Family Photos by Elizabeth Burns Photography

If you haven't read my post on our 10th anniversary pictures, check those out first.  Go ahead, I'll give you a minute...

Ok, so now you know what an amazing photographer Elizabeth is, and I can go on to bragging about what a great friend/relative she is.  Not only did she drive all the way here and back, around sunset, to take our anniversary pics, but she also stayed and took a few in regular clothes at our house.  Mind you, it was about 120 degrees with 300% humidity.  And it was her idea! 

You can really tell that the girls enjoyed these photos, especially when she asked them to bring some of their special toys along.

Emma chose Cinderella and her blankies

Anna chose bulldog and Lizzie

Lizzie even got a bow for the special occasion

 Can't you just feel the sisterly love?

These were super laid back, lifestyle photographs, with bare feet, special toys, matching dresses, and a cornfield backdrop.  AKA - a true snapshot of our daily life.  Which is why I love them so so much!

these are the best spinning dresses EVER!!!

The silly ones are some of my favorites because this is how we spend the non-arguing/fit-throwing time at home ;)

Annalyn says this one is "the awesomest"

my baby

 

milestone:  Annalyn learned to swing/pump all by herself this summer!

no, you're not quite as tall as the corn...

but Cinderella is close.

 

We also ended up with some fun pictures of the whole crew.  They are so "us," cornfields and all.  Love having these special pictures at what we intend to be our forever home.

 And that's a wrap!  Sealed with a kiss at sunset.

Happily 10 years after

This July marched 10 years since we said "I do" and became husband and wife.  TEN YEARS.  Back in 2006, I told my brand new hubby that I wanted to be one of those cheesy/awesome couples that does things like renew their wedding vows and take anniversary pics in their wedding attire.  His response, "Sure, honey.  If you can still fit in your wedding dress."  Challenge accepted, 20 year old Michael.

 



 

This photo makes me feel invincible.

And STRONG. 

This photo screams for better or worse, we got this.

 

Well, 10 years and 2 kids later, guess who got in that dress?  And who kept his word and took intimate, romantic, incredibly fun anniversary pictures?  You guessed it, friends:

Sure it's probably not as awesome as flying to Vegas and renewing our vows with an Elvis impersonator, but thanks to our amazingly talented cousin/friend/photographer, Elizabeth Burns, we were able make that promise a reality and so much more.  Besides, there's always year 20 for that...

 

When we watched our wedding video this year with the girls, we had to laugh at a few lines from the ceremony.  One of my favorites is from our Pastor, "I don't think you're crazy.  I just think your crazy in love."  I wonder if he'd still agree?  Probably depends on the day...

The only thing better than drinking wine in your wedding dress with your BFF...

Yes, I'm still a huge Friends fan.  And yes, I still fantasize about whipping out my wedding dress on a random Friday night, sitting on the couch, and drinking wine with Shawna.  But, the odds of us 1. having a night alone to drink wine, and 2. fitting into our pre-baby 8-10 years ago dresses are, well.... let's just say we don't get much time alone.


But back to the only thing to do with your old wedding dress that's more fun than that....

Letting your little girls try it on!

Talk about excited kiddos!  I realized the other day that I'd never actually shown them my dress.  In fact, I hadn't opened it once since having it preserved in a box to be stored in my closet these past 10 years.  Since 20 year old Michael told me when we got married that we could renew our vows and do fun stuff like taking anniversary pictures in our wedding attire IF I could still fit into it (he said with a laugh and very little apparent faith), I couldn't help but break it out to test the theory.  You see, we have our first big milestone anniversary this summer and I'm plotting a pretty snazzy anniversary shoot, just to prove to 20 year old Michael it can be done. (side note - I'm shockingly close to getting it zipped!)


These two, on the other hand, had to be clipped and cinched in and still basically had to hold it up to stay on.  But they didn't care.  Give a girl a tiara and a giant sparkly dress and she is happy!  Annalyn kept saying that she felt like a princess and a "wedding girl" and didn't want to take it off.  She looked so pretty and grown up and I couldn't help but hope that she will want to wear my dress someday (not that I would blame her for wanting her own.  After all, I do have a backup daughter...)



Planning to have this one framed to give to her some day. 

Like when she's 35.

Emelina chose this special moment to try out all her funny faces.  She spanned just about every silly, happy expression she could muster.  She had a harder time holding it up and the clip I used wasn't holding as well for her since there was more fabric overlapping.  But she got to be "Cinderella" for awhile, too.  I just love how her personality is developing lately!

At some point, just fell over and was eaten by tulle.

Then came this precious, classic Emma face:

And this sweet baby:

I used some of the pictures to make a collage mug for Michael.  I intended to keep it for his birthday, but I was too excited to show him the pictures to not give it to him when it came.  All in all, it was a sweet little Friday afternoon experience and we all enjoyed a little walk down memory lane to the day when Mama got to dress like a princess and marry her prince.  Even if I have to share him with these little princesses.

To be continued...

in 30+ years...

when/if we let them out of their towers...

Naptime Projects: DIY Chalk Paint Highchair

Time is a precious commodity in our house lately.  No one ever seems to have enough of it, and what little we do have, we want to spend together, so it's hard to justify projects (especially non-essential ones).  So when I discovered this recipe for homemade DIY chalk paint (not to be confused with chalkboard paint), I was pretty pumped that I had everything on hand and could accomplish it all during the girls' afternoon nap. 

I've had this old wooden highchair for several years.  It was one my mom picked up at a garage sale and used for her last wave of babysitting kids before she retired to "grandmotherhood."  She'd given it to me a little while before I got pregnant with Annalyn because I thought it was so much more stylish than the plastic/fabric kind with little animals all over them.  *Note when I actually had kids, I realized how much more practical the plastic/fabric highchairs on wheels are and found this adorable one with a little giraffe on it... live and learn.  However, I kept the wooden one tucked away in my attic because it would be perfect for one year old cake smash photos.  I had it all planned out - I'd paint it a really fun color, maybe tie some balloons or buntings to it, and set it in the middle of a field somewhere while baby adorably destroyed his/her cake.  It.would.be.perfect.  Then my first baby was born in February, so that plan was out.  But still, I held on to the ole highchair hoping that one day it would fulfill it's birthday destiny.

And then came Emma.  On a beautiful May day.  And then I blinked, and realized that she will be one in less than a month.  And then I cried just a little bit, but got over it pretty quickly when I thought back over the last 11+ months and realized for the first time in a year, I was finally sleeping through the night.  Maybe the end of the baby stage isn't the worst thing. 

But back to the chair. 

Maternity Photos: What My Girls Have Taught Me About Self-Image

Maternity or bump photos have become a pretty common part of pregnancy these days, designed to help celebrate and commemorate pregnancy.  Many mamas enjoy an excuse to dress up and take pictures to celebrate the belly.  Others dread being in front of a camera, but decide to take a few anyway so they can look back and remember what it felt like to have that precious little person growing inside them.  Or just to show the kids what they did to our bodies and hold it over their heads forever (we do get to do that, right?).  Personally, I have absolutely loved having my friend, Shawna, take these pictures for me with both my pregnancies.  (Because who better to capture an intimate moment than your BFF?)

 

With Annalyn, I remember wanting to capture all the excitement and impatience we were feeling waiting for our first born.  I waited until I had a pretty huge 34 week belly and could barely get my rings on due to the swelling and water retention.  And exactly 3 weeks later, she was born.  I love looking back at those pictures and remembering the suspense, struggles, and wonder of those last 3 weeks.  Even the swollen fingers/ankles, chubby cheeks, and love handles can't undo the beauty in those pictures. 

Engagement Photos: Best of T & M, Just For Fun

As with any photo shoot, we had to be sure to include some silly, just for fun ones.  These are actually some of my favorites.

he liked it, so he put a ring on it!

we call this one "the Beyonce"

XOXO

Engagement Photos: Best of T & M, She Said Yes!

Between the perfect lighting, the romantic dusting of snow, and the beautiful park setting, we couldn't go wrong with these photos.  Not to mention the beautiful couple.  I had so much fun taking these photos!  Here's my highlight reel...