This is our first Christmas season as a married couple, so I know it’s one I’ll remember forever. One of the things I’ve been most excited about is making our own Kennedy family traditions. This has been so much fun, especially since Austin isn’t the city that either Nate or I grew up in; everything is new and fresh and fun!
A few of my favorites:
Walking the Trail of Lights
Watching the Zilker Tree lighting ceremony
Throwing our first Christmas party for our friends in the new house (this weekend – yay!)
Planning our recipes (we have a running shared note on our iPhones called “Christmas with the Kennedys” full of all the recipes we want to make this year.)
(I still haven’t ever done Mozart’s Lights or Skating at Whole Foods. Are they worth it? Let me know!)
And of course, I knew I wanted to take family pictures every year to mail out to our dear ones. This has always been one of my favorite things to receive in December. I love coming home to a pile of mail from my friends and family around the country, slicing open the envelope, and reading about their life updates while looking at their smiling faces of parents, kids, and pets. I adore the quaint, old-fashionedness of sending out Christmas snail mail when an e-mail would be much easier. But the letter in the mail sparks so much more joy for me!
I come from a big family of 10, so when I was growing up, we wouldn’t send a card every year (my parents were good about sending them out every 2-3 years, though). But I loved seeing the collection of cards that would arrive at my parents house.
Now that I’m in my first year of being married (and growing our family with one little kitten), I’m excited to mail out our first Christmas card!
Kiera came over to our house to snap a few family pics of us during a weekday lunch break. She’s a talented, professional photographer, but she’s also just such a sweet friend and kind person. We wanted to take some casual family photos in our living room (since this is the first Christmas in the new house), and she was gracious to drive from north Austin to south Austin so we could get those.
I have to point out how ridiculous it is that there are so many pictures of Storm in our photos. She’s our baby girl and we love her to pieces! However, a year ago, I wasn’t even a cat person. Just goes to show you what love does to you…. *wink.* My sister keeps saying, “Kels, I can’t believe you’re a cat person now!” to which I say, “I’m in love with a man who loves cats; I’m not a cat person.”
But I really can’t lie….I’m a cat person now.
If you’re looking for a fantastic Austin photographer, I can’t recommend Kiera enough! Here’s where you can see some of her work. She shoots the most magical weddings, sweet engagement sessions, and lovely portraits. She’s done quite a few photo sessions for me for this blog, and I feel so fortunate to work with someone who not only produces amazing products, but is also a gem of a person and so much fun to be around. Love this girl!
Wishing you a happy Wednesday full of wonderful things. Talk to you on Friday!
Great photos of your sweet family. I think it is a wonderful idea to make memories with photographs. I have a friend who makes memories with a Family Christma’s trip. The whole family decides where they want to go as a group. And then they celebrate for 2 weeks wherever they go. They pool their monies and make a decision.
Thank you, Marsha! And I think that family Christmas trip sounds wonderful.