Imperfect Perfection

Our Lil' Cuppiecake turned 1!!

We had a wonderful celebration at my mom's house with close friends and family.  We have been calling Brooklyn Cupcake/Cuppie Cake for almost her whole life, so it made sense that we would have a cupcake themed birthday party for her.

I had so much fun planning this with my mom, sister and of course AJ.  I haven't had time to craft much since B was born, so this party was a perfect excuse to get back to it.  I made her highchair tutu, the cupcake liner garland, her birthday updates chalkboard, all cakes and cupcakes (with scratch icing) and her monthly photo banner.  I was going to make her tutu but, because I had never attempted a tutu, I went ahead and ordered one from Etsy shop Sunday Boutique, to make sure it was nice and full. It turned out great.  However, after making the tutu for her high chair, I realized I could have easily attempted it.  The onsie was made by ABCDedsigns & Monogramming.
 




B was starting to suffer from allergies (cause we live in awesome Florida!) so she wasn't feeling her best, but I was surprised how good she was for the party.  Watching her interact with so many people was awesome.  I think she had a really good time.  She loved when everyone sang Happy Birthday to her and clapped for them at the end.





She didn't get as crazy with her smash cake as I would have thought, since it was her first time having sugar.  But, it was still so much fun to watch:)



She got so many awesome presents, that will last her forever.  Thank you to everyone that came out to share her special day:)

I am trying to make sure I do all the special things I did for Brooklyn, for this new baby.  This not only includes weekly belly photos (which to be honest, I loathe that I have to get "pretty" every week on the same day, take the photo and then edit, but I did it with B:) and also a professional maternity shoot.

Last time, I hired a photographer for $90 (for a 30 minute shoot) and honestly wasn't very happy with the photos.  I did get a few good ones, so it was worth it.  Well, this time I was determined to save my money and use my Nikon D3200. 

We stayed at my mom's this past weekend just for fun and decided to head out the next morning to get some shots.  At first, I was planning on going to Maclay State Gardens, but then changed my mind to Pebble Hill, where we got married, and I am so glad I did!  The scenery there is endless.

My mom came along with us (thank God), so we didn't have to use the tripod.  I am so pleased with how they turned out.  I did do some editing on my free editing software, nothing too drastic, just some cropping and fixing the exposure.  Enjoy!











Side note, I really need to start taking photos "professionally".  I really enjoy it and think I can capture some great memories (for much cheaper than most photographers).  Let me know if you would like me to work with you.

Wow, this Christmas was crazy.  We had planned on being here in Tally to celebrating the day between both families.  Unfortunately, my Grandpa (Papa) passed away at 88 years old.

We had actually been trying to plan a time to travel back to Missouri to visit him, but he couldn't wait any longer.  So, we packed our bags and got on the road to tackle the 14+ hour drive with Brooklyn (9.5 months old) in tow.

The only good thing that comes from a death in the family, is that it brings everyone together.  It was so nice to see all 5 of my mother's siblings and of course all of my cousins. 

After about a week in Missouri, we planned on heading back, until we saw the weather that day.  The entire southeast US was under SERVER tornado threats.  So, we stayed one extra day.  That day was pretty awesome.  AJ, Linz, Brooklyn and I went to Andy's frozen custard and then to Bass Pro Shops.  For those of you who don't know, Springfield, MO. is home to the original Bass Pro and it is HUGE.  It is like a theme park and they are adding on to it! We walked around, took photos and ate at the seafood restaurant Hemingway's (inside Bass Pro).  Later that night, we had dinner with some of my stepsister's family and my sisters.

We drove back (straight through) on Christmas Eve.  We had pretty good weather until about 5 hours out of Tally.  Of course I was driving in blinding rain, but after the stressful 5 hours, we made it home safely! 

Christmas day was busy as well, we spent the morning with AJ's family and the afternoon with mine.  Everyone spoiled lil' B so much! 

 
Prior to actual Christmas, we took Brooklyn (in the RV) to see Santa for the first time.  Afterwards, we got lunch and ate in the RV before heading home for nap time.

We were so blessed this year to get to have so many family members share the day with our little family.

We started the day off by walking our first ever Turkey Trot (walking because I am pregnant and have not kept up with my running).  Brooklyn just chilled in her stroller and was perfect the entire time.  Next year, the whole family has a goal to run it:)


Following the Turkey Trot, we had brunch at AJ's parents house and it was delicious!  After brunch, we put Brooklyn down for a nap and AJ and I (somehow) both laid down in a recliner and actually fell asleep!  It was AWESOME!!!

Once we woke up, it was time to head to my parent's house for Thanksgiving dinner.  When we got there, it was like it was every year, the kitchen had a million wonderful preparations in progress, Mom and Lindsey were pouring drinks and Jim was causing chaos:)  Brooklyn slept through half of dinner but then, thanks to some dogs barking, she got to come down and eat some sweet potatoes with us. 

Overall, the day was really nice and relaxing, which is saying a lot when you are visiting two families while trying to keep a baby on their nap schedule. 

The following day we were lucky to get to see our other two sisters from Missouri!!  They were in Statesboro, GA. visiting family, so we drove half way and had lunch and did some shopping!  We never get to see them as much as we would like, but we will take what we can get!







I hope you all had a wonderful time surrounded by family and friends this Thanksgiving!

I had to do the obligatory pumpkin patch photos of Brooklyn, I just couldn't resist:) We did a fall outfit and then went back the next week and took some of her in her Halloween costume.

 I am trying to get more practice with my Nikon D3200.  Any suggestions would be great!  Enjoy!

Holy Moly, we are having another baby (already)!  This one came as a surprise, but we are thrilled to be adding to our little family.  We knew we wanted them close in age, and here we go!  They will be 14 months apart!!!!

We aren't going to find out the gender of baby #2.  I know crazy right...but, dad really wants this surprise and I am on board.


 

I used to love going to the beach, but having a baby really changes that.  Not that I don't still enjoy the beach, it is just so much more work now. Have you ever tried to put a baby down for a nap at the beach?  You have to have mad skills, it can be done, but man is it stressful, and HOT.

This summer was filled with less beach trips and more family time:)

Our summer started off with our 2nd annual family reunion in Orlando, Florida.  Aunt Brenda booked an awesome condo with plenty of room for all, and we just hung out and did pool time, ice cream sundaes and a little tourism:)




Next up was AJ's 33rd birthday.  He decided he just wanted a small family and friends get together at the house (even though it was going to be super hot).  So, some dollar store décor, good food and his favorite desert and it was such a nice evening:)