goin to the chapel.

Earlier this summer Kyle and I attended the wedding of one of my very best friends. I had the privilege of being a bridesmaid in Meredith's wedding and got to spend the whole weekend celebrating Meredith and Charlie. 

We started the weekend with bridal party pedicures. We were missing two of the bridesmaids for our pedicure party but we had a fabulous time! 

I didn't get any pictures of the rehearsal or rehearsal dinner but it was a fun night! We dined on delicious Texas style BBQ and heard loads of stories about the happy couple.  

Wedding day fun started with a breakfast that Charlie's aunts hosted. Unfortunately I got lost and arrived late so was a little frazzled when I finally got there, thus no photos. 

After breakfast, the ladies headed to the salon to have our hair done... 

then it was off to the wedding venue for makeup.

I had the most fun getting to spend the weekend with Meredith's bridal party! I had met all of the girls before and loved getting to know each of them better. These are some of my favorite bridal party pictures that Meredith sent me. Meredith was a gorgeous bride!

This collage makes me laugh a little bit. Meredith is such a glowing bride, Sara looks incredible in her yellow dress... and then we have the pregnant bridesmaid. But goodness knows I love those two girls!

My parents and handsome husband were also at the wedding. 

In addition to celebrating Charlie and Meredith, we had some quality time with my cousin, Allison, her husband and their baby girl. Kyle and I stayed at their house over the weekend and had so much fun! My parents met up with us the morning after the wedding so we could all have brunch before driving home. 

My dad brushed up on his baby girl skills and Anderson seemed to approve! She was a big fan of playing piano on his iPad which makes me very proud. She'll be a concert pianist in no time!

Kyle also got in some baby girl practice with sweet Anderson. I think this picture proves that he was doing a good job!

And just one more photo of the little cutie when we went out to breakfast. I am hoping that Anderson and Annabelle will be very close friends as they grow up.

Happy two and a half months of marriage to Meredith and Charlie! Kyle and I were so thrilled to be able to be in Dallas and celebrate such a truly wonderful couple!

showering annabelle.

Two weeks ago we made the drive to Texas so that we could attend a baby shower for sweet Annabelle. The shower was at my parents house and was hosted by my mom, my sister and two of my very best girlfriends.  We had an amazing turnout of friends and family. I am still completely overwhelmed that so many people were able to celebrate with us and am so thankful for the love and support from each of them. 

Every detail of the shower was perfect and unbelievably thoughtful, starting with the cute welcome banner!

My sister had the vintage flash cards (hanging on the glass doors) specially made with all sorts of 'baby' words. We used a book of children's poems for the sign-in. I thought it would be sweet to have all of the guests sign their names in a book that we could read to Annabelle each night.

The birthday cards in the bottom right corner of this collage are probably my favorite detail from the shower. Jennifer made cards for each of Annabelle's birthdays from 1-30 and each guest chose one to fill out. The notes on these cards are priceless! Many of my high school and college friends chose ages that coincided with when we met and shared memories that we have together. Some people shared special birthday wishes and prayers for Annabelle as she celebrates each age. My best friends both offered to take her out for margaritas in about 25 years! I think these will be so special to give to hear on each birthday. Such a thoughtful, amazing gift!

Across from the sign-in table were party favors and our one shower game. The ladies had to guess the size of my baby belly in order to try and win a prize. The guests had lots of time to do this while everyone arrived and while we ate so it was the perfect activity. The favors that Jennifer found were amazing! Each guest received a bottle of OPI nail polish in 'It's a Girl!' and they were wrapped up with the cutest tags. What girl wouldn't get excited over a free bottle of sweet pink polish?

The invitations were adorable and the cake coordinated perfectly! The cake was made by Edible Designs by Jessie. Jessie made mine and Jennifer's wedding cakes and also made Jennifer's bridal shower cake. Jennifer also covered the dining room light fixture with the cutest assortment of poms and paper lanterns. 

The food was incredible! We dined on chicken salad croissants (thanks Sara and Ms. Susan!), salad, fresh fruit and other tasty treats. Meredith made the darling diaper cake which is now on display in Annabelle's room.

Candy coated popcorn was given out to each winner of the game. The shower was on August 14th which happens to be my mom's birthday and Sara's grandma's birthday. There were two extra bags of popcorn for the birthday girls. {I told you that every detail was filled with thoughtfulness!}

The hostesses of the lovely shower. 

{Sara, Meredith and Jennifer}

 I have been friends with these girls since middle school. I am so thankful that we can all still catch up and celebrate each other after all these years!

{Jessie, Nicole, moi, Sara and Heidi}

My two favorite ladies in the whole world. Annabelle is a very lucky lady to have these women in her life!

And the best shot of the day! My dad had to take this picture from our staircase just to get everyone in it. I love this picture so much and think it will need a very special place on Annabelle's bookshelf. She is such a blessed little girl to already be so loved by such a wonderful group of people. 

Thank you again to everyone who took the time to celebrate with us! We received the sweetest, most wonderful gifts for this little girl and are very thankful for the generosity of our loved ones. 

And a very big thank you to my mom and the girls for putting so much time and effort into creating such a perfect shower for Annabelle!

one year.

One year ago today we were celebrating the marriage of my big sister, Jennifer, and her wonderful groom, Jason. It was a beautiful day filled with wonderful people and an amazing couple. 

{photo courtesy of the fabulous Ashley K Photography}

Happy first anniversary, Jennifer and Jason! Cheers to year number two and all of the crazy adventures that it is sure to bring! Big hugs and lots of love to you both!