friends – emerald city diaries

our trip to Idaho!

Just about a month ago, we loaded the girls (including Sadie) into the car and headed west to Boise! We have made the drive maybe a couple of times a year for the past few years, and always try to drive if we are staying for a week or longer.

The girls did so SO well on the trip. That’s not to say it wasn’t long and everything was perfect, but really, we didn’t have any major toddler drama and naps actually happened! The biggest issue we had was that at the end of both trips (so right outside of Boise and right outside of Seattle) we were nearing Daphne’s feeding time, so she started getting fussy (and I don’t blame her!). Instead of stopping 20 minutes from our final destination, we just stretched and gave her a little bit of a later feeding. It was slightly stressful having a fussy baby after being in the car for almost 10 hours, but overall, it was a great trip!

In our pre-kid days, Aaron and I used to stop just once for lunch/gas/pee break and make the trip in under 8 hours (it is 500 miles, so that’s impressive). We also had a diesel so we could actually make the trip on a single tank if we wanted to… Flash-forward to having two kiddos and the trip was closer to 10 hours. The first time we made this road trip with Eloise (when she was four months old too) we split the drive into two days, staying overnight in Pendleton, Oregon. Even though it took so much longer to get there, at the time it was great because the road conditions were snowy and icy since it was December. But, since then, we have decided it is worth it to just buck-up and make the entire drive in one day. Daphne’s feeding schedule of 3 to 3.5 hours was sort of perfect and we ended up stopping just three times for her feedings, and for the rest of us to pee/eat/get gas/get out our wiggles. Eloise took a nap during her usual naptime (after lunch) and while it was more of a cat nap on the way to Boise, it was much longer on the way home! And Aaron had downloaded the Daniel Tiger “movie” (which is 45 minutes rather than the usual 20-ish minutes of a normal episode) and Eloise was delighted to watch it one time per trip! {We are really strict with screentime still and Eloise gets to watch one show per trip, whether it be a 4 hour plane ride or a 10 hour car ride.}

20170705_185419912_iOS

{I always pack finger foods for a picnic lunch (and other snacks) since it is the easiest to pack and eat while on-the-go. Plus, this is Eloise’s favorite way to eat all of her meals!}

20170705_195659432_iOS

{Selfies with Baby D.}

20170706_014544323_iOS

{It is the best feeling to see your final destination after being on the road all day. I will never tire of seeing my parents’ house. So many memories from when I was a kid!}

20170706_172026214_iOS

{I always get my haircut while in Boise, and this time the entire family came with me. The plan was to have Eloise’s hair cut too, but once it came down to it, she backed out. So Daphne got hers trimmed up!}

20170706_215228953_iOS

{My mom kept my old Fisher Price dollhouse and Eloise played with it the entire time we were visiting.}

20170707_013116723_iOS

{And playing with Aunt Kelly.}

20170707_013150968_iOS

{And Baby D with Aunt Yaya.}

20170707_014222516_iOS

{And my big brother (Uncle Jason) with Baby D!}

20170707_014916677_iOS

{And a cheesy grin from Daphne with Aunt Kelly.}

20170707_020216200_iOS

{I promise she wasn’t this sad about Aunt Dollie the entire time! This is my oldest sister Keri, but my sister Anya and I have called her Dollie our entire lives, and since Aaron’s sister is also named Cari, we use Dollie so it’s not so confusing!}

20170707_171304696_iOS

{This kid loves putting things in order or lining them up. Takes after her mama!}

20170707_224228455_iOS

{Purple play-dough with Grammie is like Eloise’s dream come true.}

20170708_005533609_iOS

{Family dinner at the Eversons’ house. And maybe a first date for Eloise and Deacon??}

20170708_155227674_iOS

{Reading Stella Goldilocks and the Three Bears which Eloise memorized (and now recites all the time) while we were in Boise.}

20170708_160730838_iOS

{Meeting Paga’s new horse.}

20170708_162446422_iOS

{Finding some shade. It was over 100 degrees our entire trip!}

20170708_163315121_iOS

{And Aaron on the new horse. With all of the sun protection.}

20170709_200754855_iOS

{Baby D taking a bath in a bowl. That is pretty much a requirement for all babies, right? She LOVED it and hasn’t cried in the bath since! Also, I totally thought this bowl was going to be way too big for her, but I was very, very wrong.}

20170709_233207562_iOS

{A playmat date with Boyd who is just one week younger than Daphne!}

20170710_012634302_iOS

{Catching up with the girls at a big family dinner.}

20170710_012649784_iOS

{Meg and her family were in town, and Beth so nicely hosted all of us even though it was her birthday!}

20170710_022116590_iOS

{Eloise and Violet with some post-dinner entertainment.}

20170710_022954583_iOS

{The reality of trying to get a group picture with four mamas and seven kids. #toddlermeltdowns}

20170710_023029181_iOS

{The best we got. LOVE you ladies and your kiddos! *Not pictured were all of our amazing husbands!}

20170710_161358296_iOS

{Staying cool by the pool with Baby D.}

20170710_200554565_iOS

{Jen gave us her old jumperoo (as you have seen Daphne in in recent pictures and videos) and she has loved it from the beginning!}

20170710_224821127_iOS

{Playing Alphabet Soup with Grammie. My mom always has the best ideas and does all sorts of projects with Eloise.}

20170712_032301332_iOS

{Daphne with my dad, Paga.}

20170712_032313656_iOS

{She loves him!}

20170713_022451038_iOS

{And lots of stripes. It runs in the family so I come by my stripe obsession honestly!}

20170712_192539395_iOS

{These girls at a pit stop in Prosser, WA. Such great little travelers!}

We always have a great time in Boise and can’t wait for our next trip! It was wonderful to see my family and friends, and introduce Baby D all around. Love to you all!

Baby Shower En Blanc for the Andersons

About a month ago, we were honored to throw the Andersons a baby shower for their little one Austin {who joined the world on just a few weeks ago}! I offered to throw Jess a shower last fall, not totally realizing how much more work it would be to host a party with a brand-new baby, but I did all of the planning before Daphne was born and it worked out pretty well!

Jess had requested an “En Blanc” party, so the theme was super easy: white. I pinned lots of different things, but wanted to keep things simple, both décor and food. Most of the décor I got from Etsy, but everything is linked below for those who have asked. There were tons of babies and it was so wonderful to see so many friends.

17758397_10211020766626539_2466473917309326204_o 17814303_10211020765786518_7232374408304411790_o

{Popcorn favors}

17814331_10211020771386658_7680263140143590940_o 17761012_10211020765266505_7301275712225534016_o

{Guess how many candies in the jar & the winner gets the entire thing!}

17758655_10211020764706491_3281992429264167903_o 17807523_10211020765346507_2243395880489959297_o

{Wishes for Baby Austin}

17760797_10211020764746492_1846745015924480027_o 17760857_10211020765666515_1264150891950319731_o

{The dessert bar!}

17807447_10211020768106576_3508618327624713158_o 17814204_10211020770106626_6229628719955157645_o 17492845_10211020769426609_4611221677839521387_o

{Thanks to Cale, the father-to-be, for helping get this donut cake together!}

17758179_10211020771106651_1247848660738611785_o 17504517_10211020767826569_804968306586906965_o

{Eloise, Daphne, and Jaz before the party!}

17546964_10211020766706541_5524165941981938902_o 17760757_10211020769266605_3864512567816872807_o

{These two girls had the BEST time!}

17761218_10211020768666590_7853346034761343623_o 17761210_10211020778986848_6789406944202758690_o

{All of the MAMAS! Such an amazing group of women.}

17807362_10211020771706666_7570863774305743093_o 17620213_10211020770626639_8966821637858037246_o

{All of the “new” Papas!}

17814404_10211020767506561_2637306393841847111_o

{Oh brother, those papas…}

17807563_10211020779026849_7068108024258506295_o

{The Andersons!}

{photos by Jess // Ready to Pop favor stickers: Kaspi Party Etsy Shop // small white picture frames: Michael’s // white clipboard frame: Target // art: Soeurette, my mama // lidded glass vase: Michael’s // small flower bouquets: Michael’s // Oh Boy banner: Ur Invited Too Etsy Shop // LOVE sign: Target (old) // Wishes for Baby cards: DIY // white balloons: Display and Costume // tissue tassels: DIY // menu card: DIY // Oh Boy cake topper: Foiled Prints // mini cupcakes: Trophy (vanilla-vanilla)}

Congratulations Jess, Cale, and big sister Jazmyne!

project baby #2 {baby shower}

I was so, so honored to have a shower thrown in my honor by my amazing friend Amanda this past weekend. As with most things related to a second (or third) baby, I didn’t want anything too crazy, including a big baby shower. We really don’t need much this time around in terms of baby stuff (although I say that and my to-buy list is surprisingly long!) and I just wanted a party where I could catch up and chat with my closest girlfriends. It was perfect.

I don’t have a ton of photos since I am so terrible about picking up my camera during a party, but Amanda took some of most of me and my guests so I wanted to share.

20170107_173754372_ios

{A cold January morning was perfect for a fire.}

20170107_173758478_ios

{Brunch an a hot chocolate bar! Plus, aren’t the trees absolutely amazing outside the dining room windows?}

20170107_173806396_ios

{Little tags for guests to write wishes for Baby Lower. This is so special and I can’t wait to compile them.}

And onto some pictures with guests (and I am so sorry if you left before we could get a photo!). It means so much to me that each of these women came out to celebrate Baby Lower.

{Me and Sara.}

{Me and some of my PEPS mama friends – Leslie, Shannon, and Heather.}

{Me and Kyrsten. Not pictured is her adorably squishy newborn daughter!}

{Me, Jess, and our bumps. Jess is about 10 weeks behind me and we are so excited to be having these babies so close together!}

{Me and my mama. The best Grammie ever!}

{Me and Amanda, the best hostess.}

{Chatting, or something.}

{We were all a little obsessed with the littlest shower guest!}

Thank you Amanda for such a perfectly wonderful morning. I know Baby Lower is going to be so loved and supported by some of the best women around!

Amanda also threw me a shower the first time around which you can see here!

And for those that have inquired, my jumper is Hatch Collection (though no longer available but there are others here) and is so, so comfy; I am obsessed! And my pin is Chanel (see more here) that I picked up when Aaron and I were in Paris almost six (SIX!) years ago.

Happy Shower Baby Foot!

our week in indiana & chicago.

As many of you know from my weekend in pictures post at the end of June, we were in Indiana visiting Aaron’s family. We just got home ~~a few days ago~~ last week & I wanted to be sure to share (lots of) photos from the trip!

We spent the first part of our trip in Indiana where we got to see lots of Aaron’s immediate family.

20160627_203805303_iOS

{Papaw Sam, Charlotte, & Eloise played “ring around the rosy” & Eloise loved it!}

20160627_205629701_iOS

{The two youngest granddaughters! Eloise & Charlotte are 10 months apart.}

20160628_140815373_iOS

{Eloise likes to wear her (sun) glasses when it is bright outside (the sun is out)! We headed to the Indy Children’s Museum with Aaron’s sister Cari & her two youngest kiddos.}

20160628_151344391_iOS

{All the kiddos in the race car.}

20160628_151300801_iOS

{Eloise was not happy about leaving, however.}

20160628_151809721_iOS

{Eloise enjoyed the wooden blocks. Some of them were the magnetic ones which sort of threw her off a bit, but she picked it up soon!}

20160628_152123932_iOS

{Charlotte & Eloise loved this wind tunnel. It had a stream of air where you could put the scarves & they would blow all around!}

20160628_161521862_iOS

{We caught music time & made a soundtrack to Goldilocks & The Three Bears. The kids really liked the instruments.}

20160628_172636437_iOS

{An Aaron & Eloise selfie.}

20160628_152956895_iOS

{She was patiently waiting for Aaron to build a really big tower & then she knocked the whole thing down, Godzilla-style.}

20160628_173433379_iOS

{Eloise’s second time on a merry-go-round. This was taken before the ride started. By the time I saw them again (one lap), she was off the horse & in Aaron’s arms! Maybe we need a little more time before the merry-go-round is fun…}

20160628_172734537_iOS

{Eloise had a good time playing in the make-believe soda shop!}

20160701_225605885_iOS

{When you are Indiana in the summer, you have to eat corn on the cob. Eloise got the hang of it pretty quickly!}

20160630_004929277_iOS

{One evening while Aaron & Sam were walking a few of the greens, a hot air balloon landed! We could hear other ones flying over & around the house too.}

20160630_141530398_iOS

{We made it on a playdate to the Indy Zoo with the Garner-Ballard clan!}

20160630_145223274_iOS

{The kiddos were so good & this aquarium window was perfect for the trio of littles!}

20160630_145617491_iOS

{Shark watching.}

20160630_151200099_iOS

{The whole crew of us. So amazing to see you Garner-Ballard family!}

20160630_151305493_iOS

{Saying our good-byes. Silas was so sweet with Eloise.}

20160701_152454313_iOS

{We made sure to stop in & see Eloise’s great-grandma Eileen.}

20160701_162700467_iOS

{And we lunched with Kait & Oliver. Despite her face, Eloise really loved them both. So good to see them too!}

20160630_231356326_iOS

{We had a fun evening with “Uncle” Colt & went out on the houseboat for some swimming & shenanigans. Eloise wanted to drive!}

20160630_232405951_iOS

{Oh man, these three. I also realize that Eloise was not wearing a life jacket. She was safe, I promise!}

20160702_124510581_iOS

{Eloise looking like her doll Louise – overalls and pigtails! The overalls E is wearing were passed down from Aaron’s oldest brother & to the rest of the three siblings which makes them almost 40 years old! I love this tradition!}

20160702_154318043_iOS

{We headed to Maggi’s house one morning for a Lower family get-together. Family generational photos were a must.}

20160702_155841771_iOS

{Neither of us take a lot of selfies, but this is Eloise taking a selfie (she’s saying “cheese!”) so she must have learned it from someone!}

20160702_155959151_iOS

{An attempt to get a picture of these kiddos.}

20160702_160022564_iOS

{This was the result. Thanks Eloise & Crosby!}

20160702_160236706_iOS

{And look who happened to be in town – Kendra! It’s like we planned it… Thanks for being an amazing host Maggi!}

20160702_144451162_iOS

{Eloise in deep conversation with her great Aunt Sharon.}

20160702_170209836_iOS

{After lunch & headed to the car. Maggi gave all of the kids a bucket full of goodies & Eloise held onto that bucket all weekend long!}

We headed up to Aaron’s grandfather’s lake house for the holiday weekend!

20160702_190858910_iOS

{Welcome to the lake!}

20160703_161203780_iOS

{Being at the lake house means being on a boat. So here’s a boat selfie.}

20160703_164435406_iOS

{Aaron pre-backflip!}

20160703_192151000_iOS

{Nearly all of Aaron’s (maternal) cousins & Aunts & Uncles were up at the lake for the weekend. That is one BIG family!}

20160703_211058809_iOS

{Aunt Molly with her youngest nieces & nephew!}

20160704_144004135_iOS

{Eloise being a ham.}

20160704_144333455_iOS

{Happy Fourth of July from the Lower/Cambridge kids! These are all of Eloise’s cousins.}

20160704_165850270_iOS

{Eloise, Maddie, & Charlotte doing Sudoku. Maddie was so patient with the little ones.}

20160704_220744709_iOS

{Selfie with Aunt Jodi & Landon!}

20160703_015223358_iOS

{Yes, s’mores! Worth the bug bites & smelling like a camp fire.}

20160704_234652500_iOS

{Testing out the selfie-stick!}

And then we headed to Chicago for a mini -vacation (just the three of us)!

20160705_184247251_iOS

{We ended up in this great little Airbnb in Logan Square & it was super kid friendly! Eloise is obsessed with rocking horses.}

20160705_221159292_iOS

{And even though we didn’t have a car in Chicago, we still had the car seat & Eloise took full advantage of being able to play in it. She loved to be buckled in!}

20160705_232403174_iOS

{We stopped into the Longman & Eagle for apps & drinks. It did not disappoint!}

20160705_230929058_iOS

{A homemade pretzel, meatballs with polenta, & a cherry soda. Amazingly good!}

20160706_004317404_iOS

{Mama & Eloise twinning. The best! And this is pretty much the best picture we could get. The other ones are of Eloise holding her dress up to show her belly…}

20160706_004904586_iOS

{Family photo in the park. Eloise was happy despite her stoic look.}

20160706_151327814_iOS

{For breakfast on the way to downtown we stopped in at Bang Bang! for biscuits. It was mind-blowing! If you ever are in Chicago, please go. There are pot pies & regular pies on the menu as well. We were able to chat with the owner Michael who gave us a sampling of pies after breakfast – SO delish! – & he was super cool. He gave us some tips about where to dine for the rest of our trip.}

20160706_163141724_iOS

{We took the L downtown. Even though we live in a big city, I am still in awe when we visit a big city!}

20160706_163809508_iOS

{Papa & Eloise. I think she was ready to get out & run around!}

20160706_164838645_iOS

{Cloud Gate – aka The Bean – did not disappoint!}

20160706_164529657_iOS

{Mama & Eloise!}

20160706_164638888_iOS

{Love this little family of ours.}

20160706_165407788_iOS

{After Cloud Gate & Millenium Park, we stumbled into the Chicago Symphony playing the musical accompaniment to this silent movie. It was really cool! I wish we could have stayed for the entire film.}

20160706_171947831_iOS

{Across this really cool footbridge from Millenium Park is Maggie Daley Park. It is this enormous playground that has all of these little play areas for kiddos. We could have spent hours & days at this park, but it was so, so hot (100 degrees with the heat index!) so we got just a sampling. The water features were nice for cooling off!}

20160706_172322960_iOS

{Down the slide!}

20160706_172326382_iOS

{She often goes feet first down the slide.}

20160706_172418915_iOS

{Just one of the many play structures at the park. Do you spot Aaron & Eloise down there by the slide? They climbed all the way to the top of the tower & came down the tube slide.}

20160706_173112056_iOS

{Eloise really liked this dribbling fountain.}

20160706_191802980_iOS

{Aaron got us tickets to the Cubs game at Wrigley Field. Luckily our seats were in the shade! What a cool stadium!}

20160706_193948635_iOS

{It was just before nap time, but Eloise would yell “Go Cubs!” & put her finger up in the air when she heard the crowd cheering.}

20160706_202804767_iOS

{And she was out. For about 40 minutes.}

20160706_212936652_iOS

{Obligatory picture with the marquee sign. It was so packed with people after the game!}

20160706_232036717_iOS

{At Michael’s suggestion, we went to Parson’s for dinner in Logan Square to celebrate National Fried Chicken Day. I don’t know if this was an actual made-up holiday or not, but we went with it.}

20160707_134027180_iOS

{Eloise & I breakfasting before we left for the airport.}

20160707_222754308_iOS

{After many, many hours of travelling by train & plane, we were happy to be on the light rail headed home. Eloise & Aaron did pull-ups to pass the time.}

Phew! What a trip! It was hard to be gone for so long, but it was nice to see so much family since we have only been getting back about once a year these days. This was also our last hoorah trip since we didn’t have to pay for a seat for Eloise. Though, I am sort of looking forward to the extra space when we have it!

Eloise was such a good little traveler &, even though we set our expectations really low, she far exceeded them. She was really good on both plane rides & took a short nap. We snacked a lot, drew on her new doodle pad, & played with her mermaid stickers. We had Sesame Street downloaded just in case, but we didn’t even need to bust that out, which is good because we were assuming it would completely occupy her but we don’t know since she doesn’t get official screen time yet!

Where are your family travels taking you to this summer?

This post contains affiliate links.

friendsgiving 2015.

This past weekend Aaron & I had the pleasure of hosting a Friendsgiving with some of our closest Seattle friends. It was our second time getting all together (see last year’s festivities here) & I definitely think this is a tradition in the making!

Jess hosted last year, but since she just got married, she asked me to host this year &, of course, I obliged. I LOVE hosting parties & we haven’t really hosted a big dinner party at our house before. I had so much fun planning & hosting Friendsgiving this year!

As you know, I am a big fan of snail mail, & specifically mailed invitations. I briefly perused my usual e-invitation sites (Paperless Post, TinyPrints, & Minted) before I sat down & designed my own in Illustrator.

Friendsgiving_2015_Invitation_Blog

One of the first things that I do when party planning is start a board on Pinterest. I have a love-hate relationship with Pinterest though; I love it because I am super visual & love all of the images, but I hate it because I think it sets completely unrealistic expectations about what a simple dinner party should look like. I was able to find some cute ideas (shared below!) & pick out a fun theme: pumpkins & gold!

Our final guest count was 13 adults, 1 child, & 3 toddlers, so even with the addition of three leaves to extend our dining room table, we still had to rent an 8 foot table & chairs. {Locals: we used Aurora Rents.} I also decided that since we were having a somewhat fancy event, we should use real plates, silverware, & glasses. So I busted out our brass flatware to mix with our everyday flatware, & my late grandmother’s crystal. We don’t have nearly enough plates, so I ordered these re-usable plastic plates (which we can wash & reuse again next year!). But, because we did use “real” place settings, it means we had to wash all of it too, & the kicker was that the brass flatware & crystal glasses have to be HAND washed! Oh well, it was worth it!

The company was so great {it is so good to see everyone all together!} & the food was so delicious! Jess cooked the turkey (at our house) & everyone else brought something to share {potatoes – au gratin, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes; Brussels sprouts; salad; cranberry sauce; stuffing;, green bean casserole; gravy}. It’s nice to have a potluck style dinner when there are so many people!

{prepare for picture overload! I was slightly obsessed with the tables…}

SONY DSC

{Jess made the cutest turkey appetizer!}

SONY DSC

{Both tables. We had eight adults at our dining room table, plus two toddlers, & six at the other table, plus one toddler.}

SONY DSC

{crayons & coloring pages for Jaz – she’s 7!}

{leftovers boxes & stickers!}

SONY DSC

{thank you Jess for the family photos!}

{all the babies!}

This was such a fun event to be a part of & it feels like Thanksgiving is already over (even though it’s still two weeks away!). I am trying to stay in the Thanksgiving-mode & not just jump right into Christmas (but see what I am up to in that department here!).

Happy Friendsgiving!

Source List: white pumpkins: Target (old) {tip: buy them before Halloween!} // gold mercury glass votives: Michael’s // gold leaves & berries: Michael’s // gold pinecones: DIY // placemats: DIY {here} // leaf placecards: DIY {spray painted fake leaves & write names with black Sharpie} // white tablecloth*: Linen Tablecloth // white napkins*: Linen Tablecloth via Amazon // pilgrim hat crayon holder: DIY // coloring pages: here, here, here // cake stands: Crate & Barrel (old) // polka dot banner: DIY (leftover from E’s first birthday) // give thanks flag: DIY // thankful napkins: Michael’s // leftover labels: DIY // leftover boxes: Sweet Party Shop}

*Note: it was cheaper for me to buy tablecloths & napkins than it was to rent them!

this post contains affiliate links.

our trip to texas {san antonio & austin}.

I apologize for the slight absence this past week from the blog. we unplugged & enjoyed the past week on a family vacation to TEXAS y’all!

it was great to have some family time to explore new cities & to hang out with friends. the entire purpose of the trip was to attend Jess & Cale’s wedding (Aaron was a groomsman), but we went down early to visit my very good friend Meg & her family (we have known each other since we were 12 & have been friends ever since! i also know her husband from high school, so it was a little reunion of sorts!).

{san antonio}

{eloise loved looking at the planes from the gate while we waited. she even waved at the ground crew guys, but I am pretty sure they didn’t see her!}

{eloise was catching up on some reading during the first part of the flight.}

{after lunch, eloise napped. hooray!}

{we had an amazing lunch at Bird Bakery & I wish I could go there every day. they have amazing sandwiches & cupcakes!}

{eloise & violet (Meg’s daughter). it is hard to believe there is only 8 months between them (Vi is 6 months)! they are BFFs already.}

{we headed down to downtown san antonio to the Riverwalk we had heard so much about. Meg suggested we take a river cruise & it was awesome! we learned so much about the history of the Riverwalk & the city, & it was so gorgeous!}

{#imonaboat}

{there was beautiful architecture all along the Riverwalk.}

{a group shot! eloise’s morning nap was a no-go hence the pacifier in the middle of the day!}

{& then we ventured down to the Alamo. I had no idea it was in the middle of downtown.}

{there was a gorgeous old & huge tree right near the Alamo.}

{the obligatory family shot in front of the Alamo.}

{the girls weren’t too keen about the fur trapper hats, but they sure were cute!}

{we hit up Bakery Lorraine for lunch & I had to try the French macarons. they had an Earl Grey flavor, so it was pretty much my favorite thing ever!}

{Meg & I took the girls to the DoSeum which is the brand-new children’s museum in town. it was such a great place & even though the girls are little, there were things for them to do. there was a little town & eloise had fun exploring all around. she loved putting the mail in the mailbox!}

{we played a few games of Settlers of Catan. it was fun to play after a few years & it makes me want to play at home!}

{I had my dresses for the wedding (I had three sent – one back-up size & one back-up style which you will see below) sent to san antonio so I didn’t have to do an eight-day rental. I was a little nervous since I would have had just one day to find a dress if none of the dresses fit, but Rent the Runway did not disappoint!}

{austin}

{this little one was so good at the wedding rehearsal & so ready for lunch!}

{picking up aaron’s wedding suit. it was a formal wedding, but no tuxes. the guys looked great!}

{we watched the first half of the huskies vs. ducks game, but it was too late to stay up for the entire thing! it was a sad loss, but I am proud of UW for not letting it be a blow-out!}

{shenanigans with eloise. those are her shorts on her head!}

{this was the outside of the chapel at the venue. “A” is for Anderson!}

{after being with just mama all day while papa was celebrating pre-wedding with the groom & the wedding party, eloise was so happy to see aaron after the ceremony! she had seen him thru the window as he was waiting to walk down the aisle & was pretty disappointed when he had to walk right past. she did pretty well during the ceremony with her pacifier & a stolen set of crayons (from the little boy in the row in front of us) that she used to make really pretty artwork all over the inside of my satin clutch… but she didn’t scream or cry, so no complaints!}

{the wedding party’s table. the bride & groom sat in that little settee in the corner! the dinner menu was BBQ, so we stripped all the kiddos down to their diapers for dinner, & I tucked my napkin in like a bib!}

{this was our family photo from the guest book. I love instant photos!}

{we asked the pro photographer to take a family photo (hence the great lighting!) & then we filmed a little bit for Jess & Cale’s video photobooth! my dress was this Marchesa from RTR & I was so in love! We still aren’t sure what was going on with Aaron’s hand!}

{one of my favorite new photos!}

{I had the BEST wedding dates y’all!}

{we made sure to get a group photo with the new Mr & Mrs Anderson!}

{this is one of me, Hailey, & Carmen. yep, that’s a booster seat in my hands; we shared it between eloise & lily for dinner!}

{my back-up rental dress – which was this Monique Lhuillier – was a twin to the dress that I made for Eloise for the wedding. & we had to get some photos in our matching dresses before I had to return them!}

{you can see the back of Eloise’s dress here – a huge bow!}

{we went to Torchy’s Tacos for lunch & it did not disappoint!}

{we made our way to the “greetings from Austin” mural & Aaron set up the timer on my phone for a great family photo!}

{& there just happened to be a French patisserie right next door to the mural. So we wandered in & found ourselves with a half-dozen macaroni to-go!}

{Austin is a really young town & very hipster. I feel like this picture is a good representation somehow – a huge aloe vera plant & a silver airstream!}

{downtown Austin.}

{this was a great mural right down the street from our rental house: living the good life in Austin.}

{we learned at the Alamo about how there was a Mexican cannon in our possession & we basically said “come & take it” & then they did… this was a nod to that great act at Frank’s.}

{our cute little rental house. In a bit of an up-&-coming neighborhood, but so nice on the inside!}

{we drove out of Austin to The Salk Lick for some BBQ lunch. It did not disappoint!}

{my two lunch dates hamming’ it up!}

{posing with the BBQ pit. That thing was impressive!}

{we had a few hours in Austin before our flight so we headed to the Thinker which is a children’s museum that focuses on science, technology, engineering, arts, & math (STEAM). Most of the museum exhibits were too old for Eloise, but we did find a few that were perfect! It was nice to get some wiggles out before the flight.}

{a giant light-bright! I was in love.}

{Eloise loved the lights too!}

{Eloise & Aaron running round with our buddies Andy & Lily (who were also on our flight!)}

{Eloise fell asleep almost immediately on the flight – & we had the entire row again, thank goodness – but after the flight attendant announced that the fasten seatbelt sign was off & then om & then off (a billion times), she woke up… she was really pretty good the entire flight & only fussed when we tried to put her in the Ergo to sleep. She was awake the entire time we de-boarded, got our bags, & walked to our car. As soon as we got her buckled into her seat she was out!}

except for the piping hot weather (it was in the mid-80s!) we LOVED Texas. seriously, it was a really fun place to visit. luckily we had a rental car (which you absolutely need) & got to explore all over san antonio & austin. if you ever get a chance to visit, we highly recommend it!

eloise did really well traveling, & we were super (super) lucky to get the entire row on both flights! it helped tremendously to have a bit more space for her to wiggle; aaron & I sat in the aisle & window seat (respectively) & eloise bounced around between sitting on the seat, climbing up & down, & standing. the hardest part of the trip was that eloise slept terribly the first three (out of four) nights we were in san antonio. like the worst she has ever slept. I think part of it was the time change, part of it was sharing a room, part of it was teething, etc., etc. even though she wasn’t sleeping well at night, she napped fairly well (even with one nap per day on some days) & wasn’t really grumpy from lack of sleep. when we got to austin for the second part of the trip, we all slept so much better! we rented a house on AirBnB & it was perfect. we wanted a kitchen, two bedrooms, & close to downtown & freeways, & it met all of those requirements. I also set up baby gear rental which changed my life! we brought down our own car seat & stroller (both check for free on the plane) but didn’t want to worry about bringing other gear down, especially since Meg had a highchair & Pack N Play for us in san antonio. so I searched before we left & found I Love Baby Rentals in Austin & set up a rental for: a Pack N Play, audio monitors, booster seat, & activity table. it was delivered & set up at our rental house, & then picked up by the owner – so awesome! I highly recommend this if you are traveling with littles!

thanks for having us Texas!

our trip to north carolina & indiana.

{sidenote: some of these pictures i shared earlier in a weekend update so don’t mind the duplicates! also, this is a super picture heavy post.}

the first two weeks of this month we were able to get away & fly to charlotte, NC & indianapolis, IN to visit aaron’s family. we joked that we were “taking the (Eloise) band on the road” but that we were just her groupies (since everyone really just wanted to see eloise, right?).

we started out flying to charlotte (via minneapolis) to visit aaron’s older brother david & his family (jodi & their three kids). it had been about a year & a half since we had last seen them all, so there was lots to catch up on. we also got to see aaron’s aunt molly & her girls who are also in the charlotte area.

{napping on the plane – score!}

{kitchen sink bath – eloise loved it!}

{eloise enjoyed looking at kitchen fixtures with david & jodi.}

{aaron was able to attend gavin’s baseball game.}

{megan, rachel, aunt molly, lindsay, & eloise!}

{all of the kiddos playing.}

{maddie let eloise borrow her baseball hat. so cute!}

{oh boy was it hot. like too hot to wear a shirt if you were under one year old.}

{date night! we noshed on burgers & sushi, & it was amazing!}

{eloise, how is that comfortable?}

{eloise loved her uncle david. he taught her all about baseball at gavin’s game!}

{eloise & sophie enjoying the game.}

{maddie & eloise.}

{we didn’t get a cousin picture until the morning we left. this is the best we could do…}

{saying good-bye.}

{eloise & gavin were such good buddies while we were visiting!}

traveling from charlotte to indianapolis meant a stop in atlanta to change planes. our flight crew on the first leg of our trip absolutely fell in love with eloise (who wouldn’t?). she was whisked away by cindy, one of the flight attendants, & got the full tour of the plane – cockpit, galley, & meeting some of the passengers. eloise even got a shout-out during the safety demonstration & was nominated to be “Miss Delta”! it was so fun. plus, we got our own row on the flight, & eloise took a nap. fantastic!

then we flew to indianapolis (via atlanta) to visit the rest of aaron’s family. while aaron’s dad & step-mom were out at the beginning of september (to meet eloise!), we haven’t seen the rest of the family for at least a year & a half (we were out two christmases ago). we also got to see the gilbertsons (kendra, greg, & their two kids) who were visiting from orlando. it definitely wasn’t a coincidence that we were in town at the same time!

{& these photos are in no particular order…}

{eloise & charlotte LOVED each other. charlotte kept saying “baby baby” to eloise. i can’t wait to get these girls together again!}

{uncle aaron loves to play with all of the kids, but sometimes needs to catch his breath.}

{frankie loved eloise too & helped me feed her one night.}

{eloise loved all of the attention during her meals.}

{crosby, kenley, & eloise.}

{a mother’s day selfie with kendra!}

{eloise & her great grandmother eileen.}

{eloise & beau, aaron’s parent’s dog. eloise enjoyed beau since he let her get closer than sadie ever does. he liked to sniff & lick her face though so every time she saw him she would make a face!}

{i got in a free golfing lesson courtesy of aaron & sam!}

{eloise & charlotte. eloise has a way larger head & charlotte has longer arms & legs, but basically the same size.}

{eloise was playing with her aunt cari.}

{eloise got to meet her great grandmother eileen. it was the sweetest thing when we were all sitting down at the table & eileen looked at eloise & said “she has my thighs!”}

{four generations of Lowers.}

{eloise loves to play the slapping game & her papaw sam was happy to partake!}

{crosby, kenley, & eloise. the best we could do of the three of them!}

{group shot of mamas & babies.}

{love those gilbertsons!}

{kenley & eloise.}

{mamas on mother’s day – aunt kathi, kendra, me, & diane.}

{can we please live closer or do this more often?}

{kendra & eloise.}

{eloise was enjoying a delicious brunch!}

{i was comparing my feet to frankie & teddy, they are 4 & 8. teddy & i have the same size feet & frankie isn’t far behind!}

{it took a few days but charlotte finally warmed up to aaron! they were so sweet together.}

{frankie helping me feed eloise.}

{our niece mallory feeding eloise.}

{play time with nana, charlotte, & frankie.}

{eloise had so much fun with nana & charlotte.}

{eloise also got to meet her great aunt susan.}

{eloise & i practiced crawling down the hallway. i think she had more traction on the carpet!}

{me thinks someone dropped a toy down there.}

{kendra, kait, eloise & me.}

{all of the (baby) cousins!}

{kenley, eloise, & charlotte.}

{me, kait, & eloise.}

{attempting to do bedtime on the flight home. it was mostly successful but ended up being more of a nap!}

I come from a pretty small family who lived mostly in the same place as I grew up, so marrying into such a big family has been a lot of fun! we were excited to see everyone & catch up, & also be able to introduce eloise to her extended family. hopefully we will be out to visit again soon!

a quilt for charlotte.

as I had mentioned here our niece charlotte was diagnosed with liver cancer back in february. you can check out the latest on her treatment here if you’d like. she just started her last round of chemo this weekend & is scheduled to have surgery at the end of the month. the tumor is shrinking but we would appreciate your thoughts & prayers as she continues her journey to remission.

{charlotte & her new hair-do!}

my very dear friend amanda was so sweet & made charlotte a quilt. it is so beautiful & I can’t wait to see it when we are in indiana this week. be sure to check out her post here (the front of the quilt is below but the back is a fun surprise)!

{a rainbow quilt for charlotte.}

thank you so much amanda for such an enormously special gift!

my weekend in pictures.

{my last day of work was on friday. so strange! hello maternity leave!}

{whole foods was having a huge sale on bars on saturday. aaron decided we should stock up!}

{we were the clampetts this weekend when we picked up some box springs for our new bed & had to tie them up on the roof of our car!}

{we met some friends at black raven brewery for a great date night!}

{so enjoying peach season! & thanks to my husband for removing all of the skins… even though he thinks it is so ridiculous.}

{after a few trips back & forth over lake washington this weekend, we finally got stuck at a bridge crossing this morning. at least it was a pretty view of the lake!}

{we spent some time at the house this weekend & started moving back in. good thing we are getting some help with cleaning since there is a layer of dust on everything!}

{we finally got summer weather back in the PNW! I always worry about keeping sadie cool when the weather is hot. then I see her lay in the sun & I realize I shouldn’t worry so much.}

{lots of cleaning was happening this weekend. I think this is foreshadowing what our foreseeable future looks like.}

{lots of painting – by our subs – was completed at the house this weekend!}

{another dinner date this weekend with friends at skillet diner in ballard. so delish!}

{sadie was loving the cold concrete floor at lowe’s this evening. I sort of wanted to lay down with her!}

we had big plans to spend lots of time at the house this weekend & really start moving in. we were a bit foiled when there was still interior painting being completed in both our old space & new space. we did the best we could but still have a long ways to go – that’s the way renovations work, right? the weather was absolutely amazing though so it was such a great summer weekend. I officially start my maternity leave tomorrow & have about a million-&-a-half things on my to-do list before baby lower makes an appearance. how was your weekend?

my weekend in pictures.

{at our childbirth class this weekend we learned about how baby lower will navigate the pelvic bones – pretty crazy stuff!}

{sadie & my 35 week bump!}

{in the middle of a diy project for the house & so excited about it!}

{fro-yo doesn’t doesn’t last long around here when its 90 degrees. & there is no A/C.}

{a much-needed car wash!}

{admiring the gorgeous salvaged wood floors at the house. more pics to come on thursday!}

{we dined in west seattle with some friends & enjoyed the view of the seattle city skyline.}

{tried marination ma kai – a food truck turned restaurant – & it was awesome. there wasn’t shave ice since the freezer was out which was a bit of a bummer. 90 degrees + pregnant misha = wants shave ice}

{walking out of whole foods this evening the sky was breathtaking!}

this weekend was hot, hot,, hot! a lot of you can easily do high 80s or low 90s without breaking a sweat {pun intended!} but I know you are doing it with A/C. I was able to make it most of the day, but by about 5 or 6 I was ready to be cooled down. luckily both mornings this weekend we attended a childbirth & breastfeeding class at swedish hospital – it was not only very informative but had A/C! I am gearing up for my last two weeks of work before I start my leave {!} & looking forward to enjoying some summer before baby lower joins the fam {though a bit cooler would be more pleasant!}. how was your weekend?