I have a dream.

I have a dream that one day, my family will actually take a photo in which everyone will be present.

No one will be crying.

No one will be wiggling and squirming.

No one will be whining.

I won’t have to say their names a bajillion-and-one times and tell them to look at the camera.

If everyone is not smiling, they will all at least have a slight grin.

JJ and I will not be in a fight.

Family photo sessions for our clan tend to be a little stressful, messy, and filled with drama.  And you all know how I feel about drama.

The last time we all posed for a photo together was in April 2009.

However, I have a dream that my dream might be fulfilled during this upcoming trip to Disney World.

So I can ensure that I am not putting any pressure on anyone, I had my wonderful friend, Staci Lee, make us some pretty adorable shirts that scream “Take our picture for our Christmas card and take it NOW!!!!”

Let me tell you a little bit about Staci Lee…

She is hysterically funny.  We recently sat together during a flight to Orlando and pretty much giggled the entire time.

She is one of the most faithful followers of Jesus I have ever met.

And lastly, she is insanely, INSANELY, creative.

For example.

Her husband is a teacher. His school was planning to simply throw the old lockers from the Industrial Technology wing away until Staci Lee got wind of this and insisted he bring home a group of four to her.  That same set of lockers is now painted red and adorned with darling gingham ribbons and is a great place to store the “little girl stuff”  in her daughter’s room.

In addition, I was recently admiring the lamps in her living room.  They were super cool and I had never seen any like them – they were made from vintage gas cans.

She then shared that she found the cans at an antique store and you simply just “buy a light kit” and voila!  You can make a lamp out of gas can.

I don’t think it would work that way for me if I simply just bought a light kit.  I thought lamps had to be made by Lowe’s or Home Depot.

I had no idea that just ANYONE could make a lamp but at the same time, this is coming from a girl who doesn’t even know how to sew a button.

And yes, I do realize how ridiculous this is.  One of these days perhaps I will share with you the incredible string of failures I experienced in my Home Economics classes.

Staci Lee has a wonderful little business she has started called “Ordinary No Longer.”  She makes darling T-shirts, dresses, and pants for children (and adults) and very unique and “boutique-y” looking purses.  She’s also your girl should you need a one-of-a-kind baby gift or cute accessories for your little girl.

I tried to make my children model the shirts that Staci Lee made and what I plan for us to wear during the “Great Snapp Family Photo Attempt of 2010.”

Here’s how it turned out:

Then I threatened that they would not get a chocolate chip cookie for dessert kindly reminded them they were being models and they posed like this:

Of course, it goes without saying that Solomon couldn’t pose for this picture.  He can’t hold still long enough because you know, when you’re two years old, there’s just so much to DO…

I decided to simply showcase them to you this way:

I know.  Adorable.

And you KNOW I then needed to get ones for JJ and I…

Minnie is placed towards the bottom left of my shirt because well…we realized that if we put her in the middle, her ears would go over a certain part of my anatomy that would have made them three-dimensional….

Lastly, JJ’s is simply a little Mickey head on the pocket of a white golf shirt…

We shall see if the planets align, friends, but if not, at least we got some cute shirts out of the attempt.

On another note, I also commissioned Staci Lee to make this bag for me:

BUT…I was able to select some really pretty “fall” fabrics that will be fun to carry during my very favorite season of the year…

All this to say, please go and visit my wonderful friend, Staci Lee, at Ordinary No Longer. You can contact her through this site as well.

An aside:  We leave to go see the Big Mouse on Saturday.  Please pray not only for our safe travels but for the ONE person who will have to sit with the zany Snapp crew (we will take up five seats so there is only one seat left over…Oh, joy…) on the way there as well as on the way home.

May God go before us now and start softening their hearts to the idea of sharing a small space with a five, three, and two year old.

I am going to publish a post on Monday (because I turn 37 that day, for crying out loud…) but will then be out of commission until the week of September 13.

May the Lord bless you and keep you.

For more Caffeinated Randomness, please visit Andrea at Under Grace and Over Coffee.

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