Nativity

This may just be my favorite Christmas picture of all time, forever.  1. Because it is freaking adorable.  2.  Because the back story is so freaking hilarious.

As soon as I knew my baby was to be a boy born in October, I had plans to do this Nativity pictures; something that I would pull out each Christmas and keep forever.  I immediately started to gather different props for my Mary, Joseph, Angel, Shepherd, baby Jesus, and manger.  They're not perfect, (you can clearly see that the headdress for Joseph is a towel), but it was never meant to be professional anyway.  There was only one problem:  Caden was not going to wear the pink, purple, and yellow woman's robe without a vehement fight and protest.

I knew I was going to change it to either black & white or sepia (I have it in both), so I kept trying to convince Caden that it wouldn't matter, that you wouldn't even be able to see that it was a girl-colored robe.  Nope.  Tears and screaming and anger.  I finally pulled the "I am your mother!!  You will do as I say" card, but it did not bode well for the photo shooot.  I was mad.  The kids were on edge.  It proved to be a difficult beginning to a beautiful heirloom.

You'd think it would be an easy picture: Place baby Jesus in a manger in the center, and have everyone stare and smile at him.  So simple.  That was the plan, at least.  The kids didn't seem to understand my words.  Or, eventually my screams.  Oh my gosh, it makes me laugh now, but I was a screaming banshee as I put the camera to my face, screaming at them to simply look at Tyson after many, many failed attempts.  My goodness, they didn't even have to all look at the camera-- a difficult feat with five little kids!!! 

"JUST LOOK AT BABY JESUS AND SMILE, DANG IT!!!!!" (forehead vein popping, eyes bulging, red-purple witch face)

Oh, yeah!  Super spiritual time at the Dirks', capturing the quiet, humble scene of our Savior's birth.  I actually made the kids cry, for real.  Their tears ticked me off even more, and set me to screaming even louder.

"I said SMILE!!!"  (shooting laser beams from my glaring eyes, steam billowing from my ears)

Good times.  Good times.

Merry Christmas!!  

From: The cutest, most disobedient cry babies you've ever seen, the witchiest mother that ever lived and thought she wanted to take pictures, and the husband that nearly died after he laughed at his wife's anger in the actual moment.