Christmas Portraits 2013

  When one has kids as cute as I (and is a JCPenny Portrait member) it is necessary to get as many pictures as possible.  I had a 50% off coupon for Christmas cards so I went in November to get the cards done.  I really wanted a family picture, but it was too hard to coordinate outfits on a budget and find a time to go when Erik is not working.  So, I just did the kids instead.  I'm fairly pleased with how the pictures and cards turned out.

 Cuties!

Whoops...got some panties in the picture!  I didn't even notice that until after! A good picture of their silly-ness though.

 So sweet!

 I like this one too, but they're looking off in different directions

 Sibling love!

 

This one is darling too!

 

 Here's our card!  I wish I would have put the dates and their names though.  Oh well.

 

 Pretty Eesa with a crooked smile on her face

 My cute Gabe, but too much goof for a print-out!

Here are some more. Same session, but with a wardrobe change.  We borrowed this outfit from the store :)

 Cute, but it looks like Gabe is choking her.  And I think I spy more panties!

  Silly tight-lipped smile.  Would have been a keeper had she given a real smile!

 I love this one.  I got a print-out of it.  I think she looks like a Victorian beauty. 

 She really liked that furry coat!

  Cute, but Eesa's collar was in the way of her face and she wasn't looking in the same direction.

 So sassy! I like this one, except  that her other dress is peeking through.

I made the kids some matching Christmas outfits and I wanted to get more pictures to use as present--a decent one with both of them looking in the same direction and smiling.  Unfortunately, this was one of our worst sessions.  It was a different girl that was hired just for the holidays and she obviously didn't know what the $%^&* she was doing.  Grrrr.  I thankfully got one print out that I was just barely satisfied with.  I think I'll request the other girl that usually takes our pictures from now on! 

 This is the one that I printed out for gifts.  Its okay, I just wish she had centered it better.

  I actually really like this one of Elisa, and if one she had gotten a good one of Gabe, I would have bought both of them. 

  I debated for a while between this one and the first one.  I like this one, but it is taken at a really weird angle!  Why??

 

 I'm sure you may think this is cute--and the kids are--but my eyes are messed up.  One is open and the other is at half-mast. 

And pictures akin to the following make up the bulk of the session; I didn't even bother uploading the rest:

 Caption this!

Gabe! What the heck?!  A great picture for the Awkward Family Photo Blog.  

 Seriously?!?

 Okay, this one is actually cute, but not what I was looking for!

Christmas 2013

 This year we had the opportunity to host Christmas at our house.  Gabe and Elisa were so excited to see Grandma and Grandpa Nelson and Aunt Makayla!  It was nice to have Erik home for most of the holiday.  I was glad to be done with all the Christmas preparations and sit back and watch the kids enjoy themselves! 
Despite our best efforts to keep Christmas this year cheap and simple, the kids still got spoiled!  Gabe got a big train that goes around the tree and a race car ramp, and several games and other trains.  Elisa won the award for most presents...she got clothes, shoes, a dress-up Minnie Mouse, dollys, a tea set, pom-poms, and a doll house!   I won the award for the best presents...I got a new sewing machine, a nice hair straighter, a long skirt, and lots of chocolate!  Erik won the award for the least amount of presents, mostly because I only got him one thing (a personalized cup bought off of Etsy).  I never know what to get that guy that is budget-friendly.
We had a delicious Christmas dinner/lunch which we enjoyed for the next couple of days.  We enjoyed visiting and the kids especially had fun!  They enjoyed doing puzzles with Grandma, hanging out with Aunt Makayla, and crawling onto Grandpa's lap during meals.  Elisa cried when everyone was dropped off at the airport, though I think she probably thought she was going with them.  Silly girl.   
 Here are some pictures:  

 

 

 

Happy as a kid on Christmas day! 

 

 

 

Pom-poms from Santa, aka Goodwill 

 

Pretty girl!

  

  Opening her Minnie Mouse cash register from Aunt Lisa

 

 

Happy to get some Lalaloopsy dolls, even if they were homemade and gimpy. 

  

 

What girl doesn't love shoes?

 Gabe's present to Grandma.  We meant to make her something from Elisa, but I suck at getting things done...

 

 

And more of Elisa opening her presents....


The next day we walked around the Kemah boardwalk pier and enjoyed some Starbucks caramel apple cider

A couple days after Christmas, we went to see the Dickinson lights.  They were neat, free, and had a lot of lighted-trains that Gabe liked, but a lot of the lights were out;  Then we went to a restaurant and sat outside in the cold to eat because they were busy inside and nobody had any better suggestions and I was starving.  

Christmas Eve

I suppose it is tradition for many families to unwrap Christmas jammies on Christmas Eve.  I'm not sure it will be one for us, the main reason being a made both of these kids' jammies at least 2 sizes too big!  No need to make more pjs in the next few years to come, as these here will still fit! Whoops.  Not entirely my fault; the pattern I used said it was a 4T!  I had to go back and re-hem the arms and legs of Gabe's jammies, poor kid was tipping all over them.  I'm glad the kids didn't throw a fit when they saw it wasn't a toy that they upwrapped, but clothes.  Of course, Elisa always seems to enjoy getting new clothes and Gabe is indifferent, but he seemed to like these pjs well enough.
I had to alter the pattern for Elisa's Jammies, and everything turned out quite well except the hole for the head is a bit too small--it is a struggle to get it over her head but it eventually slips on after a couple of hard tugs and a few irritated yells from Eesa.  I also made her some matching slippers.  I wasn't sure that they would fit, but they actually fit perfectly!  Gabe's size wasn't an option and I didn't have enough fabric anyway.  I was worried he would want some slippers too but he didn't seem to care.   He was more interested in eating the gingerbread cookies we made together.  I love making these cookies and so does Gabe!

I know, a sneak peak of Christmas day; apparently I forgot to get a pic of Eesa in her jammies.

Gabe in his jammies and the cookies!

We also set up a cookie plate for Santa and some reindeer food for the reindeer, sorry no pics!