100 Degrees

With temps hovering around 100 degrees, we've been forced to stay indoors the last few nights in an effort to stay cool. We've read lots of books, or I should rephrase by saying we've read a small handful of books many times over. Ruby girl definitely has her faves! 

The heat index isn't the only thing that's been creeping into the triple digits. Our little darling has been cutting more teeth which, unfortunately, has been accompanied with a fever:(

It's heartbreaking to see her in so much discomfort, but she's been extra cuddly, which has been really nice. Little walkers don't have much time for sitting in the laps of their parents...

I also introduced Ruby to the wonderful world of Wes Anderson! She actually sat on my lap and was entirely enjoying Fantastic Mr. Fox until she drifted off to sleep...it was pretty special.

Mama & Papa are long overdue for a Moonrise Kingdom date night. Hopefully within the next week!!

A Little Mama/ Daughter Photoshoot

Sometimes, it's just fun to bust the nice camera out and take some decent photos. Papa did go to school for photography, so it only makes sense!

These are a few snaps from our little mama/ daughter impromptu "shoot" the other night...

Ruby looks like she's engaging in some deep conversation with me. Love this one.

Hope you enjoyed!! xx

Ruby Tuesday

Hi! I'm Ruby. I don't know if I've properly introduced myself. I am going to be 1 year old in less than a week.Today would've been my birthday, but I decided to wait a few extra days before making my big entrance:)

This time one year ago, my Mama & Papa were not only so excited to meet me, but they were super excited to find out if I was a boy or a girl. A lot of people had them convinced I was a little guy...in fact, they didn't even have a name picked out for me until a couple hours after I was born.

You see, my Papa had a dream a couple months before I was born that he had a daughter and her name was RUBY. It was pretty special, so that was how my name made it to the list originally.

My Mama's due date had me scheduled for a June arrival, but I had other plans. I thought a birthday in July sounded much more exciting. And guess what the birthstone for July is...a RUBY!!

It just so happened that I had a Great-Aunt named RUBY as well, so my parents got to keep it in the family.

WIN. WIN. WIN.

My parents dedicated me to the LORD under this verse:

"O storm-battered city, troubled and desolate! I will rebuild you with precious jewels and make your foundations from lapis lazuli. I will make your towers of sparkling rubies, your gates of shining gems, and your walls of precious stones." Isaiah 54:11&12

Well, that's a little bit about my little self. I think I may hijack my Mama's blog again sometime;) Bye Bye!!

Des Moines Arts Festival

Our little family made it down to the Des Moines Art Festival after church on Sunday. Though I prefer hitting the festival later in the day, we still had a nice time checking out all the vendors and eating lunch with friends. I only got a little bit of sun.

I've been wanting to check out Host since it opened, but I haven't been able to since their hours are during the week for lunch only. Thankfully, they had special hours for the Art Fest. My curried chicken sandwich was SO GOOD.

Creature art by Chris Vance.

Contemporary art with a Southern twist by Dolan Geiman. I saw this guy at Renegade Chicago back in 2010 and love his work. So inspired that he runs the whole business with his wife (she spoke at the Etsy workshop I attended at same Renegade).

Scissors Drawings by Ella Richards might have been my favorite booth. I would've taken any one of her pieces.

Contemporay figurative oils inspired by vintage found photography. Paintings by Signe & Genna Grushovenko. Love this concept.

If only downtown Des Moines looked like this throughout the year...xx

One Night. Two Housewarming Parties.

/ / JASON & SARA'S / /

How adorable is this cheese plate? Sara is the Queen of Details. I could write a whole blog post on their whimsically curated place...maybe she'll let me one of these days;)

/ / ERIK &CHRISTINA'S / /

As usual, Ruby stole the show at both gatherings.

More people have been moving away lately, so it was nice to celebrate these friends living a little closer and knowing they'll be around for at least the duration of their leases. Des Moines has lost quite a few great folks in the past year or so. You know who you are & you are so dearly missed...xx

The Letter Man & Life Lately

 This week has not afforded us many opportunities for rest & reflection. But this was one of those moments. Evening walks with my little fam are THE BEST.

(I'm a little jealous that Wayde has so many amazing [in my opinion] photos with Ruby. Any other Mama's out there feel this way too?)

Some other highlights included getting not one, but TWO, non-bill pieces of mail from different friends on the same day. People, we got to start sending more real letters through the post. This can have a great impact on somebody's day;)

We also had dinner and ice cream with a dear friend from high school & her little family last night. Our baby girls are only a few months apart. It was kind of surreal to see her being a Mommy in their beautiful home...where has the time gone??

Work has been super duper stressful. I'll be the first to admit that I haven't handled the weight of it with as much grace as I would have hoped to. Being a full-time working Mama is a tough job. It's not ideal, but it's what we need to do for this season of life. And I'm definitely grateful for the opportunity.

No matter how horrible my day has been though, coming home to this little lady at the end of it is always my prize...xx

Accidental Industry Fashion Show

 Mama & Papa were out on the town last Saturday for the Accidental Industry Fashion Show! Here's what we wore:

SHE: Banana Republic top (thrifted); 90's skirt (thrifted); clutch (flea market)

HIM: Top (thrifted); Jacket (vintage); Pocket square (Badowers); Raleigh Denim Jeans (Badowers); Gorilla Suede Chukka Boots (Gilt)

Dinner date at Zombie Burger. Pre-show cocktails at The Continental.

 The show featured 7 local designers and was held at Brenton Plaza (which proved to be an excellent venue for the event considering that it functions as an ice skating rink during the winter months).

 Our friend Lucy helped co-organize the event, which really turned out to be a smash. SHE IS A STAR. Her & her man, John (who DJ'd for the show), do a lot to make this unlikely city a little more fabulous. WE APPRECIATE IT!!

Looking forward to more events like these in the future..xx

Father's Day

A VERY Happy 1st (Official) Father's Day to this guy! We are SO blessed to have you in our lives xx

[This is the image on the card we gave to Papa today. I made it with an app called Phoster, which is a pretty sweet program for designed-challenged folks like myself.]

Is It Summer Yet?

 Because, we're ready!! Ready for some beautiful evening walks after the heat of the day has subsided. These instax pics were taken at Gray's Lake this week during our stroll.

I love the way our individual portraits blend together to make one picture. I've already got this arrangement framed in Ruby's room.

 My toes are ready! I don't know why I held off for so long before hitting the pedicure bandwagon, but I am FAN. One of my new favorite things to do with my Mom & sisters.

 My feet are ready! Now that I finally got a spiffy, red pair of Saltwaters! I had been watching the website for a couple weeks trying to score some in my size. AT LAST.

Wayde thought it would be funny to photo-bomb me trying to take a pic of my feet. Real funny, Hubby. Haha.

 My wardrobe is...uh, getting there. I've been looking for inspiration in some catalogues and DIY books hoping to piece together some fun summer ensembles. Now that I'm working with this post-baby body of mine, it's been a challenge to find outifts that are both stylish and flattering. Also, MORE COLOR!!

 Ready for our summer shows! Well, at least one. AGT, baby. That's right. Don't judge. We don't let Ruby watch a lot of TV, but she seems to enjoy the dance acts already. It's not like we're going to be able to avoid it forever...

Ready for more ice cream! With these two. We took this at the end of a pretty exhausting day. And somehow, it helped make things feel a little better.

I love this photo of them. A friend suggesting retaking this photo of them when Ruby is eighteen to compare & contrast. That I don't know if I'll ever be ready for...xx