Behind The Scenes | Emma & Mr. Darcy's Christmas Photo Shoot

The Christmas Emma Monster is going to get you!

We have never sent out a Christmas card before.  Last year we tried to get a good photo of all of us right after Emma was born, but didn't get it done in time... and our shoot was a big 'fail' (as you might remember from my post) juggling a new baby and the Mister.

You can find Emma's PJ's, here!

But, I always look forward to receiving the cards with perfectly posed "Brooks Brothers" families all gussied up in their sweater vests and patent leather.

It makes me believe that perfect children and families do exist!

For at least one day of the year...

 My baby grooving to the jingle bell rock...

We call this Emma's "Oo-Oo Oo-Oo" dance.

We will be sending out our first Christmas card this year (that I rushed ordered last night at 11pm... of course).

 It is complete with perfect photos of our babies.   The shoot, however, was far from perfect...

 
Far from perfect.  Mostly funny (read : frustrating).  And blurry (which is also frustrating).

And very sweet.  Did I mention blurry?



I ended up with a ton of really fun photos of Emma and Mr. D playing with my "Christmas Morning Under the Christmas Tree" props.  Here they are searching for the TV remotes and tennis balls in the stocking that I hid in there to intrigue them.  So tricky...

Hope you enjoyed our outtakes! 

This was probably the 'perfect' smile... too bad she's not facing the right direction!

Vail | Our Weekend Skiing Trip

A few weeks ago, Mike and I spent a much needed weekend away in Vail, Co. for some skiing, relaxing and indulging.  Since this was our first time away from Miss Emma, we decided to keep it short and sweet - two nights.  Sixty hours total, to be specific.

Even though the trip was short, we tried to cram in as much as possible... while stilling focusing on it being a weekend to relax and rejuvenate ourselves.

Three (short) years ago, we got engaged in Aspen.  We try to do a ski trip every year, last year we went to Vermont when we were living in New England.  From Kansas City, Colorado is definitely the spot to go for skiing.  We love Colorado - the air is fresh and mood is sooo laid back. We tried to plan this trip to be just as special as our weekend in Aspen.

Here I am in Vail Village - so quaint and charming.

This is our hotel, The Four Seasons, Vail.  It was the perfect spot.

The entire hotel was soooo cozy and nice - roaring fires and big leather chairs at every turn.    

(photo: courtesy of Four Seasons)

This was the Fireside Lounge, where we spent mornings sipping on cappuccinos and the evenings on hot chocolate.

We started our first morning off with a river stone massage at the spa in the hotel.  I've had plenty of massages in the past, but I have never experienced anything like this - the hot stones were incredible.  Mike is still talking about it!

(photo: courtesy of Four Seasons)

The hotel was very grand, but so warm.  I always take notes about light fixtures and...

Artwork.  I love him!  They had several similar paintings from this collection throughout. 

Welcome to our room!  Yes, another cozy fireplace.
 

A soaking tub.



Prosecco and nespresso!  I'm adding a pixi nespresso to my christmas list... We had them in our hotel rooms in Italy on our honeymoon, and Mike's parents have one, too - I'm hooked!  And yes, prosecco is always a must.



Pre-skiing breakfast of champions : Dutch Baby.  I'm anxious to attempt to recreate it.



First ride up...



Mountain side!  Ahhh - I can still smell the fresh snow air...



Here is our mountaintop lunch at The 10th, a new restaurant at MidVail - look at that view!  




 The sky was so bright that I couldn't get a good photo that showed us and the view...  bad photog skills : )

 I love fine dining in ski gear... especially when seafood bouillabaisse is on the menu.

After skiing we headed down the hot tub.  Yep, another roaring fire.



 We headed in to town for dinner - the entire village is decked for the holidays.   The covered bridge reminds me of Vermont...

See the giant moon!

We had dinner at Sweet Basil, per the recommendation of our neighbor.  Such a good spot!   I had a pecorino and pear tortellini with kale and a lemon foam.  Very delicious.

Mike had fabulous 24 hour braised veal cheeks.  Oh my was this good!

For dessert we had a sticky toffee pudding.  The Barefoot Contessa has shown this on her website - I can't wait to try it again.

A relaxing and food inspiring weekend - great vacation!

Emma's Room | Soft Pink & Ivory Room with Holiday Touches

Emma's 1st nursery, as you may recall, was painted powder blue with ivory and charcoal grey accents.  I had full intentions of painting her new room a very similar shade, but something was pulling me in the pink direction...  I guess it was Emma!

Now that we know her sweet little personality, she really seems like a pink girl (as her closet confirms).  I had the room painted Ben Moore Pristine.  It is found amongst the "Whites" and is more of a cream with pink/peach undertones.  In Emma's very small room, the painted walls feed off of each other and enhance the color to feel perfectly pink.  I'm soooo glad we didn't go with a more saturated hue.  A re-paint would definitely be in order.

Walls : Ben Moore Pristine, Flat
Trim : Navajo White, Satin
Ceiling : Bone White at 50%

We kept most of the elements of her first room, including the ivory slipcovered rocker from Pottery Barn Kids.  My Mom made the quilt for me about 6 years ago. 

Emma's little buddies - the lamb from Pottery Barn Kids and the Sheep Blah Blah Doll Mike's mom bought for her during their stay at Blackberry Farm.

The pink dot curtains are from Pottery Barn Kids, as well as her lamb rocking "horse."  I had a Martha Stewart carpet (style : Olana, color : Bone Folder) from the Home Depot cut to fit her room with a 6" border around the room to show the wood floor.   I also had one cut for our bedroom and runners for the and hallway.



Notice the lamb theme still continues... from the blue room to the pink room!



More buddies - Jelly Cat dolls and a Blah Blah rattle.  You might remember this Blah Blah rattle is what originally inspired the room's design... until I changed it.



Lots of baskets filled with toys... my #1 organizational tip for keeping things "neat," although I've given up on trying to make the house look perfect every moment of the day.  The baskets do make picking up really easy... I'm sure there are socks and pj's and who knows what else also stuffed in the basket.  It is the equivalent of "under the bed" cleaning...



We keep a basket of Emma's books by the big chair for story time.

Here is another view of the room that shows her little tree in the dormer.

This was one of the trees that I used for the Home Depot Style Challenge.  I spray painted the urn navajo white to make the trim in her room.

I decorated it with my Hallmark Mary's Angels collection.

Every year it is our family tradition for the God Parents to give their God Children ornaments. 

My Godmother/Aunt Phyllis gave me the Angels - and I still love them.  My Mom officially handed them over to me this year.  

My sister, one of Emma's godparents, has continued the tradition and started giving Emma an angel ornament each year from the same Hallmark collection.

 Emma is checking them out... I think this shot was immediately followed by a dropped ornament.

This is the first one I received - the original "Mary."  I think she looks a little like Emma!




 These Emma photos hang in a line above her rocking chair - all pics from 4 - 6 mos.

We are stilling using the blanket chest as a changing table as we did in her first room.  It will eventually get replaced with a chest of drawers when Emma needs more storage.  Speaking of storage - did I mention that Emma has a giant closet?  In the future, I hope to transform it into a whimsical tiny play room.

I made this memory board to hang above her changing table.  It is covered in the same fabric as her curtains.   DIY to follow!  Her and Mr. Darcy's 2nd set of stockings are hung above the changing table with care...

Speaking of Mr...  he's confused - where all of the toys are that are usually covering the floor!?

If you'd like to tour the rest of our house, visit this link!