Andy & Amy's Shabby Chic Farm Wedding

My brother, Andy, has met a fantastic woman and we were absolutely thrilled to go to their magical wedding two weekends ago in Roseville, CA. His wife is so together! They had a theme in mind and she completely went with it down to every detail. It was a wedding from Pinterest, Etsy, and Better Home and Gardens all wrapped into one! Truly, being with so much family for such a special occasion at this fantastic wedding/ party was an incredible experience. 

There are around 70 photos here so I understand if you aren't interested in all of them, but I just had so much fun taking pictures that I just had to share! 

The Set-Up

Waiting to Begin

Andy pretended to get hurt while Mom pinned on his boutonniere. Classic. 

Isn't my niece, Eliza, one of the most gorgeous children you've ever seen? Besides Whit (and your own child), of course! 

I love this photo of my niece, Cat's, tulle in silhouette!

Andy and our nephew, Jack :) So sweet! 

There was no wedding party, only flowers girls. How sweet is that? I walked into the barn/ shed where Amy was waiting with the flower girls for the ceremony to begin and stumbled on the sweetest conversation between them all. Amy was so sweet with her troupe, who, of course, were thrilled to be a part of her special "Princess Day"! 

Unfortunately, I was using a 50 mm fixed length lens for this impromptu shot, so I couldn't get high enough for a full shot :( I learned my lesson...

The Procession & Ceremony

Our nephew, Jack, carrying this sign was a surprise to Andy. We had to really yell at Andy to turn around so he would see it!

That was when Andy started to lose it... 

...Until he saw Amy being walked down the aisle.

I *love* this photo of Amy! It really captures how happy she was!

We were all crying like babies. The mood was perfectly set by the sweet procession of flower girls and a sweet, simple (yet incredibly detailed) setting, but I (and most others, I think) lost it when Jack came down the aisle to surprise Andy with the "Here comes your girl!" sign. And the tears didn't stop there. No, I've been crying even going through these pictures! But this photo of our mom just breaks my heart. In a good way. We are all just so happy. 

 Aftwerwards and Dinner

They thought of every detail for the perfect shabby chic farm wedding. Lace and twine around jam jars holding garden flowers and candles, old fabric squares as napkins covered by silverware tied with twine, wooden chairs, white linens and a lace table runner, even a good ole' fashioned food truck! Yup, food truck. Apparently my brother was in charge of food :) 

Andy parents {Left} with Amy's parents {Right} at the family table

Cake and Dancing

Before cutting the cake we watched a short movie depicting interviews from and about the couple projected onto a sheet. It was so sweet, and a very well-done montage. It will be a great memory for them!

One cake wasn't enough for this stylish duo. No, three cakes were in order, each with their own sweet decoration and covered with pale flowers. No complaints from the peanut gallery!

It was such a magical day, and they are an incredible fun! There is no doubt they will always be in love and have a life of fun :) 

Whit @ 10 Months!

Our little guy is almost a year old. Wow, how time flies! Yet I can almost remember every painful moment of getting to this point when I think back on his infancy :) The memories are still fresh, which may be why we are enjoying Whit more and more the older he becomes! He is already so fun now. I can't wait for him to be walking, talking, and interacting with us more!

Whit wasn't very interested in posing for pictures today (or even sitting alone), so you'll have to take my word for it on the new advances he's been making!

*Will push a hand away when he doesn't want someone to touch him. Usually me. So sad :(
*Lunges for his crib when it's time for naps or bed. I don't have any time to burp him or sing a lullabye! But I'm putting this in the "plus" category, anyway.
*Can use almost anything to stand up. This has actually concerned me a few times when I turn around to see him standing very precariously...
*Has stood on his own a few times for a couple of seconds!
*Squirls away food. Honesly. We will give him something to chew on then notice it still in his mouth up to an hour later! He even does this with food he loves. He just likes to keep it in there to suck on for a while! Closet fatty?
*Shares his toys and food. This is especially important becuase he LOVES his food! Sometimes he will be holding food in his hand and take a break from feeding himself to stick his fist of food into my face and smile. It is so cute! I use is an opportunity to show him the sign "thank you", even though he has NO INTEREST in signing. Yet...
*Bear crawls! We noticed him starting to straighten out his legs as he crawls, and even try to straighten then tuck them underneath him like he's trying to stand up. Sorry, kiddo- you're not that big yet ;)
*Loves anything liquid, especially smoothies! He drinks them, and anything else, through a straw like he's breathing. He will hold the cup and suck continuously from the straw quickly and forcefully until there's nothing left. Then cry for more.
*Uses his wrist to push fallen food back into his mouth. I love it!
*Sits back on his heels so he can move around easier when he wants to. This is especially helpful when he finds something to stand up with!
*Really enjoys music. I think he always has, but he's started to really show it. By now he will actually stop crying when he hears me sing!
*He loves interactive toys. His favorites are stacking cups he likes to pull off and put on, and one with 5 pop-up chambers he can pop up and push down.
*He can place a block inside a slightly larger square. Yay for fine motor control!

Last week we spent a few days in San Fransisco and picked up this ADORABLE monkey hat for Whit. I have a fondness for sock monkeys, so I couldn't resist the opportunity to take a picture of all the little animals!

Love you, Little Whitsy-Bitsy-puddin'-N-Pie-Love-Bug-Buggy-Boy-Monkey!

Wake up with Whit!

Happy Wednesday!

Getting Whit after a nap is usually one of my favorite times of day. I say "usually" because if I time it right he has just woken up, is having fun playing in his crib, and is delightedly surprised to see me; his favorite playmate. Sometimes I get it very, very wrong, however. If he has woken up too early, is in a bad mood, or has been waiting for a few minutes he is a total grumpfest and it takes quite a while of cuddling to get his smiles back.

On the days when he wakes up on the wrong side of the crib I'll be glad I documented his happy side!

I love this one the best!

The little things

Melissa (M) often leaves comments on pictures saying, "He's so cute! How do you do anything but squeeze him all day?!" (or something to that affect.) Well... Honestly... I don't get much done, unless kissing and snuggling this little man counts as a daily accomplishment! I am just absolutely addicted to him. I often have to set him down, walk away, or hand him to Ben because the urge to SQUEEZE overwhelms me and I'm afraid of hurting him! (Lennie Smalls disorder? Can that be a real thing?)

He has become so mobile and tactile lately. He concentrates on tasks and uses his hands, fingers, legs, and feet to delicately accomplish things. Here are some of the things I have come to adore recently: 

Light touches, sweet kisses, and bear hugs just make my day!