Our Christmas Traditions

It's Sharon! I'm super sad to be missing out on all the Colorado snow while on vacation here in Texas, but this year is one of the last years that Elise and I will be able to leave for a month and spend time with all our family in Texas.  Living far away from family has its disadvantages, and we try to make a lot of them up in one short month.  We visit until our family is ready for us to leave! ha!

We had an amazing drive down here to Texas.  Both the dogs & Elise were amazing in the car.  Elise only used the ipad once, just at the tail end of the 15.5 hour drive.  Most of the time, we just sung Christmas songs and talked about things we saw outside the car window.

Since we've been here everyone has been a little more naughty. The dogs pooped on Nana's fancy rug, one of the dogs puked on her Restoration Hardware chair, and Elise drew all over a speaker with crayon that I had to use "goof off" to get off - it was harder to remove than I expected. She also broke a decorative glass bird.  Eeeee. Good thing we are family, and Nana loves us.

I learned that I'm not a very good "elf on the shelf person". Our elf stays up too late, and forgets to visit Santa. Then early in the morning while everyone is getting ready for the day, he flies off to visit Santa and comes back. It's really ok because today Elise forgot to look for "Bell" even after I reminded her 3 or 4 times that she hadn't found him yet. She's not 100% into it yet either.  But I really hope to add it to our Christmas traditions...not because I think she cares what Elf thinks of her behavior but more for the magic.  Christmas is such a fun magical time, and I believe in anything that makes it more magical.

Every Christmas in my house we make what we call, Tree Cookies.  Tree Cookies are homemade sugar cookies with homemade green icing put across them and a red hot on top.  They all look the same. We love to make them, and love even more to eat them.

We are crazy about puzzles here too, and I'm proud to announce that Elise has the puzzle gene.  It is seriously about the only thing she will sit still to do.  She is naturally good at seeing how things fit together, and she's got mad puzzle skills. We love puzzles all year round but only bring out the big puzzles during the holiday season.  Everyone will sit down and work on them together, and it's really fun.

We also play games together on Christmas Eve and Christmas day. You can learn so much playing games together with people.  It is crazy fun to play games with lots of people with all different personalities!

On Christmas Eve we go drive around and appreciate the Christmas lights while listening to Christmas music. We put out our cookies for Santa (Tree Cookies) and a glass of milk and we watch a Christmas themed movie.  Last year we did The Polar Express, this year we may do The Polar Express again but haven't decided.  Then you can open up 1 present before you go to bed (most of the time it's something to do on Christmas Eve).

Hope you have a wonderful and merry holiday and a happy New Year! We'll see you on Monday the 4th!

What To Wear For Snowy Family Photo Sessions

Snowy family photos are always fun, but deciding what everyone should wear can sometimes be tricky...so we put together some great color palettes and tips to help you with your snowy photos!

Red, Black, Gray & White are really pretty together and have a great rustic feel for winter photos.  We are thoroughly in love with red & black plaid this season!  It just gets us in the holiday spirit!  Red is always a super pretty pop of color...especially in a field of Evergreens.  Very festive!

Cool blues are also beautiful for snowy photos-think icy, wintery.  Blue is the perfect shade to compliment a glistening snowfall.

Pops of bright colors are always fun in the snow!  We love color, and the neutral white background of snow gives you the perfect opportunity to show some fun color! Pick brightly colored scarves and accessories to spice up your photos!

Winter Neutrals like shades of subtle grays & creams are amazing in the snow too, and can be really classy!

Lastly, don't forget your fun winter accessories: fur hats, winter coats, knit hats, and scarves!!!  They are super festive and add dimension to your photos!

Snow Day | Colorado Snowy Photos

Everyone loves a snow day right?!  When you can cozy up inside, and only go out when you are ready to play!  This snow day has us thinking back to last year playing in the snow with Elise!  We cannot get over how much she has grown and changed in just a year!  And we love that she brought along her foxes for her snow adventure! 

Family Session | Fly'n B Park | Highlands Ranch, Colorado

This time of year our hearts are cozy and full of being with family.  Spending time with family...shopping...playing board games and card games...being outside together...just being together...slowing down and taking each other in.
It is such a time of connecting.  We love the connection this family had together.  Combine their connection with that beautiful Colorado snow, and our favorite time of year...and we had an awesome photo shoot!  This session was extra special because their oldest son was getting ready to leave the country for two years the following week, so it was an honor to be trusted to take their photos for them before he left!

November Family Fall Mini Session | Columbine Open Space | Castle Rock, Colorado

This family fall mini session was extra special because this family has not had their family photos taken before!  It was an honor to capture these moments of pure joy for them, and we are head over heels in love with how all their photos turned out!

There were so many hugs and so much laughter in this session!  The loved that poured from this family was incredible, and it shines through in their photos!

Extended Family Session | Parker, Colorado

This extended family session spanned three generations and took place on family property...making it extra special!  Having those gorgeous mountains in the background and including the animals really captured the spirit of this family! 

We love how extended family photos not only represent who is in a family, but also the bond they share.  How they capture a precise time and season in our lives to treasure forever.  Something that will only grow in value as time passes.

Like memories and stories...family photos are part of a legacy...they document who we are and our time together...something to hold near and dear to our hearts and pass down...something that captures the essence of a family's love and joy.  Does it get anymore beautiful than that?!

November Family Fall Mini Sessions | Castle Rock, Colorado | Highlands Ranch, Colorado

Cue the sleigh bells...get out the eggnog and wrapping paper...these November mini sessions just have us soooo ready for the holidays!  So many bright, happy, festive families this year!  We love that fall in Colorado means gorgeous sunshine and snow all at once...such a magical combination! 

This year we had 3 awesome locations for our November Family Fall mini sessions!  One was announced early and two were top secret until just a bit before their sessions...making photos all the more exciting!  

These first few photos are from one of our secret locations...Daniels Park...the perfect spot for a family adventure!  The view was simply stunning and the sun was shining!

For our other secret location, we found a great wintery, foresty spot...perfect for pine cone collecting and getting out our red sleigh...it was so rustic for snowy Colorado photos!  And although it looks like we are way up in the mountains, we were actually close by in the Castle Pines area!

Our third location was one of our favorite spots for November sessions...Columbine Open Space in Castle Rock!  This spot has a red barn and wooden bridge...so charming for snowy family photos!

Family Session | Highlands Ranch, Colorado

Such a fun, fall session at our favorite whimsical spot...

the perfect place to run and play and capture the magic of family!

 

This family bought their session last year for a steal on Black Friday and used it this fall just in time for holiday gifts!  This year you can snag a session for yourself at a steal on Black Friday!

 Brother and sister had a blast just exploring and being kids...letting us catch a glimpse into the their carefree world of childhood.

Family Session | Fly'n B Park | Highlands Ranch, Colorado

We shot this session early Halloween morning at Fly'n B Park...

and love how their fun personality totally shines through in their photos!

We wanted to capture Skye at about the same age as had we captured Jaxon in a previous shoot...about the age of 21-22 months to add to their family canvas wall gallery!

Mission accomplished! 

Newborn Session | In Studio | 8 Days New

Welcome to the world sweet baby Wyatt!
Wyatt was just 8 days new when he came into the studio for his newborn photos!

 Oh how we love those crinkle nose newborn baby yawns...where they stretch and wiggle and snuggle back into sleep!  Love that we caught that yawn on camera!

 Big sister was super excited to meet baby brother!

Mountain View | Blue Couch Mini Sessions | Jackass Hill Park

We love a good view of the mountains and adventure...and what could be more adventurous than hauling a big blue couch through town and into a field for photos?!  

These sessions booked up fast!  We were all set for our Family Fall Mountain View Couch sessions...then the fog rolled in and blocked our gorgeous view of the mountains.  Our hearts sank as we rescheduled all of our couch sessions.  Sessions ended up scattered across several days, but that mountain view was soooo worth it!

Follow #theadventuresofthetravelingcouch on Instagram!

Brothers | Fall Photos | Highlands Ranch

Check out these handsome boys!

Their mom, Christa, dressed up as Wonder Woman and helped us with our free Halloween portraits on Halloween day from set up to clean up!  Whew!  It was a full day of lots of smiles and laughs.  In exchange for all her work she earned this free photo shoot of her four boys!

Brrrr...it was cold for their session, but they braved the chilly, fall air just before sunset for the perfect lighting!  And they were all smiles for their photos!