A Family Photo Shoot

There's a good chance the above photo would've been on this past year's Christmas card. But between buying a house, trudging through my first trimester of this pregnancy, and chasing around a toddler after working all day, I did not get around to sending them out. It happens.

Our friend, Dave of The Wedding Format, shot these lovely pics last Fall and just recently posted the edited batch on their website. More photos from our family shoot can been seen here.

We are so happy to have this special day captured on film and so blessed to know such wonderfully creative folks:) Be sure to check out The Wedding Format's additional services! They're doing some pretty beautiful & unique things with photography, food, & decor for weddings and other special occassions. xx

Nicole's SPECTACULAR Baby Shower

This past weekend, I had the honor of hosting a baby shower for my sister-in-law, Nicole. Our babies (& future cousins/ buddies) are due a month apart and like us, Nicole and her husband decided to opt for suprise in waiting to find out the gender.

Since I didn't have a pink or blue palatte to work with, I was inspired to keep it natural, neutral, and classy. Much like the Mama-to-be:)

 Our dessert selection included:
- Dark chocolate Neopolitan layer cake w/ Nutella, strawberry, & vanilla buttercream frosting
- Neopolitan spritz cookies with marshmallow buttercream frosting
- Rice Krispy treats made with sea salt and browned butter

All credit for the food & fanciful spread goes to this lady—Leslie Poyzer—one of the most talented homemakers I know. A self-taught baker & crafter, Leslie heads up wedding production & desserts for The Wedding Format in addition to being a regular contributor for Meredith publications like D.I.Y. Magazine.



Crackers served with Englishwhite Stilton cheese w/ peaches, Cotswold Double Gloucester w/ onions & chives, and Honey Gouda from Trader Joe's.

The Mama-to-be, Nicole!

No baby shower is complete without playing some corny shower games. I searched for some good ones and settled on Mad Libs, "What's in Mommy's Purse, Celeb Baby Names, Scattergories, & Wishes for Baby.

I'm pretty sure Nicole left Iowa feeling super blessed by all the goodies, gifts, & girlfriends in attendance. We are super excited to meet your little one!!

33 & 34...

Not much longer now... It feels like all of a sudden, everyone (including strangers) are asking when my due date it. "July 22nd, so probably August," I tell them. With Ruby, I went a week over my due date. 41 weeks and no dialation.

I would really like to not have to be induced this time around, so I'm starting a "regimen" in the next couple weeks that might help me avoid that experience again (more details on that later). My induction wasn't horrible, but being able to labor at home for as long as I can without being hooked up to a monitor just sounds so much more appealing.

In other news, we finally moved the crib into the baby's room. Ruby got a "big girl bed" at IKEA last week and has been sleeping in it since. I've laid down with her a few nights to help her fall asleep. Only once we've found her playing with toys in her room after lights out. The transition has gone surprisingly well, even though it breaks my heart a little. My baby girl is growing up too fast...

Now that Baby #2's room is coming together, I'll hopefully assemble a little room tour blog post soon. Stay tuned...xx

Jason & Sara's Wedding Weekend

This past weekend kicked off the first of a handful of weddings we'll be attending this year, half of which Wayde will be attending as a groomsman. Yep, my husband is a pretty likeable guy.

Jason has been a friend of Wayde's since high school and Sara we've got to know & love through Jason and church. The festivities took place around Burlington, IA.

The wedding day got off to a rocky start (for me, at least). I discovered after putting on the dress I had bought weeks before the wedding that there were some unslightly black streaks all over it. My only assumption is that is must have got shut in the car door on our way out. Thankfully, I had a backup ensemble, even though it was a little more casual than I would have preferred for a wedding.

That incident was followed up by Ruby taking a tumble on the sidewalk outside of our hotel room. There was blood. There were tears. There was a monster fat lip. I remembered that lavender oil was good for such abrasions, so I applied it to the site of Ruby's crash. I would say that within an hour, the swelling went down so significantly that the only visible indicator of what side it occured on were the little scrapes from the actual fall. My first real essential oils testimonial?

Jason & Sara couldn't have hoped for a more beautiful day. It was sunny—not too warm or windy. The weather was PERFECT.

“We are all a little weird and life is a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.” - Dr. Seuss (a quote read during the ceremony)

Sara has such ecclectic & quirky taste (which I love), so I was really looking forward to how she would put special touches on their big day.

The tables were numbered with the covers of vintage Harlequin romance novels and name cards were old library withdrawal slips.

The cake looked like it was straight out of the pages of a 1960's Better Homes & Gardens cookbook. Selections included chocolate, lemon raspberry, and Nutella. It was DIVINE, as you could imagine.

Our sweet Ruby stealing the show:) She did such a wonderful job of sitting still through the ceremony & making friends with guests at the reception. To know her is to love her, truly.

Thanks, Jason & Sara, for letting us be a part of your special day! xx