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Bower Power

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My Kin Folk

PERSONAL

I’ve never officially introduced you to my family.  Let me remedy that right now.

 

My parents are Lil Debbie and Dad.  Both former school teachers…extraordinary parents….and just plain amazing, loving and salt-of-the-earth-kinda people.

My older brother is Brad.  Sometimes I call him El Gorila.  It’s a joke.  Mostly about the hairiness.

His wife is Tara – she’s smokin’ hot and like ten feet tall.  Seriously.  The girl has legs that go for a looong time.  That’s why we call her Legs McKracken.

The kids are Braden (aka Bubba – yup, it’s true) and Clara.   They live in Alabama…and here’s a tidbit you need to know – Brad is hands down the funniest guy I know or have ever seen or heard.  true story.

18 months after Brad arrived in this world, Ma & Pa spit out this here little lump-lump.

That’s me.  Just in case you had no clue what a lump-lump was 🙂

And you should know Jeremy and our little main attraction here – Will.

Almost three years after I was born, my curly-headed sister Lori joined the family.  We all call her Nornie.  Or Norn for short.  It’s a very short very boring story how that name came to be.  I’ll spare ya.

When she was 19, she found out she was going to be a single mom.  Cole arrived 9 months later and literally has changed all our lives for the better.

This past September, she married Andrew…aka Boots…bought a house, and most importantly, became kin to me (heehee…i know you are rolling your eyes, Andrew!)   Important tidbit – Boots was warned about what he was getting into with our family.  And we love him for marrying Norn anyway 🙂

And then there’s the baby….TIMMY!

Some of you call him Hot Tim…(skeevies)…and he works with cars.  That’s his first love…anything with a motor.  But he’s probably the secondmost funny person in our family…tied with my mom…equal funniessness, those two.  Random info – right now he’s buying his first house.  cool, huh?  OH and he’s single 🙂

This post is all about them.  All of them.

And a little idea I had.

Yeah, that last sentence is a little scary.

 

So here’s the thing…at Thanksgiving I wanted to get a family photo…like always…and like always, it was met with grumbling and complaining and the overall attitude of “AGAIN?! DIDN’T WE JUST DO THAT LAST TIME?”…

And yes, if you look through our past two years of family photos – they are all pretty much the same.  same semi-boring pose.

except the kids get bigger.  And sometimes a new kid arrives.

Not that there is anything wrong with family photos.  Nope.  Love them.  They are hanging on the wall.

But I just felt like we needed to have FUN together.  We kids were homeschooled together for three years.  That’s over 1000 days of togetherness.  And it was anything but generic or remotely boring or like-everyone-else.

So I had this idea…that we throw a theme in the mix.  that we dress up like we did in our fine arts programs.  that we laugh.  that we HAVE FUN TOGETHER (resolution #24).  and that when I look at the photo on the wall, I remember how magnificently splendid that moment really was.  that I remember how much I laughed and truly enjoyed my family.  that I smile at the very thought of that photo.

So this past holiday season, I called everyone to remind them that we would be doing our themed family photos..and to bring whatever you had to fit the bill.  And being that we live in the south…the theme would be “redneck”.

I LOVE THIS PHOTO.  I love this photo more than a redneck loves his favorite huntin dog…and that’s sayin somethin.

And to answer your frequently asked questions…

No – there was no alcohol involved.  All the bottles are still capped and the moonshine jugs are empty.  Makes it kinda scarier that we can act this crazy sober, huh?  And our cigarette’s are actually rolled up paper because we don’t have any smokers in the family.

My mother was dying laughing.  My parents are such good sports…especially when your children are yelling things like – PUT YOUR HAND ON DAD’s BELLY.  and SWING YOUR LEG OVER THE SIDE OF THE CHAIR.

And my mother will have you (and all her music students) know that she does not promote smoking and drinking.  Or poor oral hygiene 🙂

And no – that hair is not actually my dad’s.  At least the stuff on his head isn’t 🙂

The teeth are fake too.  My mom had a giant bag of them.  Don’t really know WHY….

The belly however is real.  All of them.  Not photoshopped.  Not pregnant.  Just too small jeans and the ability to push out the muffin.

redneck

Did everyone plan ahead on their outfits?  No.  Some of them were literally thrown together minutes before hand.

redneck2

The chainsaw is real.  And it was in action like ten minutes before these photos.  And the lawn chairs are actually real too…and were there prior to the shoot and probably still there right now.    And my sister’s shirt was a Native America yelling at some wolves or horses or somethin awesome like that.

The boys all shaved that day to make their chops and ‘staches.  Jeremy was voted as most authentic…and he wore it like that till the next morning 🙂

Timmy cleanin his toes…

I have literally never laughed as hard as I did when I saw everyone’s outfits.  We talked about it all day.  And when we saw all these outtakes, I laughed so hard my sides still hurt.  and I wanted pork rinds.  but mostly I laughed.  to the point of tears.

I peed my too tight jeans twice.  I wish I was kidding.

redneck3 

And then…in the middle of our shoot…the neighbor’s starting watching.  It was hilarious.  And then we went right back into character and continued shooting.

Will was yelling at the dog.  He isn’t a huge fan yet of big doggies.

And yes, we will be doing a theme next year.  We are already talking about it.

redneck4

So that’s it…that’s how we spent Christmas.  Oh there was presents and food and shopping and all that…but all these moments I will definitely remember.  I will treasure them.

Do you do anything memorable or fun or just plain crazy with your fam?  Anyone dress up?  Or make memories that you’ll never forget in a way that may look nuts to everyone else…but to you, they are literally priceless?  Anyone else able to convince their folks to dress up?  Well, whatcha waitin fer…put er down rite ther in the commentin section….

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Comments

  1. I absolutely love this! I think it’s awesome that your whole family was up for doing it! 🙂 Too funny!

  2. 2 things….your mom is gorgeous (her skin is amazing in that photo) and number 2…your older brother looks like a friend of mine in the redneck photos, except my friend dresses like that ALL the time!! Looks like a fun photo shoot!

  3. I’m so impressed that your entire family are such good sports and so fun loving. Amazing!

  4. I love that your family got so into the redneck photo shoot. My family complains about taking a normal photo – something like this would never happen. I think my mom took one picture this Christmas. (yes that is sad – we need a photographer like you to join our family.)

  6. Oh my gosh, I have tears running down my leg, err face, I am laughing so hard!! This is amazing. Just some advice from another Georgia girl- Next time, MORE CAMO ; )

    Thank you KB, this made my morning…

    [although I’ll probably have nightmares about my future GA native chi’rin]

  7. LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS!

    I love families that can laugh… that can make fun of themselves… that are willing to be crazy together!

    You made my day!

    PS Please have a Disney Princess theme next year… Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs?

  9. You guys are hilarious.

    Pretty sure that shirt your sister is wearing (the Native Americans yelling at wolves) is a Mountain shirt. I’m a designer for a greeting card company that was once their sister company. We sell equally inspiring cards and tourist trap gifts. You HAVE heard of Three Wolf Moon haven’t you? Google it. And read the reviews.

  11. I’m at work reading this and just had to ditch to the ladies room because I was laughing so hard I cried a bit. People were looking at me like I was crazy, and working at a law firm, I sure can’t show them the picture to explain why I’m laughing because that would only make me look crazier.

    I LOVE this idea, and the execution? Flawless in a “I’ll have nightmares about this for days” kind of way. Can’t wait to see what you have in store for next year’s picture.

    Ann

  12. this is hands down the best Bower Power post EVER. this is hilarious. i love that everyone – esp Lil Debbie & Dad – played along so well. Timmy grabbing his crotch is ridiculous. love that the kids are right in it, too. and TOTALLY impressed by your muffin top. skinny KB to muffin top redneck in .5 seconds. impressive. your family is AWESOME. please line your stair-way with THESE shots now. thanks.

  13. OH.MY.GOODNESS!!! I don’t think I’ve laughed so hard in a long time! This is just plain awesome 🙂 And this just speaks volumes about how amazing your family is – can’t wait to see next year’s pictures!

  14. Shut the front door. Funniest thing ever. Ever! And what an amazing family…not only did everyone participate, they (obviously) got REALLY into it! Fantastic idea…

  15. Did you steal those jeans from my sister-in-law? My favorite post ever. Freakin hilarious!

  18. Holy amazeballs…
    My husband and I need to start working on our theme stat. We already decided that we never want a traditional card. It will always be weird. Once we start having kids, they’ll just get pulled in too.

  19. I’m just really amazed you got your belly to do that. You are so thin! Just amazing. 🙂

  20. Love love love this! This is seriously hilarious, and I was laughing like a hyenna at my desk this morning as I was scrolling through the photos…too funny! My fave is def the guy (brother in law?) wearing the JORTS. JORTS = classic.

    Not sure how you’ll top this, but I definitely can’t wait to see more family photos of the future 🙂

  24. This is so funny! I had to scroll back up and look at all of the real pictures of you guys. This is one of the reasons that I love your blog – your sense of humor is unmatched on any other blog. I also love to read about your love of family.

    Jill

  25. oh my god! I can’t believe everyone in your family agreed to do this!….and seemed to enjoy it! You guys are so hilarious, I love it! I also love that you so confidently shared your muffin top with the world – I would never be so brave!
    Hope you’re 2012 is going great so far!

  26. Usually don’t comment, but this is seriously too good not to comment on! Thanks for making my morning! And from a northerner, who lived in the south for a few years, this is def what I think of when I remember those times! : )

  27. Gotta agree – I laughed my arse off at these photos! My mom has gotten us all those fake bikini body t-shirts? You know, the ones printed on the front and back? We even found one for the munchkin! I’ve always been annoyed by them, but after this post, I can see the humor in it, and will be a lot more willing to wear it in the future for family water park photos! 🙂

  28. I wish I was your neighbor:) You guys are the best!! Hysterical and how much fun will those pictures be to look back on in 20 years??? happy new year! I hope 2012 is good to you all!!

  29. OMG – I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. You guys are seriously a trip and would love to hang out with your whole family. I couldn’t stop laughing. It’s great that you have such a great bond with your family. I think a lot of families get caught up in the norm and tend to get boring and having to be adults and all. I think having fun and being a little crazy once in a while is essential. Happy New Year Katie, Jeremy and Will.

  31. Katie! Heeeee! This is THE FUNNIEST thing I have ever seen. In my entire life.

    I think the best part is your dad’s socks.

    LOVE it.

  33. No. No! There is no way that’s you! This is the greatest thing ever – I didn’t even recognize you! What an awesome family!

  35. This seriously had me howling!!!! You should be proud. Not many families can let loose and have fun like that. I hope my kids can do the same with me when they get older!

  36. OK…I am so sorry. I take it back. I am glad you had fun with family. You are a fav of mine. Please forgive me. Sometimes I speak before thinking!!!

  37. OM-Gosh!!!!!!! this is hilarious!!!! BY far the best family group shot ever! Your Dad is the best and the comment you made about his hair had my coffee come out of my nose!!!! thank you for making me lauph today!! :0)

  39. Katie:
    OK..I am sorry. I know you had fun doing this. Please forgive me as sometimes I speak before thinking!!! I am glad you are proud of your family and you should be!!!!!

    You are one of my favs…promise!
    B.

  41. This. is. hilarious. Thankyou for making me laugh today. And I can not believe that is really your belly – can’t be. It totally looks like a prosthetic.

  42. Couple of things I love:

    What appears to be a can of dip in your jean pocket (it’s a nice subtle touch).
    Your brothers cut off jean shorts. Always amazing on a guy….

    Thanks for the morning laugh!!!

  45. How awesome is it that the whole family was on board with this, and the fact that they let you post it on your blog!! So funny, and you’re right an excellent memory to have for years to come.

  46. I thought Snookie was good – but obvoiusly I forgot who I was dealing with.

    Thanks so much for the belly laughs, you are all so so hilarious!

    As an aside, I am NEVER wearing too tight jeans again.

  47. Those are the BOMB!! Yall are hilarious. In the first redneck shot, I thought you were were your sister in the middle. Jeremy holding Will up by his vest is awesomesauce. Already looking forward to next year’s pics!

  48. This is awesome! Thank you for sharing!

    My husband and I go all out for our Christmas cards. This year we did different scenes from A Christmas Story. Next year maybe we’ll go redneck.

  49. I LOVE this! I have several family members that would never in a million years participate but it’s hilarious! That looks nothing like you and Jeremy (thankfully)! Between the hair, teeth and bellies if it weren’t for Will i’m not sure i’d have guessed that was you guys! Major kudos for having the guts to post it here, my fam would totally kill me! Hilarious!!!

  51. Yes! The picture with the three of you was amazing by itself, but getting the whole family involved: Priceless.

    I wonder if I can talk my peeps into something like this…

  52. OMG!!! I love it. I’m laughing so hard my eyes are watering… not so good while at work. :o)

  53. LOVE this post. Yummy younger brother, redneck hilarity…and a passed-down nose-crinkling and smile from your dad to you to Will. Can’t wait to see what theme you come up with for next year!

  56. This is all kinds of awesome. Your family is hilarious, and such good sports. As an English girl who has lived in the American South for over 10 years, I can verify that people like this do exist in real life and I see ’em at my local WalMart all the time. I think if I got my husband’s extended family (who live in SC, NC, AL, MS and TN) to do this, there might not be too much dressing up for some, and definitely enough camo to go around (they’d probably insist on including guns too, sigh).

  57. Ya’ll ain’t right!!!

    Thanks for the show. Sometimes you are the highlight of my day…and I mean that as a compliment. I must go change my drawers now.

  59. I should not have read this post at work because I was trying so hard to stifle my laughter that tears were streaming down my face. HILARIOUS! Even if I did look like I was having a breakdown, I’m so glad I read this!

  60. This was hilarious!!!! And the fact that ya’ll can laugh at yourselves for it, is the best part 🙂

  65. Katie!! This is hilarious! The Skoal can in your too tight jeans, the way Jeremy is holding Will, your sis-in-law’s big fake boobs, your sis’ one crossed eye!! Hahaha*snort*haha! LOVE IT!

  68. How sad is it that I recognize that the ring shape in your pocket is supposed to be a tin of dip?! I don’t live in the south but Maine has it’s fair share of red necks too I guess!

  71. OH MY LIVIN STARS!!!!! You guys ROCK!!! I love doin stuff like this!! I cant believe how I couldnt stop roaring looking at this post…scroll back up..look closer…hilarious!! Seriously, we need more families like this 🙂 And Tim is lookin hot as ever..that knife aughta do the trick to get them there toes clean…

  72. Hysterical!!! I saw yesterday’s post and had to call my family over to look at it, then show what you really look like. 🙂 What a great family you have! If you cut out eyes, nose, and mouths and tape them over your own it makes for quite a funny photo! When we were kids my brother and I loved to sit on the couch tuck our legs under us, tuck a blanket around us then put shoes on our stumps, pull our arms in to make them short, and turn ourselves into midgets. Probably not very PC, but very funny.

  75. AMAZING!!! I love it and I can only imagine how funny it was in the moment b/c it’s hilarious to me and I don’t know any of you! My favorite parts are your Dad’s neon orange socks and your sister’s total outfit (awesomesauce!) After looking at it all for a minute it kind of looks like a Redneck version of the Cullens from Twilight with the teeth and all!

  78. Absolutely hilarious, I love the fact that your whole family got into it, no way would I be able to convince some of mine to do anything like this. I love love love it and know it will make you think about all the fun you had when you did it and that’s what it’s all about!

  81. OK.

    1. This post MADE MY DAY! So.Freakin.Hilarious.
    2. I want to do a similar photo shoot with my family. Except some of them would show up already looking like that. On purpose. (And, yea, we’re from Tennessee.)
    3. I rarely comment, but I love your blog!

  83. This.is.awesome. I seriously keep scrolling back through the pictures – laughing! You guys look like you had a blast. What fun memories!

  84. You guys are freakin’ hilarious. I feel like you just transplanted your family into my neck of the woods – I’m not joking either. You should see our walmart – people probably wouldn’t even do a double take. Your family is full of awesomeness, I’m a bit jealous. Thanks for the laugh <3

  85. This is EPIC!! What a great idea and I love that your family played along. Before this, the funniest family photo I had ever seen was from my friend’s wedding. She has like 6 siblings and they all (with spouses and children) wore Groucho Marx nose glasses for one of the family photos. It was so funny when they all whipped them out one cue!

  87. So very funny! You have such a great since of humor! I truly enjoy your posts but this one had me laughing so much. I can’t wait to see next year’s theme! 😉

  88. OMG – we LOVE your blog and your family…… :o) please stay as you are!
    greets from germany

  89. This honestly is the greatest picture EVER!!!!! I so LOVE this idea!! This would be a great way to get family together and having fun and this will be a photo that you will cherish FOREVER!! I am definitely going to be trying this with my family!! Thanks for sharing!! You make me laugh on the daily!!

  90. This just made my day. Best. Thing. Ever.
    I laughed so hard seeing the first hillbilly photo, your brother grabbing himself, I almost spit my coffee out.
    How fun! And hilarious!

  92. This was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen in my life. I LOVE that your family did this! You all are awesome!

  94. You look remarkably like Britney Spears in these photos! Which is both hilarious and very sad… 🙂

  96. This is such a fun idea! And I must say I can.not.stop.laughing. You guys should have taken a field trip to WalMart while you were all in costume!

  97. I can’t stop laughing! This is sooooooo great! You guys look awesome! I still can’t believe that is your belly! Will looks so cute!

  98. Abso-friggin-lutely hilarious!! Is it bad that I think I recognize some of these people as my own?

  101. This was definitely Laugh Out Loud Funny. I am pretty sure that we could not get my Family to fully participate let alone let it be published on a blog.. However, my friends.. they would so be down for this! I Loved It!

    Hmmm… Next Year you all should do an EMO theme. It would be so counter to this one.

  102. Katie, I am literally laughing out loud in the middle of my office and I think my co workers are beginning to think I’ve lost it! I love these photos!!!

  103. oh my goodness. You are some-kinda-crazy-funny-lady and your readers love it. Thanks for the hilarious laughs. Just too awesome for words.

  104. This totally made my day. Katie you were born to be a redneck woman. You totally rocked it!! How on earth did you manage to look so trashy and cute at the same time, lol!

  105. WOW i love it!! haha. your family is so fun!

    I will have to agree with some of the other comments, my favorite parts are:

    The hidden snuff can and Tim’s crotch grab.

    Classic. The picture actually gave me flasbacks to the last time I visited our walmart. 😉

  106. This is FABULOUS! So fabulous that it drove me to comment 🙂 I always read your blog and think if you lived in Dallas we would surely be bff’s. I have two boys who I am sure would love to throw things with Will too!

    My cousin and I have been trying to rock some of our family holiday traditions and replace them with more fun, laughter, charity and general togetherness and less presents. This year we did Minute to Win It games. We laughed so hard we cried, were able to include the whole family and will have rich memories to look back on.

  107. Oh my gosh your family is amazing. Also, you should hold a “Win a date with my brother” contest on the blog. Just a suggestion!

  108. That is the greatest thing I’ve seen in a very long time!!! It is so awesome that your family all went along and really look to have enjoyed it. I read your blog almost daily and you crack me up! Love your humor!!!

  109. I LOVE it! Can I please be in your family? Or come give my family some pointers on how to laugh at themselves. Of course, you can tell you are all ridiculously good looking underneath it all. I like how your sis looks like Jessie Spano from SBTB.

  110. I think I love your family! I am in a set of 4 siblings, too, and I whereas I think I could get my sibs and parents to go for something as FUN as this – there are a few in-laws who would take a lot more convincing! So fun – thanks for sharing, and thanks to your family for allowing those pics online!!

  112. OMG…seriously laughing so hard. Freaking awesome! Wish I could get my family to do the same.

  113. I didn’t know what I was getting into as I slowly scrolled down and perused today’s post. WAY.TO.FUNNY
    You smoking a cigarette with last nights make up & Jeremy holding Will up by the diaper…classic.

  114. I am dying, sister! I love how you have made memory-making your purpose in your family. I’m sure your people adore you for it. It’s really sweet to watch.

  115. Oh my gosh, funniest post ever! I don’t think I’ve ever commented on your blog but this was hysterical 🙂 Keepin’ it classy!

  118. Hilarious! Thanks alot Katie, I’m at work and was laughing so hard I wet my pants, and gotta work in them all day. Thanks.

  122. LOVE IT!

    I love that you let the muffin top hang out. We are about the same build and when I tell people I have a muffin top they do not buy it!! Kudos to you for keepin it real!!

  124. Oh My Gosh!!!!!!!! This is sooooo funny and sooooooooo wrong!! We laughed so hard at these pictures!! All of your family is so beautiful and then to see them like this–I couldn’t believe it. How on earth did you think of this–and then to get everyone to do it! Love it–you made our day!!!!!!!

  131. We said the same thing! I kept on telling mom that she was like a hilarious version of a drunk redneck vampire 🙂
    xo – kb

  132. This cracks me up!!! I sent it to a few of my friends because I could not quit laughing. So funny! Ya’ll are such a fun family 🙂

  135. I was…with the help of a remote 🙂 For our family pics, I set it up and Norn hit the trigger – she’s a champ!
    xo – kb

  139. No prob, Barb! And you are right – I probably wouldn’t include these photos with my resume if I was applying for a job…but since we all love dressing up (you should have seen my mother’s costume closet growing up) and we did it just to create a memory – I will cherish it and the time that it represented 🙂
    xo – kb
    p.s. you are one of my favs…promise 🙂

  140. I was feeling sentimental and “awe” when seeing the first few pics of your family – and then it all went down hill from there 🙂 You’ll cherish these memories forever. So awesome that everyone really got into character. So funny!

  142. Ditto what Carrie Z said Barb!!!

    Katie…..I can’t quit looking at these photos and cracking up! Too funny and cute!!

  143. HAHA! Look at Tims foot in 3rd picture from bottom!! I keep seeing more and more thats just crackin me up!

  144. How old is your brother? My beautiful cousin lives in Atlanta and she’s on the market 🙂

  145. I would love to see a side by side picture of the three of you – a redneck photo next to a “normal” photo.

  149. I’m so glad to know that I’m not the only one who can push their stomach out like that 🙂 I like to use it to scare my husband sometimes…hahaha!

  151. Freaking hilarious! I wish my family could have this much fun and that we had someone in the family to photograph it too!

  152. El Gorilla looks like he likes them “french fried potaters” in a couple of those shots. I love Tara’s makeup.

    This is completely wonderful.

  153. Oh my gosh, hilarious!! I wish my family was as fun-loving as yours, they would never do something like this!

    You need to submit these photos to http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/

    (Or at least just go look at the site – think pictures like yours, but where the people are being serious!)

  154. This is hysterical! Your family is hilarious! I love the idea of themed photos. My family dresses up for Halloween each year and takes photos, but we’ve never all dressed as one theme. I love the idea!

  155. I laughed so hard at these. And I think you found a new venture for your photography business!

  157. I love this!! My family has done has done theme pictures for the last 3 years, Hawaiian, western, ’70’s and at christmas we do fabulous sweaters (we dont want to offend anyone by calling them ugly) and we love it!! Everytime I look back at the pictures it makes me smile and laugh everytime 🙂 We also talk about what our next theme is going to be right after! Thank you for sharing yours!! (sorry for all the !!! but I just enjoyed this so much!!)

  158. Oh my goodnessssss Thank YOU for sharing!! I am at work laughing to the point of tears while everyone is wondering if I’m okay. This looks like soooo much fun and I love that you will have those memories. Jer holding up Will by his jacket is oh sooo funny!!

    It’s all PERFECT! Love this post!!

  159. So stinking awesome!!!! I absolutely love the pictures and that your family was sooo on board for doing a goofy family photo shoot!!!

  160. This is quite possibly the funniest and most genius idea ever. I love it. I can’t wait to see what you do next year…

  161. This is amazing. Shows exactly why you’re one of my favorite blogs! First time I’ve seen the younger brother and going to have to agree that Tim is HOT! Agree with Rachel on the win a date post , except that may be the most awkward date in the entire world (although I think I could suffer through that 😉 ). Does being in Atlanta give me a leg up/ although I think I’ve officially creeped myself out haha

  164. You guys are fricking hilarious!!! I am SO not pushing my stomach out like that because I don’t think it would ever go back in!

  165. Ok, I never comment on the HUNDREDS of blogs I read each week….but, time and time again I find myself laughing OUT LOUD at your blog posts. I am usually alone in my office eating my lunch, and I have to contain the laughter so I don’t spit my food on my computer, snort so loud I disturb others, or some messy combination of both. Hands down your blog wins my award for most hilarious. Your decorating is great, but your personality is awesome and I thoroughly enjoy your blog. If you are ever in Dallas and you need a place to stay or a glass of wine please look me up. Love that you are trying to live intentionally and create memories with your family. So fun!!!

  166. You are officially my favorite blogger. I think you are talented, adorable (your family too), and hilarious. I wish my family was as funny and fun as yours.

  169. You rule!!! And so does your family! I thought my family looked silly at Christmas last year in our photo when I had a Ugly Christmas Sweater theme. This is what makes memories!!

  170. I cannot tell you how much fun this was to read! You crack me up!!! The pic of you and Jeremey picking up Will by the vest is the best. I can’t believe it’s you as you look so different. You make a great redneck! Hee.

    Girl, you should be proud and so happy that your family has so much fun together. Some of my family went away together for Christmas and I can honestly say there is probably a few who will never speak again. I was smart and stayed home as I could totally forsee that happening. Enjoy and treasure that awesome family Katie!

  171. This is the best thing I’ve seen in a long time. Could not stop laughing… and at work, no less! I think you and your family should adopt me.

  173. First I love your blog.
    Second I am so jealous cause you have such a neat family and it looks like you all have an amazing time together.
    Third I love these pictures… hilarious! So creative and what wonderful memories you all made. AWESOME!

  174. Wow. I seriously didn’t even recognize you and Jeremy the first time I scrolled thru. Of course I recognized Will but thought he was with someone else!! What a hoot! Thanks for introducing your family. I see that you come by your craziness naturally!!! And I mean that in the nicest possible way!! Families are great for a good uninhibited hoedown!

  176. HILARIOUS!!!! OMG – I’m showing this to the hubs – we have to do it!!! Fabulous idea and I can’t wait to see next years theme!!

  178. Love it! I have to know, how on earth did you guys just have those clothes “sitting around”?!?! And I love that your mom has a bag of fake teeth, my mom always has random stuff like that too.

  179. Haha- LOVE IT! I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time!

    Also, I just keep imagining some “real” redneck that reads your blog actually thinking that this is real and really loves the pictures hehehehehe

    Thank you so much for keeping it real!!

    Annie

    ~p.s….. is it sad that I could totally see our family doing this? We do redneck camping every year (we all pull our trailers to a family’s house and camp out together and have cornhole tournys- who needs a campground?!)

  180. When you posted your redneck likeness of just you, Jeremy, and Will I totally thought you had found your Southern doppleganger or at the very least a body double. I inspected that picture and I was still convinced some slack jawed yokel had kidnapped your baby. So bravo! Your family is the most convincing Redneck family I’ve ever laid my eyes on. My suggestion for a future theme- Traveling Sideshow… I’m talking bearded ladies, siamese twins… you could even pull a Benjamin Button and dress Will as an old man…. the possibilities are endless!

  184. oh my gosh. you are a stitch! i can’t believe that a) everyone did it. yay katie’s family! and b) your tummy!! i’ve seen your flat tumtum in person. how on earth did you get it to do that?!

  186. You have serious dress up skillz. I honestly don’t recognize you and Jeremy at all! Yesterday, I actually thought you had photoshopped Will’s head onto another photo. I must need glasses. 🙂

    The only disappointment? We have to wait until next year to see the next theme!

  187. You like my mad stomach skills, Huh?
    Did you ever see my pregnant rolling tummy trick? It was pretty awesome if I do say so myself 🙂
    xo – kb

  195. Amazing! For our maternity photos my husband and I actually did a White Trash theme (complete with an airstream trailer, guns and astroturf). We aren’t the “serious photo” types so it was a perfect fit. I wish I knew how to add a photo in the comments because the photo really does speak for itself.
    Anyways, love the pictures, love the blog, love it all. Keep it up.
    -Kate

  196. I knew your first family pictures were to good to be true. LOL !

    I live in Montreal and we don’t have that let say “Culture” up here. I will go to bed tonight less “dummer” since I had my first lesson in Redneck 101.

    Katie, your family is a hoot!

  197. drama in the comments section… lol. I honestly never thought I’d find other families that were as crazy as mine. we have this tradition to blast music really loud in our living room and dance along. when people whip out the fake teeth, it just gets ridiculous. talk about laughing so hard you think you’re gonna die. love the photos!

  198. YES…. just… YES! I can’t get enough. I can’t pick who my favorite “character” is, they’re all so frickin funny. Everytime I look again I see new little details.

    Carry on with your awesomeness, lady.

  200. Bwahahahahahahahahahahaha … (breathes) … BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA … (gasps)

    Pure awesomeness, lady. Seriously, will you be my friend? I say that in a totally non-creepy-but-you’re-really-funny kind of way.

  201. Love the grabbing of the “unit” on your brothers part. Those were very entertaining. Fun times!

  202. Ditto, I was absolutely weeping at the neighbors watching. And looking like a total lunatic at my conservative workplace too.

  203. OMG…that is the greatest family portrait that I have ever seen!! Love it!

    Btw, I love a good redneck theme. I had a “white trash bash” for 4th of July a few years ago. Complete with NASCAR slippin slide, barefoot and pregnant women, babies only in diapers and tons of temporary tattoos to go around. Oh..and the Twinkie and Ho-Ho cake!!

    Can’t wait to see next year’s theme!

  207. Oh yay! Giddy snoopy dance! If I can’t convince my family to do it then the least I can do is have you convince yours. I will be on the lookout for it next year!

  208. So funny!! My college roommate and I used to have dress up challenges. We would go into our rooms for 5 minutes and see who could come out with the craziest outfit on. One night we decided to drive around and casually drop in to see our friends. Strangely, nobody thought we were as funny as we did. I think they were scared…

  209. BAHAHAHAHAHA! Favorite post ever. And I’ve laughed out loud at a LOT of your posts, so that’s saying something! Your family is awesome. And you have serious gut-pushing-out abilities because you are normally so tiny!!

  211. This is hands down my favorite post EVER out of all the blogs I read (which is around 90 by the way). First of all, I couldn’t recognize you or Jeremy in the first picture. You guys did an awesome job with the transformations. What great sports they are to go along. Thanks for the laughs!!!!

  212. Awesome! What a fun family. This would be great for Will’s slide show for his wedding one day! 🙂

  213. My husband and I just had so much fun looking at your family photos. He was so inspired that he went and put on a pair of overalls (that I have NEVER seen before) and is practicing his poses. We will definitely be doing something like this with our family. Thank you for the inspiration!

  215. That is so hilarious! What a fun family you have! Have you ever heard of Billy Bob teeth? They’re fake teeth that are made to mold to your mouth. Super high tech.

    http://www.faketeeth.net/servlet/StoreFront

    Anyway, my dad had a pair, and he wore them to a father-daughter dance that I took him to in high school. It was so fun introducing him to friends and their dads and watching the looks on their faces when he smiled at them! One of my favorite memories!

  216. These pictures remind me of a “Redneck/White Trash” theme party we threw a few years ago, complete with games and staying in character all.night.long. It was hilarious! I’m glad to see that we aren’t the only crazy ones.

  221. I have been laughing my ass off at these pictures all day. And I keep looking at them and staring at them because they aren’t only funny, but you all look so weird. What a fun family. Priceless.

  222. I’ve been reading your blog for a year or so, and I’m a total fan, but I’ve never commented before. I had to comment this time to tell you that I literally laughed so hard with full on tears rolling down my cheeks when I saw this post. Your family seems like a blast (or whatever a redneck would say that means roughly the same things as a blast).

  223. So fun!! I love how you were careful to put all the glamour shots up first! I never expected to see the themed pictures as I started scrolling! Count me in as one of those that spit their drink out while reading this post….

  224. It goes without saying that this is awe-inspiring. Jeremy’s transformation is the most unbelievable; it doesn’t look like him at all, and I’m lookin’. Is it the sunglasses? (hahaha…)

    I also love it when you hit one out of the park like this because all your followers come out of the woodwork to comment and I get to check out all their fun blogs, too.

  225. HILARIOUS !! I love your family, for being good sports about this. My Mum would never agree to anything like this! Norn’s teeth look real & I like the match of her lipstick & earrings. Tim’s legs…muscles…so glad I got to see that! LOL ! The little kids have totally got the idea of the theme thing. This post was even more fun than the family shot of you 3. Great idea KB, can’t wait to see more theme adventures. Thanks for sharing.

  226. I almost never comment on blogs, but this could not go without compliment. This. Was. Brilliant! I think you might have inspired a whole new kind of family photo shoot here for generations to come. Truth.

  228. I read your blog every day but have never commented. This post could NOT go though without telling you how awesome it is! Hilarious and it is obvious you have a very loving and FUN-loving family. Like everyone else I am so looking forward to see what’s in store for next year.

  229. Can ya’ll adopt me? That might be the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. LOVE it!!

    I can stick my belly out too. Hot…white hot.

  230. omg I totally thought that photo was photoshopped the other day when you posted a preview. I was like wow she did a good job putting their heads on someone else’s body. Holy crap little did I know that was actually you guys. That was pretty flippin hilarious, and you’re brave, very brave!

  232. Good for you & your family! My family has been doing a theme at Christmas for many years now! We have done alien, Cowboy, TV, music, Halloween, Seinfeld, and others (cannot recall right now…) We have not done a red neck Christmas yet – kind of afraid what might happen….

  233. BEST POST EVER!!!! I was laughing hysterically! Thank you for putting it all out there and keeping it real- muffin top and all!

  235. Your family is hilarious and precious! Thank you for sharing with all of us. I have to go change my pants now.

  236. I carry hillbilly teeth in my purse at all times – because you just never know. I am happy to know I am not alone.
    Thank you, and Happy New Year!!!!

  237. THIS IS HALARIOUS! HAHA!
    I live in Alabama so this cracks me up! 🙂
    Thanks for sharing! I totally agree with everyone else I think you are my favorite blogger!! Such a FUN idea!

    –Kori
    sewingkscloset.blogspot.com

  238. This is soooooooooooo funny. I love that you are totally willing to put not-so-flattering photos of yourself online and can laugh at yourselves. Maybe because it’s obvious from the photos at the beginning of the post that you are all beautiful people. I think this is such a fun and awesome idea… life is too short to take yourself so seriously and I love that you can do this together as a family. Have no shame! I only wish my introverted husband would entertain this idea (no way!)… I’ll just have to live vicariously through your fun family photos 🙂

  239. this is hilarious…will be hard to top next year! i am thinking’ gangsta…you already got your own little bow-wow. 🙂

  243. Katie I am DYING laughing!! This is gold! Here in Australia our equivalent would be bogans…I might just have to host a bogan birthday party to get my fix 🙂

  245. LOL. . .Anybody else notice the Skoal (or was it Copenhagen??) in Katie’s pocket. LOVE this post. . .one of my favorites!! I’m amazed that everyone in the family was not only willing to dress up, but to act the part AND have it photographed for possible blackmailing opportunities in the future? Priceless!

  247. Best post EVER. Not that your other posts aren’t equally hilarious but the fact that you got your ENTIRE family to do this? Are your parents adopting? :p

    I think the only way I could convince my family to do this is if it was a nerdy theme. Like Star Trek. Or Star Wars. Not that I wouldn’t enjoy those…I guess you guys just do Redneck so well I don’t think it could be outdone! My neighbors wouldn’t just watch though, they would have joined. 🙂

    Have a wonderful weekend!

    Emily

  248. I. Just. Almost. Peed. Laughing.

    Hurts. So. Much.

    Thank you so much for this. It doesn’t even look like you. Unbelievable. So much love.

  249. Freaking fantastic! Best post ever! You have one awesome family to all pull that together. I wish I was there to watch it (I’d gladly take the pictures for your next family photo!!) oh the laughing, crying, and peeing that I’d be doing… and simotaniously… cause I’m that talented. Hahahahahahahaha!

  252. Katie, I was showing this to my husband and my son last night, and we were–of course–laughing at the photos. When had seen them all, my son (10 y.o.) asked me to scroll up to the good picture of your mom at the top. He said, “She is so beautiful. Look at her eyes.”

    Isn’t that the sweetest?! Please make sure you tell your mom and make her day. 🙂

    xo

  254. This is the most awesome thing I’ve ever seen. Seriously made my day. Thanks for sharing. 🙂

  257. Just when I thought you couldn’t be any funnier, I see this! And it amazes me how redneckin’ in up can turn a truly beautiful family into a bunch of hillbillies. Nice work!

  258. OMG! That is the funniest thing I have ever seen…I ‘m pretty sure I peed in my pants a little just looking at your photos! Oh, my I will definetely be sharing your photos with all my friends! Hilarious!!!

  259. Could NOT get it at first! Didn’t know why you and Jeremy hadn’t got in the redneck photos! Very, very, very funny! My family would so do something like this!

  261. This is the FUNNIEST thing I’ve EVER seen. I was laughing soooooo hard I had to show it to my husband. You’ll be talking about this for 30 years, at least.

  262. OH-EM-GEE!!! What an awesome photo shoot, I can tell why you mighta peed ur pants! I am dying laughing! What a great idea! Can’t wait to see what next year’s theme will be! 🙂

  263. 1. There is no way that’s your belly….you photoshopped in that shiznit.
    2. If in fact that IS your belly, your muffin-top inducing skills are impressive….and sorta hawt.
    3. You have such a fun family & I love that you all don’t take yourselves too seriously.
    4. I like my possum fresh too!

  264. katie…GURL…this is legendary. seriously one of my favorite posts of all blogs, all time. love these pictures, but love being intentional about creating memories even more!

    we didn’t intend to create these memories, but my family celebrated christmas this year with the local police and pot (and this coming from a former homeschooler and preacher’s daughter): http://bekastays.wordpress.com/2011/12/25/and-thats-when-the-cops-pulled-into-our-driveway/. definitely our most memorable christmas morning to date.

    thanks for making my day, hope you guys are having a great weekend 🙂

  266. Can I just say, you’re officially the bravest girl I know? Seriously. I do not know one woman who would be willing to post such completely unflattering pictures of herself for all to see! I admire your dedication to capturing the perfect family photo. All the shots are hilarious and unforgettable, just what you wanted. Oh, and the first time your shared the pic of just your little family, I didn’t recognize you or Jeremy, freakishly amazing, you are!

  267. Thanks for the laugh! I totally get it. When my kids act up , I tell them I am going to show up at their school dressed like a redneck woman and proceed to get in character “splayin that I’m their momma and all.” They freak out and know I am joking! This post was hilarious!!!

  268. Ok, these are amazing. Seriously. I think I could convince my family to do a themed photo shoot every year, as long as my mother got her standard nice family shot. I am now on a mission. This completely cracked me up! “I don’t care who you are – that’s funny.”

  269. GIIIIRLLLLL….I can’t believe you are crawling outta that black baby hole you are in to comment 🙂
    And yes…once again…the muffin is in fact the real thing. love it because it’s around to stay 🙂
    xo – kb
    p.s. please just turn your blog into a baby blog and post photos of your little girl everyday…okthankyou.

  270. I love this, totally amazing! Except my family lives in Pennsylvania so we’d have to go with some sort of stoic, no-fun, Quaker/Amish theme. I think we could also rock the Occupy protesters theme this year too. so fun!

  271. I’d like to throw out Godfather-esque mafia as a theme – you know, to represent your Jersey side now that you’ve done your southern side. You’ve got one amazing family there – happy new year!

  274. HILARIOUS!!! Thanks so much for this post…it made me laugh out loud so many times! You and your family rock! It reminds me of a video my friends and I made in high school called “The Real World Rejects”; I’m sure you can just imagine the kind of characters we came up with!!

    PS- Single Tim is a hottie for sure…I’d ask to be set up but I’m not so sure he’d be into 31-year-olds unless cougars are his thing? :0)

  275. Freaking hysterical!!! I almost peed my own pants laughing at these pictures and I don’t even know any of you; I can only imagine how I would have reacted seeing my own family dressed up like that. Everyone got so into it. Awesome awesome awesome!

  277. I loved your family pictures!

    I had to comment though because I was scrolling through them and realized I know Tara! I had actually passed the picture and then had to go back when I realized who she was. What a small world… I have been reading your blog for a LONNGGG time (found you through Sherry)… and now I realize I know someone you know… its like six degrees of seperation or something.

    Tara and I went to elmentary & high school together and graduated the same year. I have known her and all her sisters and cousins for as long as I can remember! We are from a small town so it is really neat to see someone you grew up with on a blog you read every day!

    Small small world!

  279. I just found your blog and I have been cracking up at your family photo shoot. You will be hard pressed to come up with a theme next year to beat this one. Just hilarious. I will be following your blog, just because I can’t wait to see next year’s antics.

  281. Okay.. Glad my bladder was empty. Every time I scanned the first photo to see everyone I kept laughing harder. Especially the fact of your brother grabbing himself…cracks me up… They were too good! Loving all your Christmas recaps. U and sherry just make my day on being silly, put burlap on it.

  282. Oh my goodness! I love this! My daughter, son-in-law and grandson are leaving today to return to Germany and we went yesterday took pictures and it was worse than pulling teeth to get my son & son-in-law there and dressed. I was thinking if we did a themed picture next time maybe it would not be so hard to get everyone involved. Kudos to you for learning another way to enjoy your family.

  283. These photos are hilarious! Seriously – I burst out laughing out loud and couldn’t stop… my husband came in the room and was in awe of how everyone looked. Seriously – I bow down. You guys all look authentic to me – actually the one of the 3 of you where Jeremy is holding Will by his vest looks crazy real! And way to push out that muffin top, girl! Ha!! So awesome – thanks for sharing all of these. I want to do this with my extended family, but I don’t think they’d go for it!

  284. YOU ARE THE BEST KATIE! This post is absolutely hilarious!!! You really have an incredible sense of humor and I just love your honesty. Family is the best and it looks like you guys have a great time together. Thanks for the great post and making me laugh. I loved it!!

  285. Your paretns really rokck! And where did you take that belly of yours? You look so slim on every single photo!

  288. I have read for a while but have never commented – this is the most amazing family photoshoot I have ever seen! I’m dying laughing and your family is triple extra awesome for being such good sports!!

    Love your blog! 🙂

  289. Those are AWESOME!! And you can tell how great your family is that they all went with it and got SO in character. Hahaha. Started the morning off right. Thank you!

  290. Peeing my pants laughing. The one of you, Jer and Will where, Jer is holding up Will by his vest? .. awesome. Why is that not all over pinterest for Murphy sake?

    We all need to learn to take ourselves not so seriously. This is a VERY good reminder of that!

  294. I love your blog; I love your crazy, fun, funny, awesome family and how they all jumped in with no hesitation and did this; I love that I will meet you all one day when we’re all together with our Lord; and I’m already planning with my brother to do our Florida version on the redneck family, called “Grove Chile’ family,” when we (our family) are all together again. Thank you soooooo much for the inspiration!

  295. love this! hilarious! looks like a fun time with the whole family 🙂

    isnt it great to have a big family? that’s one reason why i want to have a few kids so they can be part of that.

  296. Wow. Thank you. So much. I work at a psychiatric hospital and I came across this at my desk. I am hysterically laughing to the point of having massive tears streaming down my cheeks. Your family is amazing and reminds me of my huge Italian family. So. Much. Fun. Thank you. You’re incredible, Katie Bower.

  298. Seriously! This is amazing! It takes a team to pull something like this off, and you definitely have the best team ever. Oh and hook a single girl UP! haha =D

  299. THAT IS COMPLETELY HILARIOUS! I live in WV and let’s just say I thought I recognized some of the people in the pictures from our local Wal-Mart. Wow. H-O-L-Y M-O-L-Y

  303. I am trying my hardest not to wake my nursing son up… And YEs that sounds redneck. Laughing sooooo hard right now. Great story by the way!

  306. My name is Vicki Crawford and I am a casting associate in Los Angeles at Cast Iron Productions.

    I am casting for a new series for a major network and seeking REDNECK FAMILY WHO HUNTS to live their dream jobs.

    Maybe they are a teacher and always wanted to be a stand up comedian – maybe they are an attorney but always wanted to be a DJ….whatever the dream job is!

    It is a 5 week shoot that starts with talking with me on the phone and then a Skype with the entire family with my company.

    Everyone gets paid, including all of the children , if selected. It is basically a parenting style show that will have a diverse group of families. And it’s a fun show!

    We are in our last 2 weeks of casting and looking for all types of families and a hunting redneck family is one I am looking for! It is for NBC.

    Here is the company I am working at (you can see what we have cast):

    http://castironproductions.tv/

    I would love to speak to them if you are interested.

    You look like a fun family!

    My office number is 323 822 7398. My email is [email protected]

    Thank you again! Hope to hear from you!

    All the best,

    Vicki

  307. Just joined your posts and have never seen you nor any of your beautiful family. So maybe you can imagine my surprise when I came across your redneck “kin”. I spent some time looking at all the pics and all the while laughing out loud. My family was wondering what I was so hysterical about. Thanks so much for the fun. Looks like y’all had fun with it too.

    PS: I LOVE your stuff…and look forward to enjoying it regularly. Linda … Grits Girl. Girls [in this case…Grandmothers] Raised In The South. {Georgia}

  308. I am dying!!!! These photos are hilarious, I have sent this to my whole family to throw into the mix for our Christmas photos this year. Thanks for the laughs and what a beautiful family you all have!! God bless .

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