The Yearly Calendar

I finally found the perfect gift to give relatives. I give calendars with pictures of my kids. For the older folks it's nice to have a picture big enough to see and for the not so visually challenged it's a helpful organizational tool (added bonus I put the kids' birthdays on there!) The first year I did not have 12 pictures of all 4 kids so I did some months with just the girls, or just the boys, and my mom in law said she would like all 4 every month. So the next year I worked like the dickens to get the kids' pictures done. Now I do it every year. I was so obsessive about it this year I had over 50 shots to choose from of all 4 kids, all 4 looking at the camera... wow!! Here are some of the goofy ideas we used to make sure the calendar wasn't a pile of mugshots:
1. I put all 4 kids on the grass in the front yard with heads together. I love this shot.
2. Sitting on a bench
3. Sitting on a tree branch (hunt for a good tree, nice background)
4. By a fountain (fountains, water make good backgrounds)
5. In the pool with beach balls
6. Kids climbing on each other--big kids on bottom, little kids on top, pyramid if you can!
7. Swinging at the park
8. Looking like they are engaged in an activity (I am planning next year a shot at a theater with popcorn and all the kids looking like they are watching a movie--now if Hollywood will comply with a decent movie!!)
9. Sitting at a table at a cafe
10. Bridges make good backdrops
11. Don't forget props... Pumpkins for October, Beach balls for August, Mardi Gras beads for February (hey we are in Louisiana!!) Flags for July, Santa Hats for December. I haven't actually done the 4th Flags but next year....
12. Colorful clothes are nice. Matching are even nicer. We do the boys in suits with red ties for Piano Recital in December which is where we take our Dec picture for the next year's calendar.
13. Keep your eye out for good backgrounds. I liked the books at the library but ended up at Barnes and Noble for the book one... taller shelves. And we have a local bank that decorates for Christmas and encourages people to come in and take pics. Sometimes they even have a sleigh.
I have found that even though we love our family pets, it's like the book "Simple Pictures are Best" when it comes to non-smiling family. If they can't smile, they don't sit for the pic. Maybe I will make some exceptions.... I also thought about taking a pic of all my kids playing with a bunch of puppies... but that didn't work out!

What I like best about this is that no matter how hard it is to get the family together for pics, it's something I will have when they are gone that will be very precious to me, and to them.
I actually liked it so much I decided I would do yearbooks this year for the kids. They are cheaper than school yearbooks but full of memories of our family. Watch for specials and you can get them really reasonably from Snapfish, Kodak, etc. Keepsakes for everyone, and the idea is to pass them out and have an evening signing them. How cool is that?