Falling In Love: Wedding Shower Brunch

Today, my sisters and I threw a fall-themed, wedding shower brunch for my cousin and his fiancee.

At the entrance of the shower, we had a wreath, a pumpkin guestbook, and recipe cards for guests to write their advice for a successful wedding.

At the fireplace, which was the focal point of the room, I made a large sign with the theme, Emma made another wreath, and we also had a simple cardbox.

In the center of the room, there were couches, chairs, and a coffee table. We placed fresh sunflowers (the bride-to-be's favorite flower) on the table as well as coffee bean candles to set the mood of a brunch through scent.

In one of the corners, that was kind of out of the way, I set up Adam's picnic table with some wedding-themed coloring pages and crayons. I knew there would be a couple of little ones and I didn't want them to be too bored.

 Now with everyone's favorite part of a shower - the food!

In keeping with the brunch theme, we offered the following feast:

We started with a biscuit bar, including biscuits, sausages, gravy, homemade jam, homemade apple butter, local honey (from my sister's bees),

We also had sausage balls, fresh fruit, three different breakfast casseroles, and coffee bread.

For dessert, we couldn't very well do something out of the theme, so I made Pancake Bacon cupcakes with a Maple Butter Bacon frosting. I also threw together some candy acorns out of Nutty Butty's and Hershey Kisses.

To drink, I made Apple Cider Punch, which ended up being fantastic. We also provided orange juice, regular and decaf coffee (with different flavor creams), and a Keurig on hand for other options.

Finally, for favors, we offered strawberry jam in 4 oz mason jars.

 Overall, it was a fantastic morning and the great thing about a morning shower is that by the afternoon, you're all done! Here's a final picture of me and my sisters along with the bride and groom to be.

Carnival Party

This year for our Dream Team (church volunteers) party, we decided to go with a CARNIVAL THEME! We decided it would be relaxed, fun, and upbeat! Here's some of the crafts and activities we put together for it.

We got most of the food catered in, but we did put together a popcorn bar. We popped the popcorn early and set it out with M&M's, peanuts, and Reese's Pieces. On the other side of this table (not pictured), we had a snow cone bar (which we rented from a local party rental place). Both bars were a huge hit!

For the tables, we used Mason jars filled with gumballs and pin wheels. We also scattered different colored tickets around instead of confetti.

As far as activities go, we had a "Kissing Booth", where people could guess how many Hershey's kisses were in the jar. The one closest got a prize.

The other games were just for fun and no prizes were given. We made the Ring Toss with painted glass Coke bottles, a piece of wood, and glow bracelets.

We used a Corn Hole set to allow people to toss the hacky sack in the hole.

We rented a mini golf run set from a local party rental place.This turned into a competition among many of the guys to see how far back they could win.

And of course, we always need some dancing!

I'm not a huge fan of party favors that aren't practical. Most people give useless gadgets, so we decided an edible favor wouldn't be put to waste. We put together small bags of cotton candy for people to take home.

Like I said, we wanted something that felt easy and relaxed so that everyone could just joke around and have fun together.

Travelling With A Toddler

I have now traveled with my toddler... and we definitely had our ups and downs.

We traveled about six and a half hours each way to the beach and back, and I definitely had to do some prep work for it.

One of the biggest assets to the road trip was the travel basket. The day before we traveled, I picked up a couple of new books and cheap toys. I also pulled out a couple of toys that Adam hadn't played with in a while because I rotate his toys every so often. Here is a list of the items in his basket:

• Three plush balls
• Musical toy (his favorite toy)
• A bucket with a shovel and rake (which we also used at the actual beach)
• Two small flags (he likes to wave them around - only $1)
• Large handheld mirror (only $1)
• Four board books (so he couldn't rip the pages)
• Giraffe squeaky toy
• Maraca (only $1)
• Tractor with four animals that sit in it

I kept all of these in a basket right next to his car seat so he was able to reach in and grab his toys without them flying all over the car. He did toss the toy on the other side when he was done with it and grabbed a new one, but he never emptied out his basket before we made a stop, so we were able to refill the basket with everything and he never went without.

I also bought a "SippiGrip", which worked great! Like I said, Adam has a habit of tossing his items into the opposite corner when he is finished with them, so this allowed him to be able to continue to have access to it even when he thought he was finished.

We made sure to leave right when Adam woke up (and was changed and dressed of course). I put his Cheerios and blueberries in a shallow plastic cup so he could self-feed on the road. He did end up with several Cheerios and one blueberry squished in his seat, but they were no issue.

Then he started exploring the basket. Most items he had never seen before, so he took them in hand and played with them and tried to figure them out. He fell asleep right before it was time to stop for gas and lunch, so he wasn't happy about that at all, but was okay once the food came. Unfortunately, I didn't let him stretch his legs as much as I should've during this stop because he was very upset when we got back in the car. We could tell that he was tired because it was nap time, but also because he was tired of being in the car.

Note - on the return trip, we allowed him to walk around the parking lot before and after we ate lunch to stretch his legs. He took getting back in the car MUCH better.

Unfortunately, you can't always be prepared for everything or you can't really help a baby who's only issue is that he's tired. So Adam had a meltdown for about 15-20 min before his nap on the way down. I gave his paci (which he only gets when he sleeps now) and eventually he fell asleep and stayed asleep until we arrived at our resort.

On the way home, he had a meltdown during the last 20 min of the trip. He had just woken up from his nap and was not happy to still be in the car. We did our best to get home in a hurry. Once we pulled in and got him out, he was a happy baby again!

Finally, I always made sure to have a cup of blueberries on hand. These are his favorite foods and, luckily, are not messy at all. When I felt his was getting restless, I would hand him a blueberry, one by one. It took time for him to get them from my hand to his mouth and even more time for him to eat it, taking his mind off of being in the car or being unhappy.

I definitely suggest getting your toddler a couple of cheap, new toys at the very minimum as well as some snacks to get him/her through - even if you normally don't let them snack all day like us. Hopefully, my successes (and failures) help you on your travels.

Now it's your turn to share with me! How did you get through your road trip with a toddler? What did you use to keep him happy? What would you do differently?

First Birthday Photo Shoot

I'm a SO excited to reveal Adam's Easter and First Birthday photoshoot pictures! Because these two events happened a week apart, Katie Cooper Photography was able to give me both at the same time!

Tips for getting the most out of your photoshoot:

• Choose a photographer who has the style you're looking for
• Schedule it with nap time in mind
• Have bright or noisy toys available
• Keep all props close to switch out quickly
• Offer treats, like a blueberry or puff
• Let the child lead
• Just roll with it and have fun

We were able to start shooting almost as soon as breakfast was over. Adam was well rested, full, and ready to look good. While he ate breakfast, the photographer and I were setting up the backyard with props. She was also choosing the best angles and areas for lighting. 

The photographer brought a train whistle as well as a singing card to get Adam's attention. I also had ready his Mario stuffed toy and Kirby, our dog, to keep his attention.

All the props I wanted to use were within arms reach. The props included:

• Picnic blanket
• Red wagon
• Letters with his name
• Birthday hat
• Smash cake
• Rusty (we were going to get some family photos in)
• Bubble gun with bubbles

This photo shoot is a little different from those in the past (or future) because a smash cake was involved. Because of that, I cleaned our bathtub beforehand so that the photographer could continue shooting as we got Adam clean.

I got somewhat frustrated throughout the photo shoot because I felt like Adam wasn't smiling and he is typically a very smiley baby. I wanted his personality captured and I felt like that included smiling. It turns out, she was able to capture all of his little personality, even without his smiling much. All of the non-smiling pictures are so cute that it doesn't even matter. She was able to capture the moments he DID smile, so I was concerned for nothing.

Let me know if you have any other tips for photographing a toddler or if any of these tips helped you out!