The Bachelor : Wedding

Did anyone else catch the Bachelor wedding last night?  I've always been a big fan of the Bachelor franchise and Sean & Catherine are my favorite couple!  I have been waiting to see this wedding since last March when we watched Sean get down on one knee and propose!  The Polar Vortex (along with every person in our town having some sort of illness) my girlfriend Hillary and I, grabbed blankets, a bottle of champs & took our front row seats!

LOVED:
* mismatched living room seating for ceremony - maybe this is something that only wedding planners notice or appreciate, but it looked amazing!
* Catherine's "Grown Sexy" wedding theme - I love a good theme and also create a name for it when it doesn't exist "rustic glam, pink ombre + gold glitter buttons, you get the idea".  Catherine, I get you! :)
* Sean's Dad officiating - I don't even need to explain why I loved this.  The ceremony was so heartfelt and special and not just because of Sean & Catherine's vows - Jay Lowe is such a sweet man, you can see why Sean is the man he is today and his words were so touching - my favorite "And Catherine, I just want you to know that Sherry and I are head over heels in love with you, girl."  Catherine hit the jackpot marrying into that family.  I follow his sister Shay's blog and she is the sweetest! 
* the Bride & Groom - the wardrobe, the hair, the jewelry, just everything about them! These two are just so in love and it shows.  I know Reality Steve tells us the entire franchise is scripted and fake, but seriously - Sean & Catherine have real love and are really perfect for each other.  They are equally quirky and kind (not to mention gorgeous!) and the fact that they put God in the center of their marriage is just so refreshing to see!  I really think they will last forever ... and pop out a few babies soon! :)

 

NOT SO MUCH:
 * Catherine's procession song - a tropical version of "Human Nature".  For as special and romantic as the moment was, the song just didn't scream romance.  I was expecting to cry like a baby watching Sean tear up as his bride walked down the aisle, but the song was so strange to me so I kept my tears in for a few extra minutes.  I am sure it has special meaning though, and the look on Sean's face was just too adorable for words.
 * No reception coverage - now I know the ceremony was shown live so we were not going to be able to see the reception, but they could have at least shown us what the room looked like - panning to centerpieces, table linens, cake, etc.  They showed stills of the honeymoon suite about 100 times - they could have at least shown us the ballroom once or twice.  Good thing Instagram hooked me up with some photos last night! #thebachelorwedding

Biggest congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Lowe - can't wait to see what comes next!  

Nautical Bachelorette

Happy weekend!  Nick took a last minute day off on Friday, so we had a wonderful family day!  My sparkly little Etsy shop was bombarded with orders over the last few days, so it was nice having my "manny" home all weekend to entertain Avery while I worked away.  I haven't offered up many party planning tips lately (but trust me, there are a bunch of fun parties in the works including Avery's 3rd birthday party & a bridal shower for my seester-to-be!) so I just wanted to quickly share a fun bachelorette party theme - Nautical.  I originally made a couple of themed banners as a request from a client, threw them up in my shop just for fun, and turns out - they are selling like hot cakes!  A nautical/sailor/pirate bachelorette party is apparently a hot one! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Harper: 2 Months

Our little tank at 2 months:
Height - 24 inches
Weight - 13 lbs 6 oz
Eats - every 4 hours during the day
Sleeps - naps vary between 10 minutes and 3 hours during the day, sleeps 9-12am - 6-9am
Likes -  her pacifier, being held, patty cake, her swing, watching big sister
Dislikes - wet diapers, being tired, shots
Milestones - smiling, pulls up w/ weight on her legs, "chatting" & no longer fussy at night!!!!!!!  

Harper's Nursery

Today I wanted to share some photos of Harper's nursery.  Since we were reusing Avery's rocker, dresser/hutch & crib, we wanted to have a totally different look to the room, so Harper wouldn't totally be getting the shaft!  Every time I have a picture in my head of what I am looking for, I always find that the picture in my head never exists in real life, so while aimlessly searching on Etsy, I stumbled upon my most favorite fabric I have ever seen!  For once in my life, I found exactly what I had pictured!  Not what I pictured - spending $85 on 2 custom made crib sheets ... the 'deal getting' in me cringed, but I was in love - and that's what we do when we are in love right?!  Thank you to Buttercup Forrest on Etsy for my amazing sheets!  Her room is very small, so there is not much to it, but it is girly and fun and I loved using bold colors this time instead of the pastel pink!  Other favorites - the #2 bucket holding lots of fun hair bows, the Ikea mirror, which reminds me of the mirror in Snow White - "mirror mirror on the wall, Who's the cutest baby of them all?" and holding to tradition, framing the fortune cookie message I got when I was first pregnant with Harper, but didn't yet know it.  Funny that fortune cookies told me I was pregnant with both of my girls - more on that here.

 

Harper letters - Hobby Lobby + spray paint ... knockoff Anthropologie letters inspired by my favorite blogger Little Baby Garvin, who used them for her daughter's name, which just happens to be Harper too!
Garland - Glambanners
Crib Sheets - Buttercup Forrest
Crib Skirt - Amazon
Curtains - Target
Mirror - Ikea
Rocker - Walmart
Toss Pillow - TJ Maxx
Pouf - East Wind
Changing Pad Cover - sweetheart-n-sunshine
Crib & Changing Table/Hutch - JC Penney

Side by Sides: Month 1

Before Harper was born, we thought her & Avery would look like twins.
When Harper was born, we thought her & Avery would probably look like twins.
After Harper was born, we thought her & Avery look nothing alike! :) 

 

And here is one that will make you want to crack up and then throw up ... or vice versa!  Could I look anymore like Fat Bastard in the first picture?!?   Get out of my bellllllllay!

Harper's Newborn Photos

I have an 8 week old.  8 weeks already!  It was November ... I blinked ... now it's January!  Christmas time always seems to come and go quickly and adding a newborn to the mix this year was no exception.  I just realized that I never shared some of my favorites from Harper's newborn photo shoot with you, so here you go!  The fabulous Kelsey from K Photography & Design has been taking our photos since Avery was 4 months old and as always, she did not disappoint.  She was able to capture the most gorgeous photos of our girls and Nick and I, and we are the harshest critics when it comes to pictures of us!  Kelsey has been in my life since middle school when we were good buddies having sleepovers and am so glad to have her in my life now as a mom to freeze frame our beautiful girls in pictures we can cherish and treasure for the rest of our lives!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas At-A-Glance

Wow, am I more shocked that Christmas was 10 days ago or at the fact that I just now got around to looking at our Christmas pictures and getting them on my computer - this cold weather is sure turning me into a slacker!  Christmas this year with Avery was just magical - moms out there, I do not need to explain - you know the joy that comes with seeing Christmas through your children's eyes.  This year we had a new set of eyes to look through, but unfortunately 6 week olds do not quite have the Christmas spirit yet!  Without having to recap where we went and we opened, here are some highlights!