the Christmas photo shoots

Our 2010 Christmas card with some of your 1st year/Christmas portraits.

Dear Em,
Last Year we took you to Babies R Us for your one year/Christmas portraits. The photographers were amazing with you & got you to laugh & smile & sit still. We LOVED the pictures. We did not love the price. After coupons & $100 in gift certificates we still walked out paying over $100. I was wiped out after helping with the shoot & having to choose pictures & borders & print sizes & frames all on the spot.

This year we've tried to cut costs & stick to a budget. So, even though I loved your portraits last year, I decided to try to take them on my own this year.

It was a beautifully warm day in November. I think it was 70 degrees. The rest of our week had been jam packed with things, & I was determined to take your pictures while the good weather & bright sunshine allowed for some outdoor shots. We raced home from school, I threw on your dress, & outside we went. This was your first time wearing your Christmas dress, & luckily you loved it. You "ooohed" & "awed" & exclaimed, "I'm so beautiful!" You were thrilled to put on your red shoes, & I was thankful to have you in a good mood.

We went outside & I snapped away...all the while with a tickle Me Elmo on top of my head, laughing, & having a seizure vibrating. I knew I was probably only going to get 15 minutes, & I was right, but you gave me 15 amazing minutes.

Super cute, right?

Right after this picture, you refused to smile & only wanted to hold Elmo. Then you saw a spot on your dress & broke into tears because your dress was dirty. I knew our magical photo moment had come to an end. We went inside, cleaned off your dress, & you got a ton of M&Ms as a thank you reward.

I knew the next part would be harder, because I wanted family portraits too (I'm pretty sure your daddy is convinced that family portraits were invented to torture him). On the first sunny weekend day that we had a free moment, I surprised him with, "today is family picture day." I'm pretty sure he contemplated seceding from our family but finally decided to grin & bear it.

We took our pictures at URI. I originally wanted to take them on the beach, but knew that the wind can be a challenge. I didn't really want a windy, beehive look. So, I chose the gardens at URI as our scenic spot. 

Since we were cutting costs, we used a tripod instead of a photographer. This proved to be a challenge. I got a little winded running back & forth. Some pictures were you, your daddy, & a part of my leg. All the running back & forth made everything take a lot longer too.

The biggest challenge became taking a picture we all thought we looked good in.

I don't think Daddy liked his chin in this picture (or maybe it was my chin?).

This would have been the perfect picture except that you had clearly had enough by this time.

Another cute picture except, woah sun. Everything is super bleached out.

In the end, I'm glad we saved the money & I love your portraits for this year. I was able to take them outside (which is really us) & take them before all the Christmas card sales ended. However, I'm hoping next year to pass on the sprinting portraits & ask a friend to take our family portraits.

Want to see our portrait favorites? Peek in on Christmas to see this year's family Christmas Card.

Thanks for being such an amazing trooper for our Christmas photo shoot(s).

I Love you so,

Mommy