Snapshots & My Thoughts by Ailee Petrovic
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Isla at 5 Months

The majority of our 2014 family photos were posted last Monday (read the post here); however, I wanted to take a few non-Christmasy pictures, and I’m glad we did. With a quick outfit change, we moved into more neutral colors and added an Anthropologie headband, A Little Lady bow, a big Geronimo-style balloon, and Thimblepress confetti (this was a big fail, but a good laugh).

Paige of Awake Photography did such an amazing job capturing Isla’s sweet smiles and sassy personality. We took these two days before her 5 month anniversary – I wish she would be able to take each month’s photos! I’m looking forward to taking our ‘big’ family pictures with my family (parents, two sisters, brother-in-law, Sasha, Isla and me) in two weeks time (right before her 6 month anniversary!). My mom even managed to sneak into a few photos from this session! She was so helpful to have with us at Memorial Park.

A little 5 month update, because I think these are sweet! I’ve been capturing all of the milestones in her baby book, but thought I’d share some  here. Isla is now officially mobile, and first made her way from one side of the rug to the other the day before her 5 month anniversary (albeit, very slowly). She laughs non-stop – her stomach is so ticklish! She adores when I sing, which is fantastic, as nobody else does. Her favorite story is Good Night, I Love You. She wants to eat everything and certainly will lick whatever comes her way. We still haven’t started solids, as she is still vomiting a lot, but it’s coming soon! She is so much more predictable, although we’d had a few off-nights here and there. Her hair keeps getting longer and longer – it is a legitimate mullet. She is much more observant and I can tell her thoughts are getting much more developed. She still doesn’t like getting  into her car seat, but now falls asleep almost every time the engine starts. She’s at home with me every day, but has been going to the Life Time Fitness day care 1-2 times a week and most recently, at Bayou City Fellowship. I had to take her to the pediatrician recently for her erratic breathing that causes me a heart attack. Other than that, she’s a healthy 15 pound baby girl whom we love beyond imagination. I cannot imagine life without our sweet little miss Isla.

I hope you’re having a happy Wednesday and that your week is going well so far!

5 Month Baby Photography Houston Photos 6 Month Texas Park Memorial Balloon Anthropologie Headband J. Crew Paige Budde Awake Photography5 Month Baby Photography Houston Photos 6 Month Texas Park Memorial Balloon Anthropologie Headband J. Crew Paige Budde Awake Photography5 Month Baby Photography Houston Photos 6 Month Texas Park Memorial Balloon Anthropologie Headband J. Crew Paige Budde Awake Photography

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Isla's Christmas with Carter's

Isla’s First Christmas with Carter’s: Christmas Eve Service

Yesterday, I shared our annual Christmas tradition of having family photos taken (read here). Another one of my favorite holiday traditions is going to a candlelit church service on Christmas Eve. Sasha went with me to Houston’s First Baptist Church for the first time last year, and I giggled at how panicked he was about there being 1,000+ candles lit in one massive chapel (plus kids holding real flames!). There is no feeling in the world quite like singing “Joy to the World,” “O Holy Night,” and “O Come All Ye Faithful” amongst so many other merry Christmas-lovers. Just thinking about it gets me so excited.

I love getting all dressed up in festive gear to go to church for the service, and I cannot wait to take Isla this year (real candles will not be involved). Carter’s Holiday Collection has so many pretty church dresses to choose from. When I saw this bright red Velour and Satin Bow Dress, I knew I had found Isla’s first Christmas Eve outfit. It’s so simple and classic and that tiny little bow just melts my heart (I love a good bow). We slipped on these sweet little Patent Mary Jane Crib Shoes, and she looked as cute as a button. My favorite Christmas Eve service outfit choice for a little boy is the Oxford Cloth Bodysuit and Ribbed-Waist Corduroy Pants.

After we leave church on Christmas Eve, we head to my parent’s house and watch National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. We’ve seen it a million times, but still die laughing every year. Do you have Christmas Eve traditions? If so, please tell me about them in the comments below!

If you haven’t read yesterday’s post about our annual family photo tradition yet, click here. Make sure you enter to win the $100 Carter’s gift card and free outfit of your choice (from the Isla’s First Christmas with Carter’s series)!

Baby Christmas Eve First Christmas Candlelit Service Houston Second Baptist Inspiration Family TraditionsBaby Christmas Eve First Christmas Candlelit Service Houston Second Baptist Inspiration Family Traditions

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Isla's Christmas with Carter's

Isla’s First Christmas with Carter’s: Family Photos (Giveaway)

My absolute favorite time of the year is the holiday season. Halloween gives way to Thanksgiving, which means Christmas is right around the corner. I get giddy when lights start to be strung on trees in the neighborhood and when wreaths and ornaments begin to adorn shops across the city. There is so much joy in this season, and I am incredibly excited for Isla to celebrate her first Christmas.

We have many family traditions associated with Christmas, and this week, I’m going to share all of them, including our annual family photo, Christmas Eve candlelight church service, opening stockings in our PJs on Christmas morning, getting dressed up to open presents under the tree, and then lounging around after a festive lunch and playing with our gifts.

As I mentioned here, my family has taken family photos for the last 18 years (ever since we moved to Texas from Scotland). We take them every November to use for our annual Christmas card, as well as to be framed around the house. I knew that as soon as Sasha and I had babies, we would keep the tradition alive as well. We were lucky enough to have our pictures taken by the very talented Paige Budde of Awake Photography.  I am so pleased with how they turned out and highly recommend her to anyone living in Texas (she’s based in Houston, too!).

One of the most important decisions when it comes to family photos is everyone’s outfits. For this year’s photos, I chose a red French Connection dress and Sasha wore a J. Crew button-down and khakis. After picking our outfits, Isla was next. Thankfully, Carter’s offers classic styles and coordinated looks that are perfect for family photos, so I had the best selection of pretty dresses to choose from in their Holiday Collection (think lots of bright plaids and colorful patterns). I had the hardest time picking just one, but knew that too many outfit changes would result in a not-so-happy Isla. I decided on the classic Rosette and Lace dress in ivory, as it was a neutral color which was easy for Sasha and I to complement with our outfit choices. Since it was chilly outside, I put on these sweet Glitter Bow Tights and kept her feet warm in little sparkly gold shoes. Both Isla and I wore matching floral crowns by the very talented Jess Hamilton.

Carter’s has a ton of great options for siblings too – both their girl and boy selections are adorable. My favorite choices for little boy’s outfits are the Poplin Plaid Bodysuit with Jeans and the Jersey Henley Tee with Twill Pants.

In celebration of Isla’s first Christmas, I’m partnering with Carter’s to give one lucky individual a $100 Carter’s gift card, as well as one of the outfits (boy or girl) featured during the week-long series. Enter the giveaway below (so many entry options) to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Make sure to visit Snapshots and My Thoughts again tomorrow to see more sweet photos of Isla, and good luck with the giveaway! 

Awake Photography Isla Christmas Carter's Giveaway Holiday Collection Family Photo Inspiration Floral Crown BabyAwake Photography Isla Christmas Carter's Giveaway Holiday Collection Family Photo Inspiration Floral Crown BabyAwake Photography Isla Christmas Carter's Giveaway Holiday Collection Family Photo Inspiration Floral Crown BabyAwake Photography Isla Christmas Carter's Giveaway Holiday Collection Family Photo Inspiration Floral Crown Baby

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Personal

Week in Review

A wonderfully busy week, filled with lots of preparation for family photos on Sunday. I literally bought ten cream shirts from Nordstrom, Nordstrom Rack, J. Crew, J. Crew Factory, and Anthropologie to wear in the pictures, then decided (very last minute) on a pink sweater that I already owned! How fickle. And of course, lots and lots of returns to make this week.

We took our photos with Paige of Awake Photography – you can see a sneak peek of the pictures on her Instagram here. I cannot wait to share the photos with you, along with other Christmasy ones, next week.

Other highlights of our week included:

  • Calming Isla down by telling her “No more fussing!” while shaking your finger – she thinks it’s the funniest thing ever (see video here)
  • Swimming with Isla at Life Time Fitness – she is a big, big splasher
  • Painting (i.e. mushed berries) in her BABYBJORN highchair
  • Getting a blow out at The Dry Bar (I am obsessed)
  • Meeting Sasha’s cousin’s wonderful fiancé for the first time (and getting to walk the 3-mi loop while getting to know each other!)
  • Isla’s first halloween – we didn’t make it trick or treating (this girl takes bed time seriously), but got some cute strawberry pics
  • Having a trick-or-treater tell me they love my succulents (really??)
  • Helping my friend Amanda (her engagement photos here) get ready to be the world’s most convincing Elsa (see photos below)
  • Eating out twice at Ruggles Green (sorry Houston ex-pats!) – once with Brooke, one of my most favorite people on the planet
  • Taking Isla to Biscuit Home for the first time – although she slept the entire time
  • Trying a new food truck (Simply Greek) that is a mile from our house
  • Having Sasha’s classmate’s family over for dinner yesterday evening – such cute kiddos

What were the highlights of your week?

WIR1Finger painting was a fun, but very messy, activityDSC_0507

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Events

Family Photo 101: Outfits, Poses, Photographers

As crazy as this sounds, it is time to start planning your holiday card photo. My family has taken an annual photo every year since we moved to America in 1996, and I plan on keeping the tradition alive with our new little family. After 18 years of practice, I have lots of tips to share for photos: what to wear, how to pose, and who to use! These things are all very important. If you’ve got additional help hints, please share them in the comments below!

Outfit Tips 

  1. Coordinate everyone’s outfit colors, but don’t be too matchy-matchy. 
    It is important to pick colors that complement each other, but are not all the exact same. Not sure of a color scheme? You can use Adobe Kuler for inspiration.
  2. Observe your home decor before picking your outfits.
    We recently put up a new gallery wall in our kitchen and are only using professional photos (wedding, engagement, newborn, sister’s wedding, etc.). I realized that in all of the photos, we are wearing pastels – there is a coral color in every photo. I’ll continue this trend in our family photos this year, as they will be added to the frames. Is your house full of burgundy? Wear browns or deep reds. Do you have pops of yellow? Incorporate that into your outfits.
  3. Don’t wear all white or all black.
    The detail of your outfits gets lost when someone is in all black or white – with the exception of a dress. Try to vary your color from head to toe.
  4. Avoid too many patterns.
    One plaid shirt is okay, but don’t have two, unless they are in a very similar color scheme. Try to avoid big, bold patterns and stick to solid colors.
  5. Remember that textures and accessories are your friend.
    Add textures to your outfits, like scarves, belts or jewelry. Avoid anything that makes a strong statement, unless it coordinates closely to other family member’s outfits. Another great texture is a chambray (denim) shirt. And it complements almost all colors.
  6. Classic never goes out of style.
    I love a good silk blouse and jeans. Add heels or solid flats and a pretty gold necklace and you’re set. Something that is overly trendy may have you groaning in ten years time.
  7. Wear soft tones to complement skin tones.
    I love pastels on kids – cream and tan also look incredibly good. I would strongly advise against a bright color, as those are much  more difficult to pair together.
  8. Put your baby in something simple.
    Cute onesies and pants always look good in photos! I don’t recommend multiple outfit changes, but having your baby in a sweet formal outfit melts my heart (and others’, too!). Pick your outfits, then find a cute Carter’s, Baby Gap, Old Navy, Zara or J. Crew Cuts (or Factory!) outfit to match.

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