Well, it wouldn’t be the holidays without our annual holiday photo shoot and letter! I love writing our holiday letter every year, and I always try to do a different theme for the letter. (You can see the one I chose this year below. It was inspired by the photo we chose.) I met my goal and got them mailed out right after Thanksgiving. (My goal every year is as close to December 1st as possible…)
By now, anyone who was going to receive one via snail mail has received it, so I’m going to post it online. 
The holiday photo we used captured all three of us mid-laugh. I love it. All of the photos we took were hilarious. We had some friends over for Thanksgiving, so we set up our camera on a tripod in our kitchen and had them push the button. Needless to say, they clicked candid shots the whole time, and the progression is pretty funny, as you can see below. We took a TON of photos, but here are some of my favorite outtakes:
Um, there’s something on her face.
You don’t want to hold her? Fine, I’ll hold her.
Momma, I need’ta fix your hair. Oooooh, I need’ta zip your zipper.
Are we done yet?
Ready or not, I’m suckin’ my thumb.
And, here’s the one we used!
Obviously, I’ve cropped the pictures to highlight the most important subject. 
Oh, and you can click on each picture to make it bigger. Clicking the photo a second time will give you even more detail…
So, without further ado, here is an altered-for-my-blog version of our holiday letter!
Happy Holidays
2007
We hope this Holiday Letter finds you and yours to be healthy and happy this Holiday Season!
As you can see by our holiday photo this year, we love to laugh! Laughter has been a constant theme at our house, especially with a toddler! Yes, Claire’s official two-year birthday is November 30th. Where does the time go?
In looking back over the year, we’re thankful for many things, especially the laughter:
L – Limited Visits to the ER. Fortunately, the three of us have been very healthy. But, on her 19-month birthday (June 30th), Claire had a little altercation with a chair in our living room, requiring our very first trip to the ER and four stitches on her forehead (one inside, and three outside). In true Claire-style, she handled the entire incident with ease! She has since been trying really hard to ‘walk’ and not ‘run’ in the living room, which is hard, because her version of a walk is a run…
A – Animals. Merlin and Jasper turned six years old this year! They both loved the Baby Claire, and neither of them seems to mind the Toddler Claire. She’s really gentle with them, but she loves to give a good chase. When they’ve had enough, they go to where she can’t reach them. But, it never fails that they come back for more. Those two always have been a little crazy.
U – Under Construction. The remodeling projects never cease at the Hotel [OurLastName]! This year, we not only finished remodeling the main bathroom, we completely remodeled the master bathroom, as well! We’ve successfully added wall-tiling and heated flooring to our repertoire.
G – Gainful Employment. [Daddy] is still at [his company], and he really enjoys it! [Momma] has continued her role as [an independent contractor] for [her company] (working from home), in addition to being a toddler wrangler. Both positions keep her pretty busy, but she loves the challenge!
H – Hotel [OurLastName] Guests. Well, this wouldn’t be the Hotel [OurLastName] without all the guests! We love the constant stream of visitors, and we’ll have plenty of space in 2008, so be sure to make your reservations early!
T – Traveling. This year, we traveled to [the Midwest]. We were able to meet a brand new little nephew and see lots of family and friends! If we didn’t get a chance to see you this year, we hope to in the next!
E – Entertainment. Who knew life with a toddler could be so much fun!? Claire is very active and is also very verbal for her age. She says and does the funniest things, and every day we’re amazed at what she comes up with. It’s amazing to see her sense of humor, and the conversations we have keep us on our toes! We keep up-to-date photos on our family website, so be sure to check it out! (The web address is listed below.)
R – Relaxation. This summer, we traveled to Santa Fe for a much-needed family vacation. On this trip, we traveled with another family, and we had a great time! The three kids had a blast playing with each other, and the four adults had a wonderful break from their daily routines.
We wish you all the best in the New Year!
With Love & Laughter,
[The Three of Us]
[And, our contact info]
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