Oh, July, where do I start with my favorite things? Oh yeah, our baby! :-)

Every month I think “our baby is just so much fun,” but this month really has been fun! Elodie has mastered rolling from her back to her tummy, and is starting to sit up all on her own. She loves to be tickled and to play ‘peek-a-boo’ with her burp cloth. She also loves when mommy sings and dances with her – I just wish Little Bitty Pretty One was a longer song.

Another thing I’m loving this month are my succulent babies – since I started my leaf propagation journey back in May, there was so much growth on the leaves I felt I needed to move them into 2″ pots (so they could grow without being disturbed for quite a while). But then I over watered them and bugs started to grow and feed on their roots. :-( Back in to trays they went (this time without soil) and *finally* they are starting to grow new roots!

Is it silly how I wish my plants would grow faster and my baby would grow slower? :-)

It seems as though this little girl has taken over my whole world. (What did I talk about before we had a baby?) But that’s a common thing that babies do, right? Moms (and dads) do anything possible to make their babies laugh, kiss their cheeks, smell the tops of their heads, take entirely way too many photos of them, and then after they’re asleep look through said photos because they’re just *so* cute you can’t stop looking at them. That’s normal those first few months… isn’t it?

It’s become evident that Elodie will always by one of my favorites each month. And by ‘one of’ I mean ‘absolute.’ But I write ‘one of’ in case my husband reads this. ;-) Still, I can’t help but share what she’s up to each month (and I hope you don’t mind). Since last month, she’s gotten two teeth and found her toes as well as her thumb – which makes going down for naps *so* much easier these days.

My other favorites this month? The super sweet and fun clients who have made my transition back in to wedding season a bit easier. Leaving the house causes a few tears to be shed (mostly just mine), but it’s been so easy to get caught up in the excitement of their day – love is so contagious!

Also, Ben & Jerry’s Half Baked – Have I professed my love to this ice cream before? My apologies. But my husband brought some home when I suggested he pick up some food while out running errands this morning. That guy sure knows how to speak my love language!

It’s almost summer which means lots of weddings + engagement sessions will be popping up on the blog soon. Therefore we have been soaking up the last little bit of this slower-paced lifestyle. My favorite things from this past month? Elodie (duh) and working with some new plants!

1. Elodie is four months old and is making new sounds every day (most of them in a higher octave). She still loves to put anything she can reach into her mouth, and she giggles when we give her raspberries on her tummy.

2. Succulents! This past winter I experimented with propagating succulents by using leaves. Then I gave them all away, so I have no idea how big they grew. So I’m trying it again this summer – the top tray are leaves from plants I have, and the bottom is a tray of leaves I ordered. Yes, I ordered a bag of leaves. Call me a crazy plant lady, but I’m excited to see the new varieties that pop up!

Spring cleaning and sleeping through the night – these are my favorite things this month!!

1- Wardrobe Capsule – If you came to my house, you wouldn’t know that I’m a minimalist wanna-be. Mainly because I’m just that – a wanna-be. I’m too frugal to throw things away, and too sentimental to donate certain items, so it all stays. And piles up. Especially in my closet. And yet I feel like I have ‘nothing to wear.’ Getting dressed was proving to be a chore, and who has time to try on multiple outfits before leaving the house? Not this mama. Baby girl is still eating every three hours during the day!! Something needed to change – quickly!

When I stumbled across this blog that said to take EVERYTHING out of your closet and only put back what you absolutely love to wear, I was on board! There weren’t many things I loved, so a few ‘maybes’ made it back into the closet, but getting dressed has been so much easier!! Plus, I have a clearer vision of what I like to wear, so I hope it will help me to find items that I *really* like (instead of those $6 t-shirts from Target that I always stocked up on but never really liked how they fit).

2- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies – I could eat my weight in these. These and Cheddar + Sour Cream Ruffles. Is ‘postpartum cravings’ a thing? (Ha! Turns out it is – thanks, Google!) Someone please stop me from buying/eating junk food!!

3- Jack White – Can you imagine seeing one of your favorite musicians perform a somewhat impromptu acoustic concert for only three dollars? This guy provided just that for his fans in Anchorage, Boise, Jackson, Rapid City, and Fargo recently. I didn’t go, but I’m thankful I have cool clients and friends on Facebook who I can live vicariously through. :-)

4- Three Months – Elodie’s three-month photos were a bit of a challenge since she *loves* to chew on her fists and fingers and also a handful of tutu. But it’s okay, she’s forgiven since she’s… sleeping through the night!!!!! I almost don’t want to say it out loud because I don’t want to jinx it. But I also want to shout it from on top of a mountain!! Finally, I feel more like a human and less like a zombie – what a perfect early first mother’s day present to me! :-)

Happy Spring to you all!

March was a big month for us!! Our baby girl got to meet so many new people and she also received her first sacrament!

1. Elodie is smiling and cooing more every day and it is *so much fun* to watch!! Her two-month photo session was a success. :-)

2. My BFF and her little boy came to visit this month! In this photo, he was 7.5 months and she was 7.5 weeks. We’ve come to realize that all of Elodie’s pants are going to be capris.

3. Meeting the cousins! The boys loved holding Elodie, and Isaac couldn’t stop saying how cute she was.

4. Baptism! Can you believe she slept through the whole ceremony? We’re pretty smitten.