CHEESE!

Dads are the Best!

Look at what St. Nick brought...

Stop Growing!

Purpose

Pondering the purpose of many things lately has me pondering the purpose of this blog. Why do I keep it? What do I want it to accomplish? While the topics of my posts can be funny, silly, sad, informative, and/or controversial, my purpose remains the same from when I first started this blog. I want my boys, when they turn 18, to be presented with a book of their life. Many companies can turn blogs into books, and that is what I plan on doing when my kiddos leave after high school. I plan to present each boy with a book that chronicles their life through this blog. While I also write to get my feelings on paper and to keep my family informed since they live so far away, my main purpose is for Griffin and Grayson.

With that being said, there is a reason why the majority of my posts are positive in nature. While I don't lie or hide the truth of what happens in my family, I purposely try to display the positive aspects of our life. Yes, there are negative things that happen in our life that I write about, but I try to wait until I have a firm grip emotionally on the subject before I write. (Or, I just don't hit publish. I do have quite a few posts that will never be put on this blog.)

Some write blogs to entertain. Some have a way with words that leave me hungry for more or peeing my pants from laughter. For me, I write my blog to show my family, specifically the four of us, that although we are not perfect, we are perfect for each other. God created the MN Dunigans to be perfect matches. That does not mean we are perfect or that I, the mom, have it all together. I think it is easy to read this blog and think our life must be peachy-keen all the time. Or that we think our life is better than others. But, let's be real. My family and close friends can tell you that I can yell more than necessary, my house is often dirtier than it should be, I often plan our days to be too full for our own good, I can be a horrible friend when I get stressed, my kids can be naughty, I make plenty of mistakes, and too often my husband takes the blame for my shortcomings. But I talk about those things out loud. I don't need to write about them. Instead, I want my family to know that in good times and bad times, we are still perfect for each other. When my boys reflect on their childhood, I want them to remember the good times. I want them to remember the love that filled our home. I want them to remember the activities. I want them to be reminded of childhood zeal. I want them to remember Jesus' teachings. I want them to remember laughter. And if they have to remember bad times, I want them to remember that love, true love that stems from the Father, really does conquer all.

So I write.

Christmas Card 2010

With Love Chartreuse Christmas 5x7 folded card

Shop Shutterfly.com for elegant Christmas photo cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

Decisions, Decisions

Creating our family Christmas Card is never an easy task. First, I have an incredibly dfficult time picking out pictures to use. I hate most pictures of myself, so for two years in a row, I wasn't even on our Christmas card! It's hard to put yourself on card when you feel like

thisafter giving birth to babies.

To solve the issue of me looking like a whale in virtually every picture I have of myself from 2006-2009, I just created a collage of pictures of my adorable sons. Let's be honest, though. I am sure most people would rather see pictures of my kiddos anyway! And even though I loved the pictures of my boys, I still had to pester my sister to help me pick a card. I drafted three different ones one year and couldn't choose. Decision making...not my thing.

Thankfully, this year I actually own a family picture that I like due to the incredibly talented Jennifer Johansen. I also have a million other pictures of my boys (including Brandon) that I love thanks to Jennifer. Not only do these pictures adorn my upstairs wall, but they also take up space in a folder labeled "Christmas Card Pictures." So, my dilemna remains...how do I pick a picture to use?

I know I could just use this one

But where is the fun in that?

That's where Shutterfly comes into play. They have so many adorable layouts that allow me to pick MULTIPLE pictures for a card. I don't have to choose just one photo; I can choose a handful. First problem solved.

Second problem comes into play. What card do I choose from Shutterfly?

There's this one...

But I also love the writing and the brown on this one...

And let me tell you, there are hundreds more to choose from! So which one did I choose? I guess you will have to wait until Christmas rolls around to find out! But let me tell you...it's worth the wait!

(I have purchased multiple Christmas Cards from Shutterfly, but I have also created photo books like this one using the site. Uploading photos is simple, and photo books make wonderful gifts. Last year we also used these options while creating an invitation for our sons' dedication. While Shutterfly is sponsoring this post by providing me with free cards to send out this season, the opinions are entirely my own. Shutterfly is my family's website of choice for creating photo gifts and cards.)