It Seemed Like a Good Idea...

I haven't taken pictures of the kids in a while, so I thought it might be fun to take them up the canyon last night to get a few. Now I remember why I haven't taken any lately. It was pretty much a total and complete disaster.

Makele and Jack were certain that a train was going to come up from behind and run them over, so they kept looking back over their shoulder right when I went to snap the picture. Then Jack decided he really needed to use the non-existent facilities as evidenced here by him holding himself. Oh yea, that's going on the family Christmas card...

Then Jack and Aiden had the bright idea of picking up rocks and throwing them at the bridge, making their hands filthy.
Finally mean mommy got them off the tracks and sat them on a log by the river. I snapped a few pictures in between them falling off a few dozen times and acting like crazy maniacs. Jack really wanted a picture of them acting goofy (like they weren't already). That was about the time my lens decided it had had all the fun it could stand and totally crapped out on me. In the middle of all this, Aiden found a rock and pegged me in the back of the head with it. Then as I was trying to corral them all into the car, Jack decided to throw a rock and narrowly missed the windshield.
Ever the eternal optimist, I decided to try one more location with my wonderfully awful lens that came with my camera. Aiden was way too distracted by all the leaves and Jack was just being his usual charming self.
That's it - pack it up!
We couldn't sit still for two seconds, now could we?
Yep, it's over...
I don't know why it's so hard to get decent pictures of my own kids. I think I just don't have the patience for it. That and they are obviously way too comfortable with me!