Guys. I feel like the weeks fly by. Weeks turn into months in what seems to be the blink of an eye. Parker is almost 10 months old. I can't believe I've had a baby for 10 months! He's coming up a year so, so fast. Things have been so busy- like, where did this summer go? Poof! It was gone. We had such a great summer- we went to Hawaii (Parker did so great on this trip!), we went to the mountains to celebrate Kelsey's wedding, I had quite a few photoshoots booked. It was fun! Tom started school in September, I handed in my resignation at my Social work job so that I can be home full time with Parker. I've really tried to focus on building up my photography business so it can be our supplementary income while I stay home. My other friend Katie got married. Ashley turned 30! Life has been fun. Busy but fun. This blog is like my journal so it's nice to find a moment and just write. I find if I don't write things down I easily forget stuff.
Here's a few highlights from our Hawaii trip!
We came to Maui on our "baby moon" last summer when I was 20 weeks pregnant with Parker. It was so special to bring him back here with us. It was a surreal moment knowing last time we were here, he was in my belly! How crazy!
Parker did so good on the flights to Hawaii. We only had 1 layover, which was super nice. You can change his bum, get his bottles ready, get a bite to eat. They were good breaks. All the flight attendants loved him, and he barely cried on any of the flights! I was so proud of him. He was 7 months so he was just learning how to crawl... so he was mobile, but not so much so that he would fight us in the airplane. He snuggled up, played with his toys, napped. He was a champ. Seriously. I remember getting to Maui and looking at tom and being like, "that was the least stressful flight I think I've ever been on!" I think people are just extra kind and extra accommodating when you're traveling with kids. that was our experience anyways!
My parents were gems and watched Parker for a day so that Tom and I could do the Road to Hana. We loved it and Tom was SO GOOD at driving that windy road!!! I kept telling him how impressed I was with him. I got car sick a few times (typical) but it was a really good day. We hiked the bamboo forest!
Ahhh. My favorite beach. This is up on the west side of the island- the beach here is so perfect for kids. It has a rock "wall" so it creates a beautiful tide pool- so perfect for kids to play in the water. There's always turtles here. Theres bathrooms and a playground on the beach. I mean, what more do you need?!?! This was one of my favourite days in Maui.
Parker loves the swing!!!
We went on another Lavender farm tour. Tom was super excited for this because Tom's biggest hobby is gardening. They also have the best lavender lemonade and scones here. Yummy!! And, of course, I had to wear parker in my lavender sling while at the lavender farm. It only made sense!!
Kelsey's Wedding!!!
Kelsey got married this summer in Kananaskis. My goodness was it ever beautiful! She, and her family, made lots of the decor and the rest of it she was super thrifty and got super good deals! Kelsey has also started her own wedding planning business so she was a pro when it came time to do her own! Everything was BEAUTIFUL. On the Friday before the wedding the bridesmaids all went on a hike, and it was absolutely stunning you guys. I was definitely the slowest one in the pack. I was like. Dying. On the way up. But Kelsey and Amy were so sweet and they waited for me to get my butt up that mountain. Coming down was so much easier. I'll say that. I could actually breath on the way down. Hahahaha. I guess I need to work out more???? I keep using the excuse: "Well, I just had a baby." But that excuse is now 10 months old. So. I'm going to have to look for another excuse. But it was awesome. Then we headed back to the campsite where Kelsey's dad made us a wonderful dinner. Tom and I camped in our SUV while Tom's parents watched Parker for the weekend. Saturday we helped Kels set up and Sunday was the big day!! The weather was beautiful. Super hot. Like plus 30 hot. But her day was beautiful. I just have to share some of these images because I absolutely love every single image! Can we all just take a moment and appreciate how beautifully all these purple bridesmaid dresses came together?!?! Kelsey was going for a purple ombre look, and we were kind of nervous at first but it came together FLAWLESSLY. Love!! Photography by: Candice M. Photography
Ashley's 30th Birthday!!!
Ashley turned 30 this September and that is a BIG birthday! It's an important one and I was determined to do something nice to celebrate. My original plan was to have a surprise birthday party for her. So me, and her husband Reid, started planning. We had the day, the food, the guests all picked out. But then, Ashley started talking to me about her birthday. I would always try to dodge the conversation because I am SO bad at surprises and I knew I would let something slip. But then I felt bad because she was probably like "why does she keep ignoring me and my birthday???" LOL!!! So then, Ashley just started planning her own party! Ashley is just like me and is a planner. We like to plan things and have everything under control. So then I was like. CRAP! She's planning her own party! She's gonna have everything ready to go and then we will be like, *just kidding!* we are hosting you one?!! So I talked to Reid and I was like. Reid. We just gotta tell her. So we told her. And she started laughing and goes. "OHHH! THAT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE. I WAS WONDERING WHY REID WAS BEING SO SECRETIVE." Lol!!!!! So. Ashley knew we were throwing her a party and she could just sit back and relax and be surprised when she showed up. Now. Ashley has changed my style world. She's like a magical fairy that makes everything in this world beautiful. So I was determined to make this party beautiful, to reflect what she loves. Here's some photos I took from her birthday celebrations!!
So me and Reid had messaged 30 of Ashley's family and friends and asked them to submit a paragraph about their: 1.) Favorite thing about Ashley and/or 2.) their favorite memory with Ashley. I then complied all these memories, printed them out, and hung them from 30 balloons that filled the room when Ashley walked in. It was so fun for me to collect all these memories from 30 people who love Ashley. Each one gave me a little bit more insight into who this woman really is. And she is awesome. And amazing. And I'm so glad she came to this earth 30 years ago and that she somehow stumbled into my life!!!! But! I was collecting these memories and I had messaged Ashley's sister-in law to submit something. She happily did, and then she goes... "wait, are you throwing her a party? Me and my mom want to come." And I was like YES!!!!! So, they drove 6 hours and came for her birthday. They surprised her the day before at work. She had literally zero clue they were coming. I'm glad one thing ended up being a surprise for her!
Ahhh. So! I had lots of help putting this thing together. Vanessa made the beautiful cake. I custom ordered the cake toper from Love Plus Designs, she's a local maker here in Edmonton. My schedule was so crazy busy that week as I was planning for another friends wedding, so I picked up the cake topper from her house at midnight. She was so accommodating to my crazy schedule! Reid made the white "A" and me and Bethany went shopping for decor. I knew I wanted succulents to be the theme because Ashley loves all greenery and one day she wants a "farm house" so I thought all of the decor she could eventually use in her house one day! Ashley made macaroons... for her own party. And they were amazing. Like. Absolutely amazing. They were SO good. Oh! Reid also made the cake stand. I had gone crazy one night on pinterest trying to help me pick a theme. And it all came together perfectly. I was so grateful for everyones help for making this vision come to life! I was so happy to have my home filled with all these wonderful people. OH! and, all the guests brought warm soups and fresh bread to share. It was so perfect.
Katie's Wedding!!!
Tis' the season to be Jolly, all my friends are getting married, falalalalala. Me and Katie met in Social Work school. I remember looking around the room and being like. She looks super nice. And then we ended up being in some groups together where I was like. Yup. I like her. She IS really nice. And then we just instantly became friends. We would walk from Whyte Ave to the U of A together like every day. Contemplating life, classes, practicums, the future, work, school. We would talk about Tom and Ian. It was just the best. I was so grateful to have this girl by my side. She helped me so much more than I think she knows. She was my sounding board. She was my study buddy. She was my go to presenter buddy for group projects. I just love you! I also love how we've maintained our friendship since graduating. In fact, it's only gotten stronger. I was so honoured to be part of her beautiful day. Since I was in the wedding party, I wasn't taking pictures. I helped Katie find her amazing photographer, Kyra Jasman Photography. But I did take some pictures of her getting ready and from the reception. Katie looked SO gorgeous I just had to share!!!!
Well!! Those are our most recent adventures. It's been a blast! I guess it's true when they say time flies when you're having fun. :)
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