I don't even know how I got started on this path, but I think it had something to do with coming across a picture from last spring when I had decided that maybe eating gluten free actually wasn't necessary for me (or perhaps it just involved me really wanting real, live, actual Pizza, or an Auntie Anne's Pretzel, or anything made with flour that actually tastes good...) and so I went back to eating regular (including gluten/wheat) for a day (and it tasted gooood....) and it totally gave me that whomping headache back just the way it was before, and it also did this to my stomach:
We affectionately call it my "Gluten Baby" every time it occurs, and believe me, it's hard, solid and completely poke-able. Roger, the kids, even the neighbors have poked the Gluten Baby to make sure it's real. Pretty funky and weird, right? And may I add, uncomfortable??
I took a picture in the same pants the next day to show what my stomach normally looks like, on the gluten-free, flavor-free diet.
But, I'm getting ahead of myself here. So, back to how we got to Flashback Wednesday. I wondered about how my 20-week, 5 month pregnant belly NOW compared to the Gluten Baby belly picture, and so I went digging for the picture. And in doing that, well, then I wanted to see all my newborns on the same page. And then, I wondered about Christmas pics from every year (that I could find, you know that digital picture thing happened at some point AFTER I had my first two kids, at least for me).
So, without further adieu, here are my sweet little newborns:
Chase, 2003
(Maybe 1 day old?....nice, grainy camera.... hahaha)
Indigo, 2005
(Day she was born, as you can see on the 35mm printout)
Riley, 2010
(About an hour after birth)
RJ, 2012
(He's about a minute old in this photo, after they pinched him to wake him up since he wanted to remain sleeping after being born)
I think out of the 4 kids, Chase definitely wins for most hair!!
And here are the Flashback Christmas pics, starting with 2007.....
Ages 2 and 4
I have no idea where we were, but it was December as this was in my December 2008 folder... aren't we so cute?
Kids 2008, 3 and 5 years old. And wow, our old blue living room! And no giant fish tank in our dining area!
The 4 of us in 2008
So, it was really bright and about 4 days until Christmas when I drug my kids out in the snowy cold (did I mention bright??) to quick get this shot before I had to get to work so we could get a card printed and get them out in the mail to friends and family... I ended up yelling at them to keep their darn eyes open and of course got all these fake funny faces instead.
But we managed to pull off a pretty decent card anyways. Ages 4 and 6 now.
New addition in 2010, ages 5 months, 5 and 7.
Nothing says Happy Holidays like the baby eating the lights... and look at our half-finished hardwood flooring in the master bedroom.
Even the "best" one of all of us looked like it actually belongs on a Motivational Poster somewhere on the 'net... so we just went with....
...this one on our holiday card.
In 2011 we got fancy and had pajamas with names on them....oooooh. Ages 17 months, 6 and 8.
Santa brought another baby in 2012. Or the Stork. Or somebody. He's frickin' cute.
I didn't know it then, but this innocent 4.5 month old face is trying to tell me to prepare myself for a wild, wild ride over the next 3 years.
The girls are cute, too.
My photog friend had some neat ideas.
2012 - ages 4.5 months, 2.5 years. 7 and 9 years old.
In 2013, we still have our orange living room, which replaced the blue in 2010! My girls are growing older.
I used a groupon for JCPenney's photo studio and got pics done, because we like, never spend our money on that. 2013 - ages 16 months, 3, 8, and 10.
I used my happy, dressed up homeschoolers in my Christmas photo last year. 2014 - ages 2, 4, 9, and 11. I seem to have a recollection that I gave up about halfway thru enveloping, addressing and stamping cards last year..., and if memory serves me, people with last names starting with "M" onward may or may not have actually received our Christmas card... whoops.
And for this year's shot, well, it's pretty darn adorable. But you'll have to wait until you get it in the mail. If you're on the good list, you know. In the meantime, here's one from this year that we didn't use:
2015 - ages 3, 5, 10, and 12.
