Autumn comes back to play!

Last time my girl Autumn wrote a blog post for me, it was in response to a text I sent her from an airport in Hawaii where we'd just been rebooked on a new flight and had thus earned a bonus day. Autumn was my 11th hour hero! This time, I asked her for the post about a month ago, and I'm so thankful that she delivered... at 2 am this morning. Love that woman.

So.  I have 14-year-old. AND a 12-year-old.  I'd like to point out the teenagerness of those ages.  SO. I have two teenagers.  And frankly, I'm not really enjoying the vicissitudes by which teenagers run their lives.  Not one bit. 

And so I'm not putting them in my Christmas cards this year.  I would, but I can't get them to look good, be happy (or just not angry), cooperate, or wear anything decent at the same time.  Also, they wanted $5 each to sit for the photo. Really?!?!!  

Here they are.  How freaking cute are they here?  Adorable and laughing at their funny mommy.   They even let me put them in matching clothes for crying out loud.  Excited for Christmas and Santa.  One of my favorite Christmas cards.  I didn't know it, but this was bliss.  Let's look at another Christmas card picture.

            

Loved each other. LOVED me. Cuter than hell, no?

There it is.  Again, with the kind of matchy-matchy that make Christmas cards so awesome and mommies so happy. Liv let me do her hair for this picture. WITH patience and gratitude. And Conor had absolutely no problem putting that old man sweater on.  Only took 15 minutes to get this picture (minus hair time) into Ritz.com. 

I could put up picture after picture, just like these.  It used to be so easy.  Maybe a little hassle, and always a little late because my name is Autumn Houston.  But totally doable. 

BUT, as aforementioned, I now have two teenagers and it is not easy.  Not one bit.  Borders on impossible, actually.   Oh, I've tried this year.  In fact, Olivia let me do her hair twice on two different occasions, albeit with angry outbursts from both parties, in hopes of taking said Christmas card picture.  However, after we made her beautiful hair more beautiful, and whilst I was getting my camera ready, she dabbled in very much, too much much make up.  It wasn't worth the argument, people. I didn't care at this point.  And Conor wouldn't get out of bed because it was only noon.  Only our precious Coco kitty was cooperating. 

You get the idea.  It wasn't happening.

Here is a sample of the types of photos I'm able to capture of my teenagers:

These are lovely.  Is that a gang gesture?

This was so close to being a cute picture.  Conor was just about to acquiesce.  I just knew it.

Nah.  He wasn't.

So, this year, Coco gets all the glory of being the Houston representative for Christmas.

Right, Coco? Right.

Merry Christmas all.