Merry Christmas!

I hope you're having a wonderful Christmas celebration today! This is our Shutterfly Christmas card this year! I apologize if you didn't get one, I did NOT print enough and wanted to send so many more - I'll know better for next year! Here's some Christmas pics I've taken this season of my boys, enjoy!

 
 

Schultz Christmas 2012

Picture this: A beautiful, freshly-coated-with-snow farm yard, families gathering to celebrate the birth of our Savior and to enjoy good tidings & cheer... Cousins laughing, adults enjoying Christmas treats and conversations. Ahhh, peaceful!

But really? It's this:

But we wouldn't rather have it any other way. This Christmas there was 10 kids there. TEN! Aged 9 weeks (Ethan) to 7 years (Serena). Two of the guys were working and unable to make it, otherwise we would have had 10 adults too, and that's just my husband's immediate family! We had a wonderful time, it was very loud and very busy...so I'll just let the pictures do the talking.

(Warning...this post is VERY pic heavy and may take while to load, sorry not sorry!)

Ethan's 1st present...he was having a 3 hour nap!

Chaz & Nolan, my twin nephews

LOVE this pic! My FIL did a great job, hey?!

And our now infamous cousin pictures, the first of all 10 of them!


And the pièce de résistance:

I LOVE the domino of boys looking at poor Blake crying! So so so cute!

I just love my family SO much, for what are the holidays for if not to spend them with your loved ones? We are so blessed to live within 1/2 hour of all of Jay's family, these cousins are just going to be such great friends growing up. The 6 boys are all within just over 4 years of each other - it's gonna get rowdy in a few years!

I also love these pictures Jay (yes, Jay!) took of the boys enjoying the Jack-in-the-box! Who knew such a classic toy would be such a hit? Good job Auntie Joy!


Merry Christmas & blessings everyone!

The Paper Mama's Holiday Photo Challenge

You might remember last year when we entered The Paper Mama's Holiday Photo Challenge when we came in 9th! This year I couldn't resist but to enter again showcasing this gorgeous little Santa Baby of mine!

If we make it into the voting round...I'm going to need your help again!

Cabin Fever

A big blizzard came our way on Wednesday. I decided to take the boys into town to Walmart just to get out of the house before the roads got bad and to grab a few things we'd need over the weekend. We were going to go to the farm show with Jay on Thursday and then continue on to go stay with my mom overnight...but the roads got too bad, so Jay went onto the show and me and the boys stayed home. So what's a Canadian mom to do with her two young children when she's snowed in? Take pictures of course!

Ethan is now 3.5 weeks old. Wearing a pea hat that my mom crocheted for him in an extra-small FuzziBunz diaper, laying on a luxuriously soft blanket that was gifted to us from the wonderful people at Sears Baby's Room!

That picture of Ethan on the left just cracks me up because he's cross-eyed! It's too cute to go in the blooper reel! And the second one...you caption it! 


I also decided that enough was enough. I bought a Canon Speedlite 430exii for my birthday back in APRIL and I still haven't really used it. It scares me...I don't know why. So I looked at some tutorials online and decided I need to learn - especially for Christmas as taking pictures in a poorly light house in the evening...is pretty much impossible without a flash with a DSLR, to me anyway! So...here goes my pics with my Speedlite!




I've got a lot to learn, but I've got the basics down! I can definitely tell a huge difference. I take all these pictures in our great room. The south wall is pretty much all windows so beautiful natural light just flows in...but with the blizzard and being late in the afternoon, I had lost most of the natural light.

Any Speedlite users out there? I'd be happy to hear your tips and tricks please! And we couldn't leave big brother out...

Braden also wanted me to take a picture of him in his new Lorax hat, but also would lay down/sit still long enough for a very good picture!

So that's what we do when we have cabin fever...we take pictures!

Ethan's Newborn Pictures

This time, I didn't hire a professional photographer to come into our home. By no means do I ever think I'm as good as one...but I figured with my nice new camera I might as well take my own pictures of him, and if I wanted a family portrait, I would set up my tripod and use my remote. I know these aren't perfect, but the baby in the pictures sure is to us!

 

Can I just say I have MAD respect for newborn photographers? Holy Moses newborns are HARD to pose! I tried different softness/hardness of pillows, tried my Boppy...was having NO luck! I searched tutorials...started getting stressed...and then though. Meh! He's a beautiful boy and if he doesn't look properly positioned...that's okay! I love these photos because I took them, I did them over 2 separate sessions at my own pace. I love how his skin is wrinkly and kinda dry. What's the sense in "PhotoShopping" out what's real...you know? I love how I got pictures of him sucking his thumb, I love that I could recreate Braden's block & feet with our wedding ring pictures from his newborn session.

The tone/editing/coloring might be off...but I'm okay with that! Plus...it was free!