Catching Up

sorry - I know B's head is cut off , but it was the best one we got : )

Our Thanksgiving was lovely - plenty of delicious food and catching up with family that we don't get to see nearly enough . Meeting new additions and reminiscing about old times .

A long overdue brother/sister evening out at a favorite restaurant .

Blake was able to come in town , but unfortunately it was one of those trips where we left one another feeling like we spent very little quality time together .

So grateful he will be back again next week .

Although I feel like I've somewhat caught up between life and work , I can still feel the stress stirring inside of me . There are times I feel I can't catch my breath - I internalize so much of it .

And I feel like it is months from fully going away .

I have never looked forward so much to spending a long stretch of time at home - no trips , no vacations , no big plans - just being .

On Thanksgiving , the three of us - Blake, Annie, and I - were able to steal a moment as the day was coming to an end .We took Annie outside to play in the leaves , her new found love .

Looking at these pictures gives me a sense of calm .

I absolutely love our little family .

I adore my sweet little Annie .

She is my little miracle that I get to experience every single day .

There is so much about myself that I have yet to figure out , so much to learn about who I am being prepared to become . But I know without a shadow of a doubt that in spite of all of my short comings and what little knowledge I have at this point in my life , that I am being prepared to be the best mother that I can be for her .

It is my prayer that I continue to listen to the still small voice that guides me as I continue on that journey .

Sorry they are so dark - it was getting late and I am not a master photographer or photo editor .

And yes, I am aware that I just posted over 10 pictures of my kid playing the leaves .

Deal with it .

On an unrelated note - I completely forgot to mention that my awesome parents got me a sweet new camera for my birthday !

Hurrah !

- e

Thanksgiving Table Inspiration

How cute is this Thankful Tree ? Perfect for an entry table or centerpiece .

Via .

This year is the first year that I am really yearning to start having holidays at my own home .

This is probably magnified by the fact that I have only been in my own home for two weeks out of the last three months .

Blake and I have decided that this will be the last year that we will travel for the holidays .

I absolutely love the traditions that I grew up with , but I am so excited at the thought of decorating my house during the fall and winter months , preparing a truly grand meal , and snuggling up with Blake and Annie in our own bed on some of the most special nights of the year .

Although I won't be hosting Thanksgiving this year , I wanted to take the opportunity to share some of my favorite table settings with all of you .

I just love the look of a light , clean , and simple table - so elegant !

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- e

Say It Ain't So!

The title of this post could refer to so many , many things this week .

Like , for example , the fact that I haven't blogged AT ALL this week after vowing that I would .
I've learned not to say things like , " More on that tomorrow " because chances are , " tomorrow " really means 4 days from now . 

Another possibility - I just went to see the premiere of the very last Twilight film . Don't judge . It was amazing .

But in all seriousness , this week has been one of ups and downs - mostly downs - and those downs I'm really not ready to talk about on here yet .
But know that we are making it through and doing just fine .
The Lord has a plan for our sweet little family and I just need to learn some serious patience .

And now for the dreaded announcement . . . Hostess , the completely delicious brand that has provided us with the snack foods we love to hate because they're so darn yummy we just can't stay away from them in spite of the fact that they are in no way good for us . . . yes  Hostess, has closed it's doors .

My brother made the comment that Hostess was in danger of going out to business once I stopped bringing lunches to school or work .
Well , that happened last year , and look where they are now .
Bankrupt .

Yes , Ding Dongs have remained my go - to guilty pleasure that I feel absolutely no guilt over loving at all . I have loved them since elementary school when I did indeed bring them in my lunch every day . I loved them in college when all the other girls were eating microwaved veggies with spray butter and pretended to think my cream filled cakes were gross ( I saw you drooling when you looked my way ) . I loved them when I taught elementary school and my students would bring them as a treat for the class on their birthdays .
 I would hide the extras in my desk .
I have no shame .

So if you are my friend , you will go to your nearest grocery store and buy all of the Ding Dongs and send them my way .

In the meantime , I will be sitting in my house in the dark , wondering why bad things happen to good people .

- e 

In My Closet : Striped



The Impeccable Pig Top , H&M Jeans , Steve Madden Boots , The Impeccable Pig Earrings , Anthropologie Bracelets , Michale Kors Watch



I really have no intention of this being a fashion blog at all , the notion is simply laughable , but I had to take these photos for work , so I thought I'd share them on here .

It was a long day today .

For the moms out there who work full time , all the time , hats off to you .

I literally don't know how you do it .

More thoughts on that tomorrow .

For now , sleep .

Lots and lots of sleep .

Looking forward to a full day with my girl tomorrow .

I really need it .

-e

We Make Mistakes

Some of you may have heard the story in the news today about the tragic death of a two year old boy at a Philadelphia zoo . While I won't repeat the details , the story is one that has weighed heavily on my mind today .

I first saw the story on Good Morning America , and then later read an article about it on Yahoo .

As I came to the bottom of the article my eye caught the comments that were being made about this sweet baby's mother .

My heart broke for her .

I cannot imagine the pain of losing a child . I cannot imagine the anguish of feeling like you were even somewhat responsible , a burden which I'm sure every parent carries no matter the circumstances . I especially cannot imagine having my loss spread across the nation as some kind of gross example of how you can never be too careful , and having to endure the judgement of the mindless.

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Most of all , I cannot imagine missing moments like these .

I wouldn't think that the people leaving those malicious comments were parents themselves .

Because if you were , you would recognize that we all have careless moments with our children .

We all do things that seem perfectly harmless , until suddenly they aren't . . . we're just lucky enough to have our children walk away unharmed .

Yes , we are the lucky ones .

When Annie was about 7 months old , I put her on the counter in her Bumbo chair while I was making dinner for another family in our neighborhood. Looking back now , it seems careless , but at the time it was something I had seen other people do .

I just . . . didn't think .

As I turned to place something in the oven , I heard Annie's toy hit the ground , followed my a loud smack . I ran over and found my baby face first on the tile floor , crying .

As I picked her up her eyes bulged out , rolled back in her head , and she began to convulse .

She then let out a long sigh , her eyes closed , her was body completely still .

At that moment , if only for that moment , the thought crossed my mind that I was watching my baby die - and it was all my fault .

By the time the paramedics arrived , Annie was awake and responsive .

After a long evening in the hospital , all results came back that she was completely okay .

The doctors and nurses told me not to beat myself up , that they did the same thing with their kids all the time .

I was one of the lucky ones .

To the mother of that baby boy , whose precious life was taken all too soon , I know that you will see him again . I also know that nothing will ever fill the hole in your heart until that day comes when you can be reunited with him .

I pray that you will have strength .

Today , after hearing his story , parents around the nation held on to their children a little bit tighter - accidents and tragedies were further prevented as we all became more aware .

He left a legacy , even in his short time .

- e

P.S. - I spent some time looking for a quote or scripture that would go with this but came up short . If anyone has one they would like to share , would you please leave a comment ?

 

Halloween 2012

I was so grateful that Blake was able to fly in to go Trick-or-Treating with Annie and I .

And I know he was just as thrilled that he got to go out in full costume - what a good sport he is : )

After going round and round with so many ideas about what our girl was going to be this year , we finally settled on Little Red Riding Hood .

I dressed up as the wolf and Blake , being the silly fellow he is , was the grandmother .

Get a load of our little Red - my awesome mother-in-law made her costume !

We kept it pretty low key - driving to a few homes of family and friends , and stopping at a few neighborhood houses with my mom and dad .

Then off to a delicious dinner at my in-laws house - Annie's sweet Aunt Carli and Lala put together quite the spread for us.

So grateful for them and all that they do !  

Hope you all had an amazing night as well !

- e

A Little Fall Outing

A few weeks ago , Annie and I were lucky enough to head back to Utah for two whole weeks to be with Blake . We enjoyed General conference , BYU Homecoming , and my birthday ! Some of Blake's family were in town too which made it extra fun !

While we were there we came across this sweet little farm that had the most adorable pumpkin patch .

We also got to spend the evening with some of our favorite people : Annie's Uncle Brad , Aunt Carli , and Cousin Henry .

It was the perfect evening for our little family and especially our baby girl .



It was the best day .

And it made me realize something .

Blake and I are not originally from Utah .

We went out there for school and both ended up finding jobs and just sort of ended up , as we usually say , stuck . I almost constantly find myself looking for our next move that will take us somewhere else .

But this trip , this return "home" , felt completely different .

I realized how much , after a full month away , I really love Utah .

The weather is amazing , the scenery is beautiful , it is an incredible place to raise a family , the people are kind , and we have a unique opportunity to be surrounded by so many people with our same beliefs .

Really . . . what more could you ask for ?

So here's to enjoying the moment and not wishing away the time you have .

Appreciate it while it's happening .

Now we're back in Texas and all I have to say about that is - could the cooler weather get here already , and stay here ?

This heat is making me grumpy .

- e 

Radio Silence

Oh hey there .

Remember when I said I was going to post every day

for the rest of the year , and then missed two whole

days in a row ?

Yep , that happened . . .it just does .

Trying not to sweat the small stuff .

Enjoying time with my family .

Adventures from this month to come tomorrow :)

Have a great weekend !

- e