Decorating for Christmas
Some of our nativity scenes and our new advent calendar |
This year we had to add to and update a few of our decorations to celebrate with Emma. First, that meant getting new stockings to hang by the fireplace so that Emma could have one. Then, when it came time to putting up the Christmas tree we actually had to think about where to put ornaments on the tree so her curious little fingers couldn't get to the breakable ones. I also found a really neat advent calendar of the nativity scene at the Sugar Plum Market where each day you add a character to the story of Jesus' birth.
A bit of our indoor decor
This year I also wanted to update our outdoor display to reflect Emma's addition to our family. Normally, we have two metal moose out in our side yard, and year after year, people stop to ask us about them. So this year we added a third moose and jazzed them up a bit to reflect that now mommy, daddy, and baby live here. (And yes, I know female moose don't have antlers, but it just wouldn't look right otherwise).
Creating a Christmas Card
I've always loved getting people's cards at Christmas because it's so cool to see how families grow and change over the years. However, I've never sent one out because it felt weird to me to just send pictures of Kevin and I (and maybe the dog). But this year, we had cuteness to share with everyone! Now, I kind of got a late start on getting this together, and I really didn't want to do fancy formal pictures and have to wait forever to get them, so we settled on pajamas in front of the fire place because let's be honest, that's how we roll in this household.
Emma's watching BabyTV while I try to snap some pictures |
Now if you've never done a photo session with a baby, then you don't know the rigmarole that goes into getting one to look at the camera and smile. Or just be still. Or not put her hands in her mouth. Or not ooze with drool. Those monthly pictures of Emma just don't happen by magic. Usually Kevin is dancing around, making goofy noises, and engaging in all kinds of hullabaloo so that I can capture that moment. Emma always smiles for him. So what do you do when daddy needs to be in the picture?
Well, you turn to uncles, Pappy, and BabyTV to make the magic happen. I tried to get a leg up on things by snapping some cute pictures of Emma on my own, and oh boy, was that an adventure. My dinky little Canon Powershot has seen a lot of use and is getting so slow, which meant the shot I wanted had already changed by the time the camera snapped the photo. But we persevered and I bribed her with watching BabyTV on my iPhone to get my shots. When it came to doing our family picture, Uncle Stephen tried to take the pictures and entertain at the same time, but it wasn't working. Emma was as stoic as could be. So the next day, we had my mom take pictures while Uncle Philip and my dad (aka Pappy) goofed around, and again Emma was stoic and tired of taking pictures. I think we took a total of 200 pictures over the 2 days (we were using the burst function), and ended up with 2 shots that were decent enough to put on our card. It just proves that Emma's daddy just has the perfect touch in getting that girl to smile!
Here's the final product:
Here are some of the pictures that didn't make the cut.
Can you tell why?
Visiting Santa
As a little girl, every year my mom and dad took me downtown to see Santa Claus. It was a big deal because I got to visit my dad at work, we all got dressed up in fancy Christmas clothes (cause this was when men still wore suits to work), we'd go out to eat at nice restaurant where I'd get to have dessert, and then head to Foley's to take my picture. Back in the day Foley's did a big display with all the Santa Claus figures throughout the world, and it was so neat. I loved looking at it year after year, but more importantly I loved having a special day out with my parents.
So accordingly, I wanted to be able to start that tradition with my own kids. Now unfortunately downtown Foley's/Macy's doesn't exist, so I was on the trail to find a legitimate looking Santa somewhere where we could make it a tradition to go year after year. After asking around, our friends the Neils suggested we check out the one in Brenham. Some googling and a phone call later and we were set up with an appointment to meet Santa!
We weren't really sure how Emma was going to handle meeting Santa for the first time. She's pretty good around people, even strangers. But we've all seen the kids meltdown when it comes to meeting Santa, and when Kevin had put a Santa hat and beard on at home, her bottom lip would just start a slow tremble. So, Kevin and I plus my parents piled into the car on the first Saturday in December despite the rain and chilly temps and headed off to Brenham. The inauspicious morning weather coupled with a cranky Emma did not make me feel very confident. But a car ride, bottle, and wardrobe change later, and Emma was set to go.
We got to the store early, so we'd have time to show her Santa and let her observe for a while. She loves watching people, and the fact that there were so many kids to watch was a definite bonus. We were doing well until the little girl in front of us had her turn. She looked at Santa and started wailing, and Emma just watched and watched. But luckily, the crying wasn't contagious! When it was our turn, we went up to Santa and played and talked a little, and Emma was captivated with the fluffy ball at the end of his hat. She did so well, and we got the excellent picture below.
Emma's first Santa Claus picture |
Afterwards, we did a little shopping and stopped in at Must Be Heaven for a yummy lunch. Emma was happy because she got to people watch, and Pappy let her eat crackers! It was a fun outing for everybody, and one I look forward to again next year!
Emma at lunch - sitting in a big girl high chair! |
No comments:
Post a Comment