Baby Items I'd Recommend

10.31.2012

Baby Items I'd recommend


It's been almost 4 months since Eowyn came on the scene. I remember surfing amazon for hours before E came wondering what I would need. Luckily most of the things I currently have and now recommend, were gifts or recommendations from my friends. Here's a list of things that I would recommend. It's obviously not comprehensive, and I would argue that probably none of these are essential, but here's why I would recommend them anyways:

1. Fischer Price Rock N Play I had several friends mention this to me before Eowyn was born. They said it was a convenient napper-especially for travel-and a lot of babies had slept better in it than in their cribs. For us, Eowyn had a small bout of reflux in those early months and would really struggle to sleep. Out of sleep deprivation I remembered someone mentioning this and we ran to the store and got it. I won't say it was a miracle fixer, but I can tell that she sleeps in it better. I'd recommend it, especially for babies with reflux. I didn't have any issues with flat head or anything like that (Some amazon reviews claim that their baby got flat head-that has not  been the case for me.) And it really is convenient. It's also nice when guests come over we can just move her into our room, or when we go to our parents she's still sleeping in her bed. We even managed to pack it into a suitcase for when we moved here. Talk about awesome.

2.Colic Calm- Another recommendation from those with babies with reflux-We've noticed that the tummy issues she was having greatly diminished with this. We tried gas drops and they didn't really seem to work. This has. Its pretty expensive-but we just bought a new bottle after having it for about a month and a half. I wanted to avoid putting E on any prescriptions and this really did take care of it. Bonus: it instantly takes away hiccups. It comes out black because of some plant stuff in it-so beware, it kind of looks like you're feeding your baby ink. My mom even fooled my sister into thinking E had gotten into a permanent marker. Yet, a little black mouth is okay to me. It's all natural-no side effects. I'd recommend it.

3. Aquaphor- E has eczema just like her dad. This stuff does the trick. The dry climate doesn't seem to help, but again, Id recommend this stuff-it works. We lather it on at night and in the morning her skin isn't all scaly.

4.The New Basics: A-to-Z Baby & Child care for the Modern Parent- This was a fluke buy on google play since we had a credit and it looked interesting. I'm so glad I bought this. I love this thing. It works sort of like an encyclopedia with different topics A-to-Z just as its title suggests. The author has a very laid back approach to parenting which really fits Ben and I. I appreciated the honesty and overall direct communicative approach. It is void of scare tactics and he doesn't give hypothetical what ifs. Very informative and laid back, yet truthful. This has allowed me to gauge what really is something to be concerned about-and has settled most of my worries.

5.Beco-Gemini-This is Ben's go-to carrier. We have yet to buy a stroller-I usually use the sling and he uses this and its done well for us. Its way too expensive in my opinion to buy new-and we managed to get this on craigslist for a steep discount, but it is quality and it will last us for several kids. If you asked me which carrier to get, I would point you towards the Beco line.

6.Wet Bag for cloth diapers- I've actually gone the past 3 months without one, just using a garbage bin and/or plastic bags and it has worked, but as E is getting older and having fuller diapers (read:smelly and impressive), So, I've put it on the must get next list. I've only heard the best of Planet Wise-but I know several Etsy vendors sell them and there are tutorials to make your own-price wise however, I think its more cost effective to buy online.

7.Swaddleme-Eowyn is just learning how to effectively self soothe, up until that point she would wake her self up when her arms would flail in her sleep. Being all bundled with the swaddle me fixed that problem. We even went out and bought larger ones for her that we use every night. We are able to bundle her looser now (since she'll be able to roll soon and we want her to learn how to use those hands) and she still loves them.

8.Burp Cloths with Chenille-Go to a fabric store, buy some chenille and cute cotton fabric and sew these babies up. They're quick and super easy to make and they've done far better than any of the burp clothes I've bought at stores. The link above is a tutorial. I tend to give these as gifts-they're so easy and so awesome.

9.Flip Diapers-Ben and I are fairly new to the land of cloth diapering, but so far we've already gotten our favorites. We bought about 6 fuzzibunz and a day-pack of the flip diapers (comes with six inserts.) Ben and I both have had to fuss with the fuzzibunz (they're high customization which means highly probable you'll get it wrong the first few times when searching for a good fit) where as the flip have worked since the get-go. We started cloth diapering at about a six-weeks and have done this daily. At night we've still used a disposable, but we're phasing out of that as well. I'd highly recommend the flip diapers, both for affordability and the ease of use. They're one size-meaning they grow with your baby. We've saved a ton of $ on diapers and I've barely noticed a difference in the laundry.

10.Baby Sling-My mom bought me a sling from when she went to Guatemala and that thing has been one of the best accessories I own! I carry E everywhere and its been awesome. I think there might be a trend to think you look a little hippie, or maybe that's just me and the whole-not cutting my hair since I was a teenager-but I find most of the people that talk to me when wearing this thing lean more towards that style. However its worth it. I'm a fan and find it highly convenient. I don't have a brand I'd recommend, but I'm sure a good amazon review search would do the trick.

11. AVENT Pacifiers- They give them to you at the hospital, so I'm sure most of us are familiar with these. I found them to be highly favorable to others. First for E, its the only one she'll take-but it also hasn't been engineered so well that it stays in her mouth too easily. While some would see this as a disadvantage-I've noticed that she doesn't rely on it too much since it falls out the minute she's tired of sucking on it. I think it'll allow us to skip the whole pacifier dependency phase and yet still get the convenience of using them for soothing. Only downfall is if you look close, you'll realize there's a weird clown design with the pacifier being the nose. I hate clowns, but the pacifiers are great.

12. Huggies One and Done- For the first month of E's life I bought sensitive generic wipes. I wanted to take care of her little bumpus, but didn't want to spend money on something that was going in the trash. While I would probably recommend even going to re-usable wipes, Ben and I just aren't there yet and in the meantime we've made the switch. My sister recommended these and I swear by them. These things are the BOMB. I used quite a few more of the generic brand, where as these are advertised effectively. One and Done.

13.Burts Bee's Baby Shampoo- This was a gift to us and its been awesome. The shampoo washes off easily and I like the smell. That and I've had only one bottle this entire time and I'm not even 3/4 of the way done with it. I recommend the stuff. Its mostly natural, smells nice and really does last.

14.Nursing Cover-Word on the street is that these are incredibly easy to make. While many people would argue that you may not even need one-I tend to like to have one. It's nice even as a blanket to shield the wee-babes eyes from the sun/bright lights, and I've worn it at a movie to cover her little face from the bright lights as well as outside. I end up nursing in the car a lot when we're out and a bout, and this keeps any awkward sight-seeing at bay.

15. Burts Bee's Diaper Ointment- The stuff is magic. Any time she starts having a rash, I put this on with a disposable (although some have said its safe for cloth. Since I'm not sure, when its a minor rash I use California Diaper Rash Cream with my cloth diapers) and that rash is gone. Completely.

16. Rockin' Green Detergent: For my cloth diapers I use this detergent. Its recommended, and while some say its unnecessary, I intend to use these diapers through multiple children. You only use two tbs or so per wash, so it really lasts forever. And it smells nice and does an excellent job cleaning the diapers.


I would probably recommend downloading the White Noise app on your phone as well. It helps keep Eowyn asleep when we're watching movies, laughing etc.  She has hawk ears. This helps.

Other than clothes and blankets, and cutesy stuff, I think I've summed up our essentials. Hope this helps any new mommas looking for what they may think of getting-especially if you're thinking of cloth diapering. I'd also encourage most moms to wait to purchase things.

 Use the "save for later' feature on your amazon accounts and just see if you even need it. I took this recommendation and have saved myself quite a bit of cash. A lot of the stuff I've found is really unnecessary. And if theres something I MUST have (which has yet to happen) there tends to be a local store that carries it. I have yet to feel like a martyr, or like I'm going without and I have more $$ to buy things we really need.

Yay for Babies!

Awkward Mom Pictures=Worth it.

10.30.2012



There's a stereotype that I've found to be true of moms.  The classic avoidant phrase "I don't like the way I look in pictures" or "Oh, just get one of the kids!" is something that has sprinkled both my childhood and adulthood. Moms everywhere would say these little phrases and it taught me that when you're a mom-a special kind of insecurity sets in.  Bodies have changed-and most mom's have yet to get used to it. Even if one is successful in getting back to a number on the scale-often times the body they get after pushing out a wee one is just not the same. I heard this several times when pregnant. "You'll never look the same!"

A few months ago, late at night I stumbled upon a blog called the anderson crew . The author, Emily  does a thing called "embrace the camera." The idea behind this was something I needed to hear. Essentially, she wants her children to see her in the pictures she takes-to have them see that she was a part of the lives they lived. Putting a side insecurities, she chooses to be present and to capture that.

I want my babies to look back and see the same thing. That we lived. The imperfect mother that they did have was a joyful one and one not afraid of the camera. I want them to, while I'm sure I'll be honest with my girls about some of my insecurities-realize that insecurities are not a good reason to hold back on memory making.  I've gotten the courage to begin asking Ben and others to take pictures of me with Eowyn and pictures of all of us together.

While I'll be honest and say the minute I look at pictures I fight to not scrutinize every imperfection, I'm learning to stop myself. Learning to look at the joy in my face and the delight in my babies chub cheeks. I'm learning to praise Jesus for the completeness of what He's is doing in us.

 

When I look at pictures of my mom, I don't see any imperfections. I see the beauty of her laughter and the sincerity in her eyes. I can sense the memories of her conversations and the sweet comfort of laying in her lap or spending time dancing in the kitchen. My mom is hott. And while she may never claim that, by golly I see beauty at every picture taken. She's remarkable. And those pictures represent snapshots of all the times she's sacrificed for us, chosen joy for us and lived a life of teaching us how to choose Jesus. I'm glad she's allowed pictures to be taken-they're awesome reminders of an incredible childhood.

 I want to celebrate the live God's given and someday when I'm old, I want to be glad I didn't step outside the lens. I highly doubt when I'm 80 and I'm looking at these pictures I'll think anything other than sweet thoughts of how beautiful life was and is.  I'll be thankful that I was captured living fully. I'm excited for the memories.

So, despite feeling awkward in near every picture these days, I'd say its most definitely worth it.

Birthday Celebrations!

10.28.2012

Today is my husbands Birthday! He's the big 2-7. For some reason, ever since I can remember, I've been convinced that the 27th year of life is just plain awesome. I'm excited to see if this proves true. 

So, to kick off this exciting year, we decided to go on a hike at one of our local national parks.


 (If you're on facebook, you've already seen most of the photos, if not-they can be found  here.)

In addition to hiking, Ben opened presents.One of which was a special present from Eowyn. She got him a special father daughter T-shirt/onsie set from little treetops .

They look pretty good together, no?

We checked out a local church (we're looking for a place to call home!) and this evening we ate chocolate cheesecake! I used the recipe here. It was quite the achievement. Ben's favorite desert is chocolate cheesecake and this is the first time ever making it from scratch!

Here are the pictures from the evening. 





We both joke that we like each other's birthdays more than our own. Early on we decided part of our family culture was to celebrate. Getting to celebrate one another has turned into a special sort of event and birthdays are a very fun time to do so.

Another tradition in our little family is a fun game every year. (The total J type personality is what makes this 'fun' to us) Ben gets to list off 27 things he wants to accomplish in his 27th year and I get to list of 27 things I love about him. I'll probably post a few of his here on the blog once he's completed his list. That way next year we can see which ones we actually accomplished, and which ones get carried over to next year. 

***
Happy birthday to the man of all men. You are remarkable; the hero of this story. Our daughter has  an incredible example of what a husband and a father looks like. Thank you for demonstrating who the big Hero is: Jesus, daily and continuing to create a family culture of grace through gospel, joy despite circumstance and celebration.  I'm blessed to call you my husband, Eowyn is blessed to call you dad and us girls our proud to belong with you.

Hi Peanut

10.24.2012

Hi Peanut, peapod, snuggle puff, jiggly puff, squishy pie,


You're almost three and a half months.

Your smiles keep coming. Your hair is starting to get a fuzzy sheen that is the precursor to curls and those blue eyes are starting to get little flecks of what sometimes look like brown and sometimes look like green. You'll be happy to see that I'm chilling out as your mom. I'm guessing you realize that I'm more willing to do a lot of things. I'm quicker to relax about things. And have exchanged my philosphy for trying-to-plan-and-prepare-for-any-and-all problems to a more respond-as-problems-arise approach. This has seemed to relax you a bit too. You sometimes wake up from your naps and just hang out in your room-looking around for several minutes. I think you're learning the value of being alone. I'm glad that you're at least getting a taste for that. While I'm sure you'll love being with us every-single-second in toddlerhood, I also think you might not-you might enjoy doing some playing on your own. I'm happy for that. Happy to see where your creativity takes you as I remember my own days of getting to just be. Imaginations can run wild when you're left alone to explore it.

I've been reading some fun books while we rest together and one of them is of a girl that has to pick which group of people she'll belong. Its a fun read, but it has me thinking a lot of what you'll be. What are you at your core? How has God fashioned that little soul of yours? I am excited to discover with you. And I hope I'm wise enough to know when to let you explore those things on your own.

But I'm also learning to not borrow trouble from tomorrow. I'm learning to enjoy your goofy smiles and letting today fill up my thoughts and I'm learning to be. God has all sorts of excitement for today-and I'm learning how to let that be my portion.

I'm excited and blessed that you're my babe. You're a keeper, Eowyn. A gem.

I have awesome friends.

10.22.2012


I've got a baby sleeping in the other room, the sun shining in my new window and a nice walk, clean new place, and unpacking under my belt.

There's part of me that's incredibly excited about this adventure. Even the fact that the sun does seem brighter here (we ARE in the mile-high city.) But I'll be honest to say that it's a little scary.

After a crazy flight, where our baby was a ROCKSTAR, we finally got our rental car (which was an adventure in itself) and arrived at our place. While sitting in the parking lot for a few seconds I looked over to Ben and said "I don't know anybody other than you. Like, absolutely no one."

and the thing I had been anticipating-that crazy feeling of being in a new state for the first time-it hit. I don't feel too sad, I actually feel quite excited. Its been a good experience for me-seeing as I've never lived somewhere where I didn't know at least a handful of people. It's allowing me to focus on our family without worry of neglecting others, and yet giving me a passion for people that like me-aren't connected with anybody in the location they live in.

It's amazing to me that people live their whole lives like this.

Last night I opened a special little package from a dear friend of mine. She got a book and filled it with pictures of us and others and had other people write little notes in it. I got teary-eyed and all mushy. Ben said "Brittany, you've got really good friends."

I use to pray for friends like these. I used to imagine up what a 'good friend' would be and think to myself that there really isn't any body like that. Someone who decides to bless me-go out of their way- just because they love me. Someone that has nothing to gain. Other than Jesus, I figured that was-while occasionally an occurance-just not something I could realistically expect.

And then I look back over the past few years of my life and I am overwhelmed. From the first few years of college when I had girlfriends who deliberately loved me and celebrated my success. I remember being overwhelemed with their love. And not knowing how to respond. I used to think "why are they being so nice to me?" Then, to get married and have so many of those friends last through this stage, and to add others.

My relationship with the women of my life have allowed me fall in love with Jesus in a way that no other relationship could. They've taught me about a Jesus who loves me unconditionally-and understands me in a deep way. They've taught me about delighting over simple things and laughter and how much Jesus delights in his daughters.

To have relationships with all the women in my small group. To have women like Katie K in my life who feels like a sister to me-not in that cheesy way, but in that actual deep down we must be related way, to have friends-many of which filled the pages of that journal-that check in on me and keep tabs, and celebrate.  To have friends like Alisa and Katie H that I get to walk through this whole mom thing with, and to be encouraged. To have a friend like Emily who KNOWS me. Since chubby cheek faced girl to now-and to be able to know that our relationship is unbreakable because its lasted through heartache and delights, To have friends like Grace, Shannon, DCB or Amy  who make me laugh deep down in my belly and givers like Val and Kari...or friends like Aubrey who redefine embracing another and bringing them into their life. To have a Laura-who sees into my soul. OH! How blessed am I!

Jesus. You are so good to me. You know my heart and delight in bringing such sweet friends into my life. How could I ask for anything more?

I used to see other women and their friendships, and a little "I wish I could have that" would dwell in my heart. Well. maybe its the few hundred miles allowing me to reflect-but I'm sitting pretty happy. I don't get to see some of my favorite faces for a few months, but my heart and my soul know how good it is to have the women I have in my life.

Thank you Friends. Aubrey, Amy, Alisa, Katie, Bekah, Emily, Katie H, Kari, Grace, Laura, Nardine, Val,  all my small group ladies and so many others who have intentionally stayed in this life of mine. I am overwhelmed with your goodness. You fill my life to the brim and give me feasts of joy.

Happy Day indeed.

Marriage after Babies

10.17.2012

Ben and I have now been parents for .25 years with a baby. (that 3 WHOLE MONTHS!) We're nooblets. Yet, I feel like a lot has happened in our marriage since she came on the scene and late at night when I can't sleep or I'm feeding Eowyn, I think about this stuff.

Whats changed? Whats better? What have we learned? Here's a few things that I've found are pretty crucial for us to keep our marriage kickin'.

#1 The relationship with each other has to take priority over the relationship with the child. At first when I read this in books and on blogs, I figured it would be more of an intellectual decision. Sure, I'd choose Ben first, then baby. We had a conversation that we were going to pick each other first before Eowyn was ever born, but when she came on the scene, focusing on our marriage before we focused on being parents was easier said than done. Daily we  had to decide if what we said we would do would actually be what we did (and what that even meant!) It meant finishing our conversations at least to a adequate standstill before we jumped up to meet her needs. It meant prioritizing 'us' time and if that was interrupted  ensuring we rescheduled. It meant letting Eowyn wait.  This commitment is something I get to practice daily. Eowyn will not remember, and if she does she'll learn patience, and she'll learn about priorities in marriages. Win-Win.

This has been sort of a big deal for us and I think has allowed us to physically demonstrate our first earthly love is each other. It also allows us to not be upset with Eowyn and be parents that are leading rather than parents that are reacting. This little commitment has had huge impacts on everything.

#2 "He's just as [insert emotion or state of being] as you are. Be gracious."
Once upon a time it was really late at night and Eowyn was crying. I was exhausted. I had just fed that child, put her down and like...20 minutes later she was asking for attention. Ben snored through the whole thing. I was mad. Infuriated. I was hormonal. And I literally had to hold my hand as I left the room to keep myself from hitting him. I played it out  in my head, contemplated his reaction and was struggling to figure out if it was a good idea. It felt like a really really good idea. I've seriously never felt that way before-and it surprised me. As I was rocking E, I started to vent to God. "This is so hard, I have to do it all by myself, bla bla bla" And God gave me a 2:30 AM smack down. Ben doesn't snore unless he's exhausted or sick. I could hear that man in the other room. God showed me that the strain of a baby isn't just affecting me. It's affecting him too. So grace is needed. I repented. Even since, I've had to remind myself-Ben gets tired, gets emotionally drained, needs a break from the baby just like I do. His emotions are just as legitimate as mine. 

#3 Limit talking about the kid.
After literally hours of talking about diapers, sleep habits, reflux, parenting, etc. Its easy to get lost in the sea that is baby. There has to be a deliberate decision to mark off a time when we don't talk about her. For us, that meant establishing a time when we seriously do. Typically on Sundays we set the course for the week. If we want to try some new parenting thing we talk about it, we decide and that meeting is adjourned. Stuff comes up but if it needs an elaborate conversation it waits. This has helped me remember who Ben is, and who I am outside of parenting and has allowed time and room to goof of and just be us. If we don't do this, I spent hours rehearsing every move she made and asking Ben if we should readjust our parenting every 5.4 seconds. This way only consistent behaviors shine through and Ben and I aren't playing a continually-changing guessing game.

#4 Physical Intimacy cannot go out the window. 

I remember someone described sex to a man as the equivalent to a deep emotional conversation for a woman. Meaning the refreshing cathartic experience I feel after that good ol emotional outpouring-well there's a man equivalent and its physical. While grace obviously applies with a newborn baby, before the baby was born I decided that I didn't want to get familiar with the "well, he understands" card.  If one has a good husband, truth is they do understand and there is grace for that. Just like I understand when Ben has to work late, when comes home exhausted and really spent emotionally. Sometimes he can't really have much conversation. But lets be real, repeated working late and repeated unavailability emotionally leaves me fighting bitterness. He knows this, and refused to do it. I'm thankful. I can't expect him to be available emotionally day after day and not be willing to be present physically.

I've found absence of intimacy makes a marriage with children turn into a glorified roommate situation where you have to take care of this little life-sucking nugget of cuteness.  It gets unfun. Its unfair, and we all end up grumpy.  Plus I recently read this book about happy mothering that cited a research article (I can't seem to find it. Fail) saying mothers life satisfaction was more correlated with their satisfaction with their love life than any other factor. Another Win-Win

The happy thing I like about this area of life, is whenever I feel like it may need some work, I can see improvements overnight! (harty har) and I've been blessed to find some encouraging blogs in this area (since sex is never an easy issue) here's a meaningful blog to peruse: http://tolovehonorandvacuum.com/ It talks all about sex quite plainly and intimacy and has plenty of posts for those struggling. It's a christian blog, which I appreciate in a culture that seems to take Christianity and sex and put them at opposite polls. Its encouraged me several times. I recommend it.

#5 Sacrifice-It's inevitable
This was hard for both of us. We had so many activities that we were successfully juggling before Eowyn. Then she came. For the first few weeks we tried to keep them up and ended up doing our respective things separately. It started feeling estranged and the more we talked about it, the more we both realized that things just had to go. We cut out some commitments we had thought we would maintain and we really examined and are continually examining what gives us energy. If an event takes away energy-so much so that we won't be available for each other throughout the day or week-we say no. There's obviously exceptions, but that's the rule. We had to sacrifice some outside things to keep inside things going well.

This has been huge. And incredibly difficult. Seeing Ben limit his activities in order to spend time with me, and me choosing to do things that do not drain me so that I've still got something to offer when he comes home has been sort of a big deal. While difficult, its life giving. We sort of have a "do later" list. I also give Ben, and he gives me the option of requesting limits on our activites. If he plays video games too much (which is really life giving for him) or if I'm out and about too much, we limit it. We have nights where we do our separate activities intentionally, and others where we intentionally spend time not doing those things.

In addition, while several ministry opportunities and cool exiting opportunities sometimes present themselves, I've put a lot of that in the 'do later' list. Mostly because I've found that at the end of the day of doing this, I repeatedly just want to be left alone and am easily frustrated with family. I felt God really challenging me on this area-how much of the activities do I maintain because of my own pride in my heart, fear of what others will think if I stop etc.-and have since found a lot of liberty to just enjoy life right now. I think its whats keeping my head afloat. A lot of women can juggle it all really well and not one area of their life suffers. I commend them and cheer them on! I simply am not one of them.

#6 Laughing is the the lifeline of sanity

So, Eowyn is awesome. She's kind of emotional-as most babies are-and sometimes her dad and I are exhausted. She can sometimes give us a run for our money and we've survived through laughing. Sometimes at each other, mostly at her. Happy benefit is she sees us laughing and stops crying cuz she wants to know why we're happy (or she gets even more riled up...but...hey..)

From laughing at the weird cries she makes, to joking about spit up and our ruined pillows we keep it light. Ben has that voice from the 'honey badger' video (it has a lot of language-I don't recommend it-but its funny) and repeatedly will say stuff like "that's nasty," "Eowyn don't care" etc. It keeps us laughing. And this keeps us happy.

***
It'll be good to reflect on the maintenance of these in the upcoming weeks. Am I prioritizing Ben in how I spend my days? Am I being considerate of how he's feeling with all that's going on in our lives? How much am I talking about baby? Are we feeling close both emotionally and physically? If not, how come? What sacrifices need to be made? Is there something we're taking too seriously that we just need to laugh about?

Looking forward to the next several months of marriage and enjoying that chubby faced spraguelet.

Three Months

10.13.2012


Click on the image to make it larger! Happy 3 months baby girl!

Ma Bebe

10.08.2012

 

Things I don't want to forget:

  • The absolutely ridiculous faces this kid makes. And the coos and the smiles and the near-giggles. The way I get these surges of happy that make me want to cry and laugh and sigh all at the same time.
  • How Ben has become a protector and provider in more ways than I can count since we had this baby. Protecting our family from criticism, providing encouragement, affirmation, truth. Protecting our time, our hopes, our sanity. He makes my heart swell.
  • Her little hands and feets and her bright blue eyes that look up at me. 
  • The need to rely on Jesus in ways I never did. How he's becoming the friend I've always wanted. I think a lot of times I used to think those phrases about  Jesus being a great friend, husband, Counselor etc. was more of a "Jesus is a great place holder for those until  you get a real one." I'm realizing how much of a lie that was. I'm beginning to actually prefer his friendship over my physical tangible ones. I like that.  
  • Fall. And Ben's willingness to bring me chai tea because he knows how much that 4 dollar cup warms more than just my belly
  • Fam. My mom with her grand baby. The way my dad whispers to Eowyn that they have a "special thing, since I've raised girls before-I understand you." The way my sister has just about made that little girl the most fashionable babe around. Being overwhelmed with the love they've poured out on us.
  • Ben's fam. How joy can be felt this far away. The way they encourage-Man Spragues! You know how to encourage. And to celebrate. Being a part of that family is a privilege.  E's lucky she's a Sprague. 
  • The way our house has become the most randomly goofy place on the block. Having a kid has somehow unleashed inner ridiculousness we never knew we had. Eowyn loves it now. So we'll enjoy it. Hopefully she won't learn the eye-roll. Ever.
  • Ben-That man is gorgeous. It's nice when a fella is not only a man of good character, but sexy too. Just saying.
  • Rediscovering who I am. I've found I sort of feel calm when I am defined. Babies and motherhood left that a little grey. I'm learning myself all over again. Eowyn is bringing out things in me that I am realizing are part of my character (good and bad!) and its showing me who I am outside of what I do. 
  • How incredibly hard this is. How emotionally draining that girl can be. And yet, how encouraging it is. How refining it is and how quickly being a parent forces you to reconcile what really matters.  How much its made me excited for heaven. 


Greg and Sarah // Engaged!

10.02.2012

 

This past summer Ms Sarah contacted me inquiring if I'd be willing to take their photos. I was excited to get such an opportunity! Sarah and I had been on the same softball team a few years ago and getting to see her again was something I was excited to do. I had yet to meet her beloved, but when that day came, it was a joy!

Their love for each other was obvious the minute I saw them together. There's a sweet sense of humor they share and it was a pleasure to get to capture their kindness towards each other and their joy so often displayed in these photos.  It was hard to pick which ones to share-you are both an incredible looking couple. 

We were planning to meet at Minnehaha Falls-but soon into our pictures it started pouring down rain. Luckily, Greg and Sarah are very easy-going couple-ready to do whatever. We ventured over to a local coffee shop to talk and to take a few pictures while the rain came down. Getting to hear their favorites about each other and the details of their relationship is always my favorite when meeting with couples! Later, we went to the Guthrie and the Stone Arch to capture a few more images. While the weather sure was something, getting to see these two in action-all that love for each other- was a joy and left me smiling for the rest of the day. 

Thanks Greg and Sarah for letting me capture your sweet relationship. You guys are troopers in all that rain! I know that your marriage will be a continual reflection of the growing love between you two. It really was an honor getting to celebrate you both in this way. Congrats!

Girls Weekend 2012

10.01.2012


 
 
 




Every year, the "Thompson" women go out for a girls weekend. It started 3 years ago and now its sacred. This year they were kind enough to have it Minneapolis so Eowyn wouldn't go through too much with all the travel. She was with us the first day, but the second her dad watched her.

We went to a flea market that was being held at the Saint Paul Fair Grounds. Bre found a few treasures and a vendor had a elephant collection! I kind of panicked with the sheer amounts. My mom helped me pick out a few. It was a great time.

It's always a fun time searching for treasures, drinking our teas and enjoying each others company. It's one of my favorite weekends every year. 
Love you Momma and Bre