October in Review | FALL is here!

The 365 Blog Circle is a collection of friends working through their 365 photography projects together. We are posting favorite shots on a monthly basis. Welcome to our October round up! 

FALL in Minnesota!!

If there was one season I really missed while living out of state for the past 10 years it was FALL. I love crispy air so much and there is truly nothing more beautiful than the changing of the leaves.

Whenever our family found ourselves back in Minnesota it was always in July — it’s been a while since we’ve experienced fall and it’s magnificence.

Seeing it all with new eyes.

I said I wanted visitors, didn’t I? Well we got them! Five weekends in a row! My parents and in laws and sister and hubby’s buddy from Dallas and more sisters and more in laws and cousins and aunts. THIS IS WHAT I ASKED FOR and I love, love, love it.

It felt like I was turning over my house like a hotel and the visits are never long enough but it’s been awesome actually hosting people in our home.

With all the action going on having visitors every weekend, I haven’t had a whole lot of time to dwell on my pregnancy. I hit 30 weeks and next thing I knew I was at 35 in a blink of an eye. By the end of the month, I’ll be at 37 weeks with only about 3 weeks to go!

We’re slowly but surely checking things off our list to prepare for our newest addition and our family has made it so much easier already!
All the little clothes are washed, sorted and hung in the closet. We’ve got a nursery that is ALMOST set up and I just had the carseat installed last week!

34 weeks preggy!

Next time you hear from me, I’ll be a mama of TWO, family of four! I’m going to do my best to do a November recap but if you don’t hear from me right away I’m sure to be positing squishy baby pictures on instagram.

Oh, before I go — last weekend I got to do a real photo session and it was the best!! I won’t be sharing photos yet (it was a Christmas card family session) but I’ll definitely recap it at the beginning of the year with some thoughts and dreams moving forward. Can’t wait for more camera play in 2019 — maybe we can connect!

Up next: Photographer Kris McNeil — beautiful photos of her recent travels. Check it out!

As always, I appreciate you guys being here and reading.

Many blessings,

Elyse’

September in Review | Let the Settling Begin!

Sweet September.

Warm days, cool days and the wind down of summer.

It was the first full month in our new house and as you can tell by the tardiness of my post, it was a busy one. (Will I ever not say that?)

We took the time to really settle into this place and dang that felt good. It was the first time we’ve had a chance to do so since we were in Hawaii at the beginning of the year!

All of our boxes are unpacked and I actually organized my kitchen! There are still so many projects to do, I’ll putz forever, but as of now, it feels like home.

One of the things that made September was going to the Renaissance Festival with my aunt. It has been so long since I’ve had a chance to go and it’s so fun to get lost in the magic. My all time favorite festival for sure!

My hubby picked up a work car which has made life so much easier already! With my appointments increasing to weekly, this felt so necessary!

The start to our 5 weekend of visitors began this month and it was everything I hoped it would be. I love being close to our family!

32 weeks pregnant!

Soaking up every minute before the summer fades to fall.

We’re here, in Minnesota. Settling in a house. Preparing for baby and just taking a big exhale.

I almost feel ready to start reflecting on the year, what a year it’s been, but we still have a little living to do. Hope you are all enjoying the small moments and taking time to exhale in your own way.

Thanks so much for reading,

Elyse’

August in Review | Home Sweet Home

Sweet, sweet August in Minnesota. I don't know if there's anything better!

Crisp morning air and sun filled days... I've loved every minute of it and so has George!

It was a busy month, I'm sure each and every one of us could say that!

Walks to the park, a trip up north and spending time with family. We did the State Fair and a birthday party at the Mall of America. We celebrated our 3 year wedding anniversary and my 31st birthday. We had baby appointments and pediatric appointments and sure enjoyed the downtime in between.

The most exciting part of August though, was purchasing our first ever HOME.
We did it! We found one and they accepted our offer!

We got our keys at the very end of the month and it's been an incredible whirlwind of days since.

You guys, it feels like we've waited so very long for this moment and it's here. I cried twice on moving day. My greatest dream is to create place for my children to grow and flourish.. a place they can always come back to.. a safe, warm home with good food and so much love.

I see it here, I see it all here! 

My beautiful niece on a trip up north -- she's just the coolest little girl!

28 weeks ~ in the third trimester!

Self portrait on my 31st birthday.

I've been dabbling in my dreams a bit and we've been almost too busy to fully grasp what it is I am doing here but I know there is magic to be made ahead.
Women. Photography. Art. Light. Words.
I have faith it will all come together at the perfect time!

243/365 August 31st -- the first day in our new home!

I appreciate all the shared enthusiasm this month - family and friends, near and far, personal and social - you're all the best! Thanks for following as I document the biggest life transitions for my family. What a trip.

There are a few of us still going strong for our 365 Project Blog Circle. I'm so grateful for these talented women who keep me motivated to shoot every day. If you click through to Alyssa Kellert's post, you'll see a beautiful new website with a summer recap. These are the Days. 

Onward to September!

Second Trimester -- Baby J

18 Weeks Pregnant

- Ahh, the sweet, sweet second trimester! Around week 15 my energy came back full force and it was so welcomed. Like last time, I just got to the point where I wondered if it'd ever come back... phew. Back to functioning like a human!

- I decided this is by far my favorite trimester and I put it on cruise control. We've been very busy with moving and buying a house and just summer in general -- I haven't has near as much time this pregnancy to watch my app each week. The whole thing is going by so incredibly fast!

- By the evening and night I feel pretty tired but always sleep decent and wake up with a lot of energy... and I'm currently sleeping on an air mattress! Luckily I'll be in a nice big bed next week for the rest of my pregnancy!

- Thomas George is not quite sure about mama's growing belly. If I'd let him, he'd bounce on it with incredible toddler energy many times a day. Sometimes I ask him where baby is and he points to my belly... other times he goes and gets his book to show me the baby in the book. Little does he know I'm growing his best friend for life!

- I'm finally all set up with my prenatal care. I'll be working with the midwives in Woodbury at their Birth Center. It feels a bit like Castle where I had George and I already feel at home there. It feels good to finally be established and ready for the big day!

- GENDER!!!! We got the gender and I'll be back to update this as soon as we announce it! :D 

26 Weeks Pregnant

- Movement! This baby is a mover and a groover, just like George. I started feeling my first flutters in week 14 and they just continued to get stronger and more noticeable as the weeks went on. By the end of the second trimester we can feel and see baby's many movements!

- I haven't really experienced any cravings this trimester and the cravings of all things hot and spicy sort of subsided. I am pretty sure that I am eating more overall and not as well as I did with George. I'm blaming the move and busy season of our life....

- At the start of second trimester we found out there was a calcium deposit on baby's heart. Everything else seemed to be fine and they said it's pretty common. We were asked if we wanted to do any kind of genetic testing and we decided not to. I don't feel worried about it at all and no matter what happens, I'll be lovin' this baby until the end of time!

- I made it sleeping on my belly to about week 27 which is sort of crazy because I'm pretty sure I should have been done around week 22 this time. It's seriously so hard for me to sleep on my side! I wake up on my back a lot which is bad news, and heave myself to my side. Seriously. The thing I miss MOST is sleeping on my stomach (and wearing normal clothes).

- At my last appointment in the second trimester I had gained 12 lbs so far. She said that at my next appointment is when my weight will probably make a leap since that really isn't a lot... which is weird because I FEEL SO DIFFERENT AND SO BIG.

- I am pretty sure we have this baby's name narrowed down between two. We might just have to meet before we decide!! Naming a baby is crazy hard!

- Our family and friends are so so excited to meet this new baby... we are too! It's my in laws 2nd grand baby and my parent's 6th grand baby! I just keep thinking about what he will look like and how he will be. Mama is hoping he looks more like her this time but I'd be happy with another little George (daddy clone) too!

Baby is the size of a: PEACH
Length & weight: 8 3/4 in. & 1.5 lbs.
Mama's cravings: Not so much a specific thing but more like cold stuff. I have been eating a lot of dairy free ice cream! I also just like to feel FULL. No way can I be hungry at all. 
Weight update: Gained 12 lbs. since appointment number one!
We're feeling: Excited... but yet, a part of it doesn't feel real! I can't believe our family will be growing like this so soon! I am ready but not ready at all!
Highlight of the second trimester: Finding out baby's gender and telling everyone!
Energy levels: Rockstar energy in the morning and real tired in the evening and night.
Habits: Honestly, we've been so busy! But I take my prenatals and DHA everyday, get to all my appointments and of course do my legs up the wall 4-5x a week!

H O M E | July in Review

Goodbye, Arizona!

After being in the desert for three months, we packed up and hit the road. Homeward bound!

It took us four days to get from AZ to MN.

Traveling at 22 weeks pregnant with a 1.5 year old that doesn't like his carseat and a small chihuahua that shakes and whimpers when he gets nervous... I really wouldn't recommend it to anyone! Those four days tested every ounce of our patience... but can you imagine the relief we shared as we drove across the Minnesota state line??

Excitement, relief and a huge exhale.

After arriving in the twin cities we moved into a temporary townhouse. Did I mention we had a huge change of plans at the start of the month?  My hubby had a job opportunity that he just couldn't pass up and it landed us in the suburbs of Minneapolis/St. Paul.

So now we're here, half unpacked and we're house hunting in a crazy way. I think we've seen close to 10 homes so far! The market in this area (I guess all over!) is just bonkers. We're close to finding "the one" though and I hope to have a super positive update next month!

Between the madness we've spent a lot of time with our family that lives here, it's truly been the biggest blessing. Oh, and the park. Clockin' hours in at the park!

My last bump picture of the month catches me at 24 weeks pregnant. Unreal how fast this pregnancy has gone... but I guess I'm not too surprised! We're all set up at the birth center in Woodbury for our first appointment and excited to be working with a midwife again!

We got the gender in an envelope this month and within a couple days opened it. I can't WAIT to share... we just have one more set of grandparents to tell first so definitely next month!

Thank you guys for reading. These photos are a part of a 365 project I'm participating in and we're already past day 200! What a year... so many celebrations and challenges, for all of us! The July round up is Kris and I. I love her perspective -- you can check it out HERE.

I feel a shift coming, yet again when it comes to this online space... but I'm not sure what it is quite yet. I think when things slow down enough, it will all fall into place. Photo journal, motherhood... excited to get writing again.

Wishing you all many blessings, always,

Elyse'