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Family Pictures: An Evolution

When we had our first baby, Hunter, the cool thing as far as family pictures goes was to have them taken in a Target Portrait Studio or something of the like. By the time the next one rolled around (exactly 53 weeks later) we had discovered the miracle of outdoor pictures done by a real life family photographer. We did those consistently for a few years and then all of a sudden, we stopped. Right when we had a great reason to keep getting them, we stopped. The birth of our baby girl sent us into family picture hiding. Well, almost 3 years later, we FINALLY had our beloved photos taken again and I could not be happier. We always seem to find a photographer that meets our exact need at just the right time. Here is the evolution of our family pictures.

2008


2009





2010





2011




2014



2015











2016-Idaho










It's fun to see the progression of our little family in pictures. They are my pride and joy. My life.

I really wanted our clothes to be subtle this year. Understated. Understated doesn't have to mean boring though. By adding patterns in neutral colors, it kept things from being bland. Stripes, gingham, and a subtle aztec pattern added just the right amount of depth to keep me interested.

Did I mention our photographer was seriously great!?! We had just met her and when she mentioned she was a budding photographer, I knew we had to take advantage of her talents before she took off back to Idaho. Boy am I glad we did! Seriously, if you're in Eastern Idaho, snag a slot before she's booked! Her info is right here

What We Wore 2015
The Hubs: Shirt-Old Navy (similar here) Jeans-Levis, Shoes-1901; Moi: Shirt-Loft (similar here) Skinnies-Old Navy (similar here) Sandals-Saltwaters, Necklace- Jungwha (3 rings for my 3 babies) Watch- Fossil (similar here); Hunter: Shirt-Target (similar styles here and here) Shorts- H&M Shoes-Children's Place (similar here); Nash: Shirt-Target, Shorts-Crazy8, Sandals-Saltwaters; Sadie: Shirt-Swallow's Return (my favorite shirt EVER) Bubble Shorts-Old Navy (similar here) Sandals-Saltwaters

Not sure if you noticed, but just about EVERYTHING is no longer availabe. Wanna know why!?! We already had ALL of it!!! I did not have to go out and purchase a single thing for our pictures this year! As much fun as it is to go shopping (believe you me!) it was FANTASTIC to be able to walk into each of our closets and find clothes that were picture ready! Give it a try. You might surprise yourself.


Photographers Over the Years
2009 & 2010- Cami @ Captivated Candids
2011- Aunt Nikki
2014- Bob Kaufman (also did our wedding photos 10 years ago)
2015- Melissa @ Melissa Hill Photography (was in AZ for a short while, but is back in Eastern Idaho. I'm hoping she comes back to us!)

Sadie Mae's Nursery.

Have you ever been so out of your groove that you just don't know who you are anymore? I have. After having baby Sadie, I had some pretty severe late onset Postpartum Depression. It was bizarre and uncomfortable and something that I may or may not go into detail about later. Ya know, if I want to feel all exposed and vulnerable. Long story short, baby girl is almost 2 and I am just now starting to feel like myself again. In light of me feeling a little more normal and excited about life, I decided to finally share pictures of her nursery. They are pictures that I took with my phone when it was first completed but they are the best I have of the original nursery that I love so much. I hope you enjoy.


This is obviously after the furniture was in, but I hadn't even taken my sewing equipment out yet, but this was the first time it felt like a nursery. The crib was my cousins' in the 70's and somehow I was lucky enough to inherit it. (It had something to do with having 2 children 53 weeks apart, making it a week after my husband graduated from college. We were broke to say the least and my Uncle wanted this out of his garage. YES PLEASE! Luckiest find EVER! It just makes me happy. The dresser was a FB find for $10. It was a bit rough when I got it and this is 'after' its SECOND makeover, both by me. The top knobs are from Hobby Lobby to add some sparkle, but the rest are original to the dresser.


This is our little Sadie Mae when we brought her home from the hospital. She spent 9 days in the NICU and I wanted her home so badly! When they finally said she could come home, she was a whopping 4 lbs 6oz and I sudenly turned to panic! "Sooo, the nurses are coming with us right?" It wasn't so. We were left to care for this tiny tiny human all by ourselves. Good thing she had a spectacular nursery to come home to. Am I right!?!


She was born at the end of November so at Christmas time, I brought a little in to her so that she could feel the warmth of Christmas from her little sanctuary. (The flowers were from her shower that was held AFTER she was home from the hospital. Those things happen when your baby comes 6 weeks early.)


Tah Dah! This was the view as you walk into the nursery. I was worried about how tiny this room is but it fit everything quite nicely and was cozy without being cramped. The bees were a labor of love that made me want to K. I. double L something! We'll get into that ordeal later. I made the ticking stripe crib skirt and the bumper. My little sister bought me the German tack cloth fabric on etsy as a gift that turned into a beautiful bumper, if I do say so myself. The curtains were a clearance find at a store closing sale. It's a gauze type fabric and is just light and feminine. I think total the fabric was about $5. STEAL!! I purchased the chair through a FB forum for $60. The mirror was from HomeGoods and the 'Sadie' banner was made by my friend Kristie that was a co-host for my shower. 


 I recently added this print from Little Kit Design to her room. Her prints are fantastic and hand drawn or painted. psst... She did my blog makeover too! She's just bursting with talent, that one. Anywho, Sadie is in the 3% of other babies her age but is as fierce as could be. It's true what they say about redheads. Strong-headed but ever so loving. (When she wants to be.)


Here is what her dresser looks like today. I added some things for convenience and some others for aesthetics. I'm sure things will continue to morph as time goes on.


This foild cutout of the Gilbert, AZ Mormon Temple is also from Little Kit Design. I'm telling you, ooozing with talent. The Matryoshka nesting dolls were a gift from my brother. He served a mission for our church in Ukraine and brought these back for me. I adore them! The tiny bird print I got for free at a shop in Helena, MT. There's a train tour downtown and you get a bunch of free stuff from shops in the area if you take the tour. The tour itself is worth it, but seriously, this tiny bird painting made my life. I purchased it when I was still pregnant and didn't yet know what I was having. I kept it in a super safe place because it was perfect for the nursery. The little butterfly was added just a few weeks ago. I purchased it on a recent anniversary trip with The Hubs to Seattle. It just screamed Sadie!


   

The two prints on the left are from Rifle Paper Co. and used to hang on the right. pssst. They're having a sale right now! I moved them over when I added the Fierce print.



So there you have it. My favorite room in the house. Thus far anyway. Walking in here makes me happy and genuinely proud of myself. It's one of the few rooms in my home that are actually finished and I don't anticipate changing it that much any time soon. For reals. I went to take the crib down the other day to make room for a toddler bed and I started to cry. I became THAT mom and I couldn't do it. When you know that it's your last baby, things like taking the crib down are all of a sudden so significant. So for now...