot of help from my mom, we finally finished one of the blankets! Demarie was so excited to sleep with it. I thought it turned out pretty cute. I guess I have another year to complete the next one.

THANKSGIVING

I'm so sad we forgot to take pictures while we were in Utah for Thanksgiving. We had a great time with both the Harris Family and the Moon Family. My sister has pictures on her blog, so I need to find out how to take those pictures off hers and put them on mine! It was good to see everyone. Demarie had a blast with her cousins. Both the girls were so exhausted, that they slept the entire way home! It was nice, but we didn't get to watch a movie in our new mini van! It was so much fun to see Karyn and Stephanie in the Nutcracker. They did an awesome job! We look forward to seeing everyone at Christmas time.

Happy 7th Anniversary!

Aaron and I celebrated our 7th Wedding Anniversary in November. It is hard to believe that we have stuck it out this long!!! j/k As I was looking through our pictures, it struck me how much we have aged over the years! Aaron looks like such a baby and, well, I was actually skinny back then. I can't believe how much our lives have changed in the past seven years--schooling, moving to Vegas, kids, employment. It is exciting to see what is in store for the next seven!

For our anniversary, we took the kids to Grandma and Grandpa Moon's for the night. We went to the Las Vegas temple and did sealings. After that, we ended up at Ruby Tuesdays, which was appropriate since I waited tables at a Ruby Tuesdays in Logan. One night I was cleaning up the back room and a waitress came back to get me. She said, "Marlaina, there is a guy here to see you--and he is cute!" I went to the front of the restaurant and there was Aaron--in his ball clothes dripping with sweat. He claimed he was 'in town' and stopped by to see if I was free Thursday night to go to Salt Lake City to watch a baseball game. It was the only night I had off that entire week so I said 'yes' to our first date. That was the beginning... and now here we are seven years later. Aaron still comes home dripping with sweat from basketball. Some things will never change.

I do have to give Aaron credit for going to watch Twilight with me for our Anniversary as well. He looked terribly bored and in pain during the entire movie, and there wasn't much cuddling, but I appreciate the sacrifice he made. I guess I will keep him around for another seven years, even though he gave me THREAD for my romantic anniversary gift. (Don't ask!!!)

TRICK OR TREAT!

We had a lot of fun trick or treating Halloween night. Demarie and Preslyn looked great in their costumes. Halloween is about the only time of year that we get to meet our neighbors. Several of the homes in our neighborhood decorate their homes for the holiday and do really fun things with the trick-or-treaters. Demarie did not want to stop, even though she could hardly carry her bag by herself. Preslyn zonked out at the end and was excited to get back to our little bee hive!

TINKERBELL

BUMBLE BEE

Preschool Halloween Party

We had a little preschool Halloween Party at our house a few weeks ago and had a lot of fun! Demarie dressed up as Tinkerbell and Preslyn was a cute little bumble bee. All the little kids came in costumes. We played the Monster Mash Cake Walk, Pumpkin Bean Bag Toss, Drop the Ghost in the Pumpkin, Mummy Bowling, Witches Brew Relay, and decorated Halloween sugar cookies. I also decorated Demarie's little cottage like a haunted house. Lots of children came and it was fun to see Demarie have fun with her friends.

Group picture: (Left to right) Spencer Jolly, Alexis Jensen, Demarie, Preslyn, Bailey Stirling, Ainsley Braithewaite, Mohlman sibling, Braithewaite sibling, Mason Mohlman, Johnny Richardson, Colton, Savannah Dean, Riley Mecham.

Happy First Birthday Little Princess!

Preslyn turned 1 year old on October 18th! This year has flown by so fast! I can't believe my baby is already celebrating her first birthday. I made the traditional carousel cake (my mom used to make us a carousel cake on our first birthday). Grandma and Grandpa Moon came over and celebrated with us. Preslyn loved her cake and dug right in! She was also a good sport about wearing her princess crown (Demarie was excited about that). It was a beautiful day so we ate outside in the backyard. Preslyn really liked all of her presents, especially her new ride-on zebra toy.

I am so glad that Preslyn is a part of our family. I remember the night we brought her home from the hospital. It was a cold, windy night and I decided I had enough of the hospital and wanted to go home. We bundled Preslyn up so tight and warm. Aaron carried the carseat while Demarie carried the balloon out to the car. I warned her that it was very windy outside and that she needed to hold on tight to the string so it wouldn't blow away. When we got to the car, I just knew she would let go of it so I took the balloon from her while she and I climbed in. When I got in the car I let go of the string briefly so I could close my door. The wind whipped the balloon right out of the car and it flew away into the dark sky. It happened so quickly, yet it also seemed to happen in slow motion. We all cried the whole way home as Demarie wailed, "Mommy, why did you let go of my balloon?" I felt like the Mother of the Year at that moment! I remember the song, "I Believe There are Angels Among Us" was on the radio. Demarie sang it at the top of her lungs through her tears and after it was done she said, "Mommy, do you think Heavenly Father will watch over my balloon?" Lucky for me, He was watching over us that night! When we got home, there was another balloon waiting there to replace the one that Mommy had lost. It wasn't the same, but it would do. I will never forget how warm and peaceful our home felt as the wind howled outside. I watched Preslyn sleeping in her car seat and for the first time, I felt like the house we had lived in for the past 2 years was finally our home.

Preslyn has brought a special spirit with her. She is a spit-fire little girl who knows how to stand up for herself against a big sister. She loves to cuddle with her pink polka dotted blanket and gives her baby dolls lots of loves and pats. She likes to do things for herself (except for moving off her little toosh, but we're working on that!). Her favorite word and person is "Dada" and she is so cute when she says "woof" and growls. She keeps us laughing with her funny expressions and curious eyes. What would we do without her????

Picking Pumpkins at Gilcrease Orchard

For our second field trip, we went to Gilcrease Orchard and picked pumpkins. We had a really good time! Lots of families came, including a family that we met at the Lied Museum who wanted to join in on the fun! Later, we carved the pumpkins as a family. Preslyn really enjoyed eating the seeds and sucking on the rind!

My wall is finally decorated!

I have a big wall in my living room that has been empty for the past 3 years. Every time I walk by it I think to myself, "I wish I had a shelf for that wall." Well, my dad made me a shelf and I painted it to match the frame of a picture I recently bought of the Logan temple, where we got married. I finally feel like my living room is complete! In fact, it is interesting how my thoughts are more centered around the temple, just by putting a picture on the wall. Thanks, Dad, for making the shelf! I love it!

Primping Preslyn!

Happy Fall!

where's demarie?

prize to the first person who can find a silly little girl hiding in this picture

so, i'm a little late with this posting, but a few weeks ago we spent the day cleaning up the yard. we planted peas, broccoli, and flowers, fixed broken sprinkler heads, and of course--played in the leaves! demarie was such a big helper with the rake this year. i love this time of year when things start to cool off. it reminds me that halloween, my favorite holiday, is just around the corner!

hooray! you found her!

hope you all have a very happy fall!

Preschool Field Trip: Lied Discovery Children's Museum

For our first preschool field trip, we went to the Lied Children's Museum. We had a good group and such an enjoyable time! There were lots of interactive displays for the kids to do including painting, shopping, going to the bank, and a performing arts stage. Demarie was in heaven when she found a white sparkly dress with a veil. As soon as she put it on she was transported to her own world! She just stood on the stage with a dreamy look in her eyes...feeling pretty. Johnny Richardson came up to her, gently took her hand and said, "May I have the pleasure?" He led her out to the dance floor and they started dancing. It was the sweetest thing!

Thanks to everyone who came! We had a great time!

Group photo: Bac: Youngest Braithewaite, Jensen. Middle: Demarie, Bailey Stirling, Johnny Richardson, Spencer Jolly. Front: Ainsley Braithewaite, Alexis Jensen, Sarah Richardson

General Relief Society Meeting and Conference

These past two weeks have been very uplifting for me to be able to listen to the prophets and general authorities of the church. There is such a feeling of unity, peace, and comfort as I listen to their counsel and direction. I especially appreciated President Uchtdorf's address in the Relief Society meeting. I felt like his words of comfort were directed to me. I also enjoyed Elder Wirthlin's counsel to remember to laugh!

I had such a good time attending the Relief Society meeting with my mom. I am grateful she has been in Las Vegas as a support to me. I will miss her next year when October rolls around and she is not there to accompany me.

QUIRKS

So, I was reading Katie Godfrey's blog and saw that she had tagged me to blog about my quirks.... Thanks, Katie! I guess to be a good sport I will go ahead and do it. The rules posted, however, are that I get to tag six other readers, so read on and see if you share any of my quirky behaviors and if you are one of the lucky ones to be tagged!

1. Aaron always laughs at me when I do this--the tips of my fingertips are really sensitive and feel funny when they get really dry. I will often lick my fingertips to make them feel better. Sometimes my toes feel the same way and I will put a little water on the ground, just enough to wet my toes to make the annoying feeling go away. Funny thing is that a few months ago, I was putting Demarie to bed and she licked her fingertips. I asked her about it and she said, "Sometimes my fingers feel funny and so I lick them so they won't feel that way anymore." I guess "funny feeling fingertips" run in the family!

2. Sometimes when I put things away, if they are not just how I want them to be, my mind will obsess over it until I go and fix it. For example, today I was unloading dishes from the dishwasher. When I put the cups away, there was a stack of cups that was touching another stack of cups. For some reason, in my mind this appeared totally wrong! I tried to ignore it, but I continued to think about the cups until I could not control the itching desire to open the cupboard and move the stack of cups slightly to the right. I felt much better after that.

3. I cannot do laundry. I can be so careful to follow care instructions, but somehow I ALWAYS ruin MY clothes. I buy a new shirt and when I wash it for the first time, TA DAH! It comes out with a stain. The funny thing is, the stain is always in the same place on all my shirts and always looks the same as well. Aaron has clothes from high school that he still wears that are in perfect condition. My clothes, however, that is another story!

4. I HATE thunderstorms! I am surprised how often we get them here in Vegas. I remember when I was little, my mom took us outside to watch the lightning. "Isn't it pretty?" she asked. Yeah! Real pretty! When I shared a bedroom with my younger sister, Milin, I would climb in her bed and tell her not to be afraid. Really, it was because I was afraid. Things have not changed. I still lay in bed...shaking! I try to wake Aaron up, but he just says, "Isn't this awesome?' and rolls over and falls back to sleep.

5. I gave a pedicure to Aaron last night and... I really enjoyed it! He has the most disgusting feet in the entire world! Honestly, if you saw his feet, I am sure you would get the urge to hurl! His big toenail has died so many times and he has been putting medicine on it so now it is really thick and yellow. It has curled around so much that the edges are digging into his toe. I was able to dig underneath and get a bunch of disgusting crap out from underneath the nail. I razored all the dead skin off and... now they are actually kind of...uh, what's the word I'm looking for? Um, I guess you could say they are kind of... pretty! Yeah, pretty! Maybe this quirk gues along with my obsession to pick pimples and watch bloody surgeries on TV.

6. I hate walking on cracks in the sidewalk or road. I will purposely take a larger step or a smaller step...just to avoid the crack. I'm sure other people do this too, right?

Ok, now that all my quirks are out on the table and you are all going to think of me differently, here is the lucky list of people to be tagged:

--Stacy Moon
--Jan Southwick
--Nicole Boyd
--Jilene Ray
--Blake Berrett (I'm sure he can come up with six quirks! j/k)
--Milin Chandler (maybe she will write that she used to jump in my bed because she was afraid of the thunder)

RULES:
-Link the person who tagged you
-List 6 of your quirks
-Tag 6 other bloggers by linking them
-List the rules on your blog

HEADLINE: Aaron ALMOST convicted OJ!

Las Vegas NV-- Thirteen years after he was acquited of murder, O.J. Simpson was back in court defending himself against a possible life-sentence. Mr. Simpson, who greeted reporters with a thumbs-up and a broad smile, listened passively as an all-white jury heard recordings of his conversations in the hours before he allegedly robbed two dealers of collectibles. Jury selection for the OJ Simpson trial took place in down town Las Vegas September 8, 2008. Among those in the jury pool was Aaron Harris, Math teacher at a local high school.

When asked by reporters how he felt when after a long day of waiting he was not picked, Mr. Harris responded, "It is a shame. I was all ready to state the verdict. Guilty. The sentence: death penalty. Seems reasonable for armed robbery, right?"

First Day of Preschool!!!

Demarie was so excited to get started with preschool! On September 2nd, we held our first class... at home! After much prayerful contemplation, Aaron and I decided that we would buy materials and teach Demarie in our home. It is going to be her last year with me before kindergarten and I want to make the most of it! We have had so much fun working on reading, writing, math, and other concepts. Demarie is such a smart little girl! It is so fun to see her sounding out and reading whole books already! I also arranged to do a 'field trip' with her every other week with other children her age. We have an exciting year planned and will definitely keep you posted on our adventures!

Pretty Poses!

Inspired by Emily Allen's pictures, I tried to do the 'holding a pretty flower in the outdoors' theme, but my camera isn't as fancy (and I'm not near as talented as she is), but at least I was able to get a shot of the cute little mowhawk curl on Preslyn's head. These pictures were taken when she was around 9-months old. She is now almost 11 months old! I can't believe how fast time has gone by. I feel like I have blinked and missed the first year of her life! Some things about Preslyn: Preslyn loves to sit and twirl her ankles and hands at the same time. Being such a good sitter, she has really learned to use her pointer fingers well and can tell me just what she needs without moving her little toosh off the ground. Her favorite word is 'dada' and she is constantly staring at Aaron. She is such a daddy's girl! She can sign "more", "eat", and "all-done" (since I am an SLP I had to throw that in). She loves to play peek-a-boo, patty cake, and will roll her arms during Wheels on the Bus. During the past month, she has really taken an interest in books and baby dolls. She loves to point to my nose and is learning where her belly is. Yesterday, we found her on her tummy when we went to get her from her nap! She had rolled over in her bed! I must admit it has been nice to have two mellow immoble babies that I don't have to chase around. Demarie was carrying on a full conversation with me before she started walking. The rate Preslyn is going, she may just follow in her sisters's footsteps! We love Preslyn so much! She is such a sweet little girl and has added so much to our family!

Silly Preslyn!!!

I just had to post these pics of Preslyn. She loves to feed herself and is always pushing the spoon away now! She is such a clown at mealtimes and thinks it is her time to shine!

Cast your vote: Child Abuse or Husband/Wife Mis-communication?

I forgot about this until Aaron uploaded the pics on our computer! Aaron's brother, Bryce, and his wonderful family came to visit us the first week in August on their way to California. They were planning to leave after church and did not want to get gone too late so they left church early to pack. I told my friend to let Aaron know that I went home with them to help tend kids while they packed and to bring Demarie and her 8-year old cousin, Josh, home with him. Well, he misunderstood the message and thought I had left him without a car. About a half hour after church got over, there was a knock at the front door. I answered it and Josh practically fell over when I opened the door. I thought he was exaggerating until I looked closer. Demarie's face was as pink as her dress and Aaron's shirt was soaked to him. We live about a mile and a half away from church and he had made my poor little girl and Josh walk home in the blistering afternoon heat!

We sure enjoyed having Bryce, Rotciv, Josh, Vanessa, and Jakie come visit!

5-4-3-2-1 Blast Off to the Moon Family Campout!

The Moon Family Camptrip:

Every year we go to Bear Lake with the Moon Family (we are now 42 with two in the oven!) and stay at my sister's cabin. My brother Alden and I were in charge of the camp trip this year. My sister-in-law had a great idea to shoot off rockets made out of 2-liter pop bottles, so I decided to make the entire theme of camp, "Blast off to the Moon Family Campout!" After listening to my plan, Aaron asked if I was trying to create 'Science Camp', but luckily everyone was good sports about it and we had a good time.

We made personal pizzas and smores in pizza box solar ovens. If anyone else gets the brilliant idea to try cooking from the sun's energy, here are a few suggestions: 1) no matter what you do, the pizza is going to be disgusting, but eat it anyways. It's the activity that counts, and 2) chocolate melts much faster that marshmallows. We went swimming and played tennis and several of the guys got up early to go play golf. We had a great time playing 'Do You Love Your Astronaut" (to stay along with the cheesy theme) and making icecream in a bag (again, the whole science thing...). We made "Moon stepping stones" and all the grandkids painted star wishing boxes so they could write down their wishes on a piece of paper and keep them safe. Aaron had to work and joined us late Thursday night (thanks to Alden and Kandice picking him up at the airport). Demarie wished on a star that her daddy would be with us at camp and was so excited when her wish came true! We had a great time all day Friday boating and playing in the water. The water was a little chilly, but the weather was beautiful. Demarie and her cousin Hallie were excited to be Little Mermaids in the sand. Demarie even sang the Little Mermaid for all her aunts, uncles, and cousins. She did a great job! For family home evening, we played, "I survived a Moon Family Game Show" with hostess Star Light (me) and Star Bright (Alden). He was a good sport playing along. We picked a few people in the family to be 'shooting stars' and everyone else threw water balloons at them to shoot the stars down. We then did a group activity where each team had a ladder and a cardboard box and had to get their entire team from one side of the field to the other without touching the ground (Rainbow Relay). I then related each activity to a spiritual message to remind everyone to shoot for the moon! We should be there to support each other with our goals and dreams, even when it may feel like everyone else in the world is trying to shoot you down! Afterall, 42 people behind you is a pretty powerful support system! We had a great time shooting off the family rockets. Everyone was so creative and some of them went really high and far! I say some, because the Princess Power Rocket, created by the Harris Family never made it to the launch pad. After the first rocket was launched into the air, Demarie turned to me with tears in her eyes, hugging her pink rocket tightly, "I don't want my princess rocket to break and fall in the weeds!" I guess next time I will know better than to make a "pretty" rocket! All in all, we had a wonderful time with family. It was so good to see everyone and we are grateful to everyone for pitching in to make it a good time and for putting up with my "Science Camp" adventure!


It's times like this that make me really miss living close to family!

My Little Mermaid

Three weeks ago, Demarie freaked out when I had to dump water on her head during bathtime. Whenever I tried to take a shower with her she screamed like I was torturing her to death. Demarie even freaks out in the rain because it rarely rains in Vegas! Well, 3 weeks ago I took her to her first swimming lesson. The first day, she bawled as I held her hand and walked her into the shallow water. She cried for the first 10 minutes and then started bouncing in the water. I was so proud of her when she immersed her chin in the water all by herself! To celebrate we took her to buy an icecream cone and a beautiful pink Sleeping Beauty swimsuit with the promise that she would do everything her teacher told her. The next day, her teacher dunked her. My baby went under water! Wow! That was a huge step. At the end of three weeks, Demarie is floating on her back like Sleeping Beauty with minimal support from her teacher, going under water by herself without plugging her nose with her hand, and kicking to her teacher with her face in the water. She even took a shower with me without screaming! I am so proud of Demarie for facing her fears and conquering them!!!

Harris Family Reunion!

In June we headed up to Utah to spend an afternoon with Aaron's immediate family, Grandma and Grandpa Harper, aunts, uncles, and cousins. We haven't seen many of them in awhile so it was fun getting re-aquainted! We had lots of good food, played Frisbee football, and celebrated Grandpa Harper's birthday with presents and family games. I volunteered to take all the grandkids on a little hike in the mountains. They were all so excited until Josh, the oldest of the bunch announces, "I don't really like the mountains. There are cougars in the mountains and they jump out and eat little kids." So much for adventure! In place of the hike, they all returned to the lodge and gathered around Grandpa Harris as he shared his own cougar stories. It was good to see family again!

The Perks of Being a Teacher: Mesquite!

One of the perks of being a teacher for the Clark County School District is a free 2-night stay at the Oasis in Mesquite!!!! How lucky are we? We called ahead of time to see if there were any strings attached and the operator said, "No, it's free for teachers. Just make sure you visit our casino while you are here." We went with Steve and Rochelle Hendricks, a fellow teacher in the ward. We left the kids at the grandparents house and drove to Mesquite where we enjoyed two days of sparkling pools (until they announced a 'biohazard' and everyone had to clear the pool immediately), luxurious spa treatment (my first massage ever and I am now addicted), golf (Aaron and Steve enjoyed some male bonding time), go-carts (thanks Aaron for running me over), and the movie "Iron Man." Not to mention the all-you-can eat buffet (Aaron cleared me out of the hotel room for a good hour to dispose of the effects of our feast) and the king size bed where we didn't have to touch each other all night! It was nice to have a little getaway and we really had a good time!

Our Little Boo Boo!

I have never seen a baby like to play peek-a-boo more than Preslyn. Ever since she was 4 months old, she just loves to put her blanket over her head and pull it off. She does it so much that Aaron came up with the appropriate nick-name 'Boo Boo'. At first I hated it, but it fits her so well that it's kind of grown on me (as long as it's not over-used!). I will check on Preslyn during naps or at night and she will have her blanket piled on top of her face, with part of it in her mouth, sound asleep. She gets so excited when it is bedtime and we lay her in her crib--even when it is late and she should be tired and cranky. She is such a good baby and keeps us smiling and laughing!

Cute pics of my two sweethearts!

Preslyn mouthing one of her favorite toys. She always goes for the handle with the beads on it.

Demarie was up in her room having quiet time. A half hour later, this is how I found her--passed out in the middle of reading a book. She stayed in this position for a good hour and a half. Reminded me of when I find Aaron passed out on the couch with the remote in hand pointed toward the television, ready to change the channel, but not quite making it.

Just hanging out with each other in their princess chairs outside by their cottage. Demarie loves to make Preslyn laugh.

Demarie is learning how to listen so well in Primary. Her teachers, Brother and Sister Berkibel, tell me she is so reverent and always knows the right answers.

My big helper: Demarie loves to help me feed Preslyn. Luckily, Preslyn doesn't seem to mind the messy rice goatee. I think more cereal lands on her bib and chin than actually is swallowed. What would I do without my extra pair of hands?

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

In May we celebrated Grandpa Moon's birthday. We went to their house in Henderson and had a nice birthday dinner. We love Grandpa! Demarie especially loves that Grandpa is always so willing to sit and read books with her for hours on end. He probably has the Disney princess books memorized by now! Grandpa was the first one to get Preslyn to laugh. He is a very special person and always a good example to all of us.

ATTENTION: NEVER GO TO THE PICTURE PEOPLE!!!

I am the biggest sucker for the ads that come in the mail for free 8X10 prints. For Mother's Day, I finally talked Aaron into going to the Picture People to get a professional family photo taken--our first in the six years that we have been married. Afterall, I did have a coupon for a free 8X10 and 20% off additional prints. However, my first biggest mistake was scheduling the day before Mother's Day, when the only open appointment was at 8:00 pm on Saturday. The kids are usually passed out by that time, but I planned all day for the pictures and made sure they were rested and happy so we could get lots of good smiles. On the way to the mall (clear across town), a cop stopped traffic on the freeway, making us 5 minutes late. Only 5 minutes late!!!! Well, we check in and get the kids ready for their pictures. For an hour and a half, Preslyn was all smiles as we waited for our name to be called to get our pictures taken. Finally after they took a prom couple back to get their pictures taken that arrived 30 minutes after we did, I blew up. The worker informed us that since we were 'late' we had to wait for the next available opening!! Whatever! I was furious. When we FINALLY did get called back to the photo room, our photographer had absolutely NO idea what he was doing. He just stood there with the camera, staring at us. Somehow we got one HALF WAY decent picture of us. By this time, all the smiles and giggles from the kids were gone and I was so furious that I could hardly force out a smile myself. If you look closely you can see a tear in the corner of my eye. Someday I will learn my lesson with those stupid ads! With my luck, it will be another 6 years before Aaron will agree to get a family picture again!