Vacation

This week has been reeeeaaally mellow around our house. The kids have played, I've cleaned up, we've snuggled and watched football -- and then watched rescheduled football -- and that's about it. For his part, Evan has been digging into the two GINORMOUS Lego sets that the kids got for Christmas from Pops (yes, they were bestowed upon all three kids, but only one has the interest and patience to build the darn things).

Yesterday we did go to the pool to swim at lunchtime (that's right! outdoors! hooray for the 3% of the country that's not under a blanket of snow!). And the day before that we hit the Bob Jones Trail with my parents so that Foxy could practice her new biking skills and we could all get a little fresh air.

Here's the photographic evidence...



Noah got a camera for Christmas. He's obsessed with its video capabilities. He spent the entire bike ride running alongside her and documenting every rotation of the pedals. We even had to -- got to! -- sit and watch a Blair Witch Project-esque DVD that night.



In Avila Beach after stopping for ice cream:



At "Halfway Hill" on the way back:



Back at the homestead and still obsessed with documenting everything. (And eerily resembling his mother...)



And the Lego dude with the first of his two crazy Star Wars creations.



The Death Star might warrant its own post...

Snapshots of a Clausen Christmas

This year was much like Christmases of years past... Church on Christmas Eve, dinner with my parents, presents at home on Christmas morning, and a day with even more family after that.

There were a couple of key differences, though. For one thing, we missed my brother and SIL, who were with her family this year. For another thing, the kids have definitely -- finally! -- matured. While in the past we've spent part of Christmas afternoon facing down the greedy goblins that sneak in and suddenly embody our children, this year they were pretty good at maintaining the perspective that the holiday is about family more than presents. They were pretty patient about waiting their turn, and they were as enthusiastic about giving their gifts to each other as they were about opening things from Santa. And once they were done, they were done. Hardly a casual musing about whether there might just be one more thing for them under the tree. (Though I might have caught Evan crawling around beneath it a couple of times.)

I also managed to keep a pretty mellow attitude throughout Christmas Eve and Christmas -- partly as a result of getting packages wrapped up early and partly as a result of my sweet husband, who never missed a chance to compliment me on maintaining a happy (unstressed) outlook. The dinner was fairly unremarkable but yummy and well-received and the day wrapped up with everyone happy. Success.

Here are some snapshots that capture some of Clausen Christmas 2010.

First up, a lively church service during which the kids got to dress up and participate in the Nativity scene (they got to be Joseph, a shepherd and an angel).



Then it was off to dinner at my parents' house. They decided to give us our gifts that night, and the kids were happy to go with it.









Once home, the kids got down to business preparing for Santa. They even got quite upset when they thought Brian and I were staying up too late (and causing Santa to skip our house).







A last shot before bed:



And then it was Christmas morning.







Brian sports his gifts from Foxy and Noah (is it wrong for your kids to purchase beer merchandise??):







Evan asked for and got a desk for Christmas, and it proved the perfect place to assemble (in typical lightning speed) his new set of Legos.





And finally, some posed family shots, including the traditional shot of my dad and Brian's grandpa (who turned 90 last week!)...



... and an impromptu shot of all the girls wearing scarves (gifts and previously owned).



As I said, it was a good one. I hope you and your family enjoyed a wonderful holiday as well!

On Two Wheels

First, my apologies for the lack of blog posts lately. I will make up for it soon. Promise!

And second, LOOK WHO LEARNED HOW TO RIDE ON TWO WHEELS THIS CHRISTMAS EVE!!





No, the bike wasn't a Christmas present or anything. Just her brother's old starter bike (and the one both boys learned to ride on without help). She just got it into her head that she was going to master this TODAY, of all days.



She was beaming. SO incredibly proud of herself. And then it was off to get celebratory ice cream, of course.

Deeeee-licious

The cake was apparently yummy. But frankly, this little girl's one-year-old cheeks and legs reminded me of my own kids at that age, and I think that they were probably the most scrumptious thing in the room.











And that's it for 2010 client previews. It's a wrap!

Closing the Loop

Last week (or was it the previous week??), I wrote that I'd post a recent, random shot of each of my kids. Well, I'm back -- and finally sharing a snap of my karate kid.

No crazy poses, no silliness. Just my sweet big boy in the uniform we seem to be constantly searching for as we paw through piles (and piles and piles) of laundry.



And now that I've closed the loop on that micro-project, I'm closing the loop on my 2010 client work as well. Today, I'll deliver the last set of holiay cards and the last print order. I'll drop at the post office a last package for a client who moved. And on Thursday I'll photograph my last little subject (another birthday girl who I first met as a newborn a year ago).

I'll complete my editing and post the final galleries of 2010, and then I'll finally -- FINALLY -- turn my attention to some personal projects and holiday preparations. Do I really have just 18 days to get that act together??

Goodness Gracious!

I mean, seriously, have you SEEN anything this cute in awhile?

Happy birthday, sweet T. xoxoxo...













Her creative and thoughtful mama came up with the "O" and the "N" and the "E" and left them with me for future little Tinkerbells...

Comfort

Look at me! Sticking to my plan!

If you saw yesterday's post and know me well, you probably figured I'd end up bailing on posting any other random shots of my kids this week. In my life, something always pops up to divert my attention and pull me away from even the best-laid plans.

But here I am, back with a new favorite shot of my girl. This blanket got lost awhile back and -- amazingly -- she was totally fine and quickly over both it and the thumb. I did a happy dance, thinking that I had closed the door on the last of our family's diaper/pacifier/thumb habits with no major drama.

Then one night Daddy found the blanket and thoughtfully tucked it under her arm while whe slept.

Aaaaaand, the thumb habit is back. So is the constantly-misplacing-the-blanket-around-the-house-and-whining-about-not-being-able-to-find-it habit.

Good thing she's cute.

No Reason At All

When I post a blog entry, there's usually a reason. A client preview, a personal story, or photos of a milestone in our family. Something like that.

This time there's absolutely no reason at all. These random shots just make me smile.

And in the interest of equality, I'll try to post a couple silly images of the other two Clausen kids in the next couple of days. Fair is fair, after all.



I also have a super sweet client preview to post tomorrow. So if you find the random family stuff boring, just hold tight. I've got something for you, too. ;)

Happy Thanksgiving!

The camera didn't make much of an appearance yesterday, in large part because I did an eight-mile charity run in the morning and could hardly move for the rest of the day. It was all I could do to pull together the stuffing and the sweet potatoes for the family dinner (but MAN, am I glad I did that -- YUM).

I did get a request for some shots for my brother and SIL's Christmas card, and my parents wanted in on some photo action as well. Thus, we have these...





And this one, which is so them, and which I think will get printed as a stocking stuffer...



Too bad that I didn't think to comb my daughter's hair AT ALL yesterday.





And this was the scene when Brian brought the turkey in from the BBQ. :)



And finally, I herded everyone outside for one quick family shapshot before dinner. It was near dark and there was hot food waiting to be transferred to the table, so it is what it is. But it's documentation of everyone who was present, and for that -- and their presence -- I am grateful.

Family Finale

Dang it. I was THIS CLOSE. I made it almost all the way through the crazy fall family season without missing a deadline, but alas... This preview didn't quite get posted within the promised 48 hour window.

Fortunately, this family was very understanding. And cute, yes?















Now it's a sprint to get the remaining galleries posted, a few more holiday cards created and all orders fulfilled*. I am looking forward to enjoying some of the Thanksgiving to New Year's stretch with my own family, and I am long overdue when it comes to paying attention to some things around my house. I am fairly certain that there's a laundry basket of clean clothes that hasn't been unloaded in more than a month... which my explain my somewhat random wardrobe of late...

*If you've got an open gallery and plan to place an order before Christmas, please note that my deadline for receiving these orders and guaranteeing delivery for the holiday is December 4. Please plan accordingly, and of course let me know if you have questions at all. Thanks!