Finally a St.Laurent Family Picture!

Wow, so much has happened since I last wrote. Bruce and I came down to California for the Holiday season and we've been going nonstop since the moment we jumped in the car to say "adios Utah!"

However this Christmas season was a special one for the St.Laurents, since for the first time in a long time all the children were going to be home (well except Michael who is on a mission).
Since we were all here we decided to take some family pictures. MAN, if any of you know our family it's just a miracle alone that we were able to get everyone together, DRESSED, OUT THE DOOR, IN THE CAR, FOR TWO HOURS, IN TWO LOCATIONS.... Needless to say I didn't care how they turned out, just that they were taken. Since I couldn't find anyone to come and help I had to do all the posing, setting up the camera and running to get into the picture. It brought a whole new meaning to the word "photographer". It was defiantly VERY hard not to be in control the entire time. My origional plan was to take two or three at the old train station in Carlsbad and head down to the beach for the rest...but it was super windy and cold at the beach so we went back to the first spot just to keep my pappa in a good mood. I'm sad we had to come back here though I wasnt expecting to take all of them at this one location. But I think we got some ok ones in. It really was a miracle that my Dad even stayed for the whole thing...yay for Dads in a good mood.=)
Anyways here are some sweet and I might add good looking pictures of my super awesome family.



At the windy beach...everyone was freazing cold and huddling together for warmth.


GOOD looking bunch of girlz!
We took this next one becasue they have or are serving in the military (or my bro whi is in ROTC in High School).









This one was a tester. I wanted this shot except that a train was coming right as we were taking it. HAHA I made her stay until I shot it. She almost killed me. But it turned out a little blurry becasue she started getting up right as I took the picture. It would have turned out ggod. Isnt my sister super Cute!


This is what happens when you dont get to take the pictures...you get awesome shots you can't use becasue of little things like hair in the face.=)

Christmas Cards

After making these, it's really made me want to get all dressed up to take some family pictures of our own to send out for the Holiday season. All well, maybe next year when our life is a little more interesting.=)

It's super easy though, I'm going out today to get a couple printed to make sure the coloring is how it should be. It will be exciting if it actually works, I don't think I'll ever buy a card again. It's way more fun making my own.

So we are about done with our Christmas shopping! Bruce's parents came down for Susies Birthday party and we went with them. What a great idea since it would have never got done had they not come up.

Anyways heres the Christmas cards..

Christmas Candy Jar Craft

So While I was down in California my mother in law had this craft sitting on her kitchen counter and I feel in love with it. So right when I got home I went out to Michaels to see if I could find the things I needed to make it.

I turns out the craft only cost about 10.00 to do and was super fast and easy.
I love it. I think Laurel my sister in law is rubbing off on me.=)
Here is the completed craft and how to make it.

You can obviously fill it with Christmas candy or cookies.

1. Things you'll need

2. paint pot, and round wooden ball



3. Glue wooden ball to the top

this is the glue the girl at Michaels recommended me using I guess its good for wood and glass.

4. glue glass jar to pot so it looks like a bubble gum machine.


5. Now you can decorate it any way you like. I used those rub on stickers and ribbon.




6. And your finished! It's that easy! I love that you can do so many different things with it. I'm sure someone really creative can make this look so much cooler. I'm just proud I did a craft on my own!=)


Enjoy!

Birthday LOVE.

A couple days ago I turned 25 years old! Yikes! I'm getting so old. It was such an awesome birthday, probably one of my favorites. We drove all through the night so we could be home on Monday. I got the second leg of the trip since I like driving later at night. I was so proud of myself for driving the entire last half of the drive. I wasn't even that tired (I give all credit to my 2 cans of Dr. Pepper, 2 cans of Mountain Dew, chips, chocolate and corn nuts). We got home around 6:30 in the morning and slept in until 10. I got up did some editing on the many family pictures from the trip and ran some errands with Bruce. I even went to my FAVORITE store Emilie Jayne and after went to Michaels to get some items for a Christmas craft I wanted to do (stay tuned for more on this later). Later when Bruce got home from school, we drove up to my sisters where we had dinner and went to see the Forgotten Carol's.
Bruce was so sweet and for my birthday bought me the flash I've been wanting for sometime now.


My family gave me money (yay for free money!), my sister got me some boots and my totally cool sister in law Laurel, sent me some super cute Christmas pillow cases for our couch.
Check them out-

I haven't went out to look for pillows yet, but don't they make you want to get some of your own? Well you are all in luck because she sells them in her Etsy shop. Here, go take a look and buy some for yourself!=) http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5447591

A Busy Bee

Our trip to cali is slowly coming to an end and while I am sad to be leaving, I've found myself strangely grateful to be going home back to normal life. I took pictures for four families in three days! It was SUPER fun. I can picture myself doing just this for the rest of my life and being completely happy. In these photo shoots I tried to work a lot on lighting and shadows since I've been horribly bad at paying attention to these important aspects. WHAT a difference a small thing like that can make in a picture. My sweet husband sacrificed surfing so that I could have an assistant to help with posing, covering shadows and making ridiculously funny faces to make the kids laugh. I don't know what I would have done without him! I'm so grateful for his willingness to help me in all aspects of life even when it means him sacrificing the one thing he LOVES to do. We'll just say I have the best husband in the world.=)

Anyways I know you all want some picture love! I just want you all to know how jealous I was editing these...I just don't think its right for so many people to look SO good in or out of pictures.
Weelll....I guess that's why I'm the Photographer. I get to be behind the camera where no one can see me.