We tried to capture little bits and pieces of the last few days on film, a few seconds here, a few seconds there, and put them together in a film. It's a bit of effort, not that much, but enough, however I'm so glad we did it. I love having these little family films to remember the way we are now (when we are at our best -- free of tears, melt downs, arguments between the boys, etc.) I will appreciate this even more in the years to come because as much as I think I'll remember all the little things, I know I won't.
^^wearing his new alpaca sweater that Nana found from an Australian esty seller and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle shell from Mama found at Target. :)^^
^^I adore that Andrew picks out a gift for each of us and so willingly insists on spending his own money to buy them. The diamond sword he bought for Charlie was Charlie's favorite gift.^^
I think Christmas, more than any other time of year heightens our expectations of what home, family and life should be and sometimes those expectations and pressures can get the better of us. It's important to remember that real life isn't like a movie (even our little one on here that only shows happy moments and highlights.) I think the best any of us can do is to be present when those perfect moments do occur, when our homes feels especially cozy, when we catch our children showing genuine love to one another, when we are all laughing as a family, when life feels really good and we feel content, because in between those moments there is a lot of other less perfect stuff. I pray that no matter what is happening in your life that there were moments of peace and rejoicing this holiday season. Enjoy this little snapshot of some of ours.
a very merry christmas 2013 (Enhanced) from tessa on Vimeo.
Such a beautiful family. I LOVE that your dog is holding a teddy bear in its mouth. What a sweet face he has.
ReplyDeletethank you! the dog, emma, actually belongs to my parents. she came with them on Christmas day and is spending the week with us. the cute part about the bear in her mouth is that it was her Christmas gift form my children! :)
DeleteSo sweet! You are right...those wonderful moments are what we must hold dear -- they do keep us going.
ReplyDeleteTotally random question -- where did you get your wrapping paper? It's adorable.
Beautiful video. We had a similarly low key Christmas and it was perfect!
ReplyDeleteCute video. Great way to remember the snip it's of life!
ReplyDeleteMay I ask where you found your wrapping paper? Especially love the plaid!
Happy New Year!
Heather
Beautiful! It's so nice to capture the lovely moments!
ReplyDeleteMay I ask where you found your wrapping paper? I am especially giddy for the plaid!
Happy New Year!
thank you, heather! the paper is from all over the place. my favorites came from crate and barrel this year. the chalkboard paper was left over from the photo shoot, sent by magazine but they found it at target, in the regular paper aisle, not the christmas section. such fun paper!! the plaid came from a store in town but the brand is cavallini, which i've see all over the place and i believe it is from their general git wrap line, not christmas. happy new year!
DeleteThanks for the sources Tessa. :)
DeleteJust lovely. I've always been grateful that smart phones and tablets weren't invented when my children were small because I am afraid I would've been a distracted mommy, but you are managing the technology rather than the other way round. And you've inspired me to video a few moments of the rest of our vacation together. Thank you and Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas!!! Thank you! I'm sure at times I'm a distracted mummy, but I try my best to be conscious of it. I'd prefer if we didn't all have so many devices! xo
DeleteSuch a beautiful video of memories you put together. Looks like a lovely holiday!
ReplyDeletetessa this is so lovely!! you have such a gift of capturing beauty whether its in how you prepare meals for your loved ones or decorate your magazine worthy home.
ReplyDeletemerry christmas!
ps-your parents golden is beautiful!!
such kind words. thank you, sweet paige! happy new year to you and ur gorgeous family!! xo
Deletejust precious! Precious! I so enjoyed seeing your family enjoy Christmas.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year to you.
Great post. Your family is so precious. I love the simply adorable wrapping of the cookies. Where is that ribbon from? Glad y'all had a Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteThank u! Ribbon is actually ikea fabric torn into long strips!
Deleteyour family is just the cutest!!! how do you do a video with clips from other videos? are they clips from your phone or your camera, or both? I would love to do this!! Merry Christmas and happy new year!!
ReplyDeleteMeg
megan, do u use a Mac? if so, you can download the movie clips into iPhoto and then export into iMovie. In iMovie you can string them together, delete sound, add music, etc. I learned a lot of tips and tricks from Andrew! :) Happy New Year to you!!
Deletexo
What a beautiful post Tessa! You have the perfect touches to every single detail. What a sweet video to cherish for years to come. Happy New Year to your family!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful post Tessa! You have the perfect touches to every single detail. What a sweet video to cherish for years to come. Happy New Year to your family!
ReplyDeleteso magical, and so real at the same time! love your words and sweet video :)
ReplyDeleteThe love your older son has for his little brother absolutely melts my heart! I love the way he stops what he's doing in the movie to give him a big hug - not bothered by the fact that he just jumped onto him. And then to insist on using his own money to buy gifts for the family? Such a thoughtful and selfless act. You've done a tremendous job instilling great values in him.
ReplyDeleteWe got the same Turtle shell, but with Leo's mask :)
where is the song from? I am currently making our year video and need some music ideas!!! Thanks
ReplyDeletethe music is A Little Bit of Love from Joy Williams
ReplyDelete