We had a mini photoshoot together to show off his 3 month old self! I can’t believe how blue his eyes are. I know that babies eyes can change color up to 8 months, but I would be shocked if they changed. Looks like we might have a blue eyed blondey on our hands! Cute little dude.

He’s already wearing 6 month sizes in almost all his clothes. People are shocked when I tell them he’s only 3 months because he’s such a big guy!

Here are some pictures of my 2 month old baby boy taken by my BFFL Ashley Reynoso. I think she needs to start charging for these little photo sessions because she does a great job!

He pee’s everywhere during 90% of his diaper changes. His cry sounds like a pterodactyl. He hates to be swaddled. He isn’t very happy unless he’s being held. He doesn’t sleep very much for a newborn. He has freakishly large big toes. He has a dimple on his right cheek. He makes round “cheerios lips” when he’s struggling to poop. He likes riding in the car (most of the time).

The Friday after Jaxon was born, we had a newborn session with Ashley Sturm Photography and she captured some amazing shots of Jax. In the spirit of October, I will begin with the pictures of his festive pumpkin hat pictures =)

Thank you to all our family and friends for your thoughts and prayers! Everything went really well in the hospital with no complications. Ryan and I feel so blessed!

I was obsessed with the idea of striped walls, and thankfully I have an incredibly sweet husband who was willing to oblige. We decided on light tan and cream stripes, and tackled the room armed with Frog Tape (took around 6 hours to complete). The cute little “J” on the door was a gift from my friend Shea!

The color palate we chose for the room was white, cream, tan, shades of blue and orange. I personally wanted a nursery that felt calm and peaceful with a bit of sophistication. After all, the nursery is partly for the parents to enjoy too right? =)

I loved the idea of a cornice over the window, which again… my handy husband made for me. He cut a piece of plywood, wrapped it with batting, and then stapled the fabric on (following this tutorial). Ryan also helped me create the “Jaxon” banner over the crib using pieces of linen and burlap triangles – hot glued to a strip of twine. Then we sponge painted the letters onto each piece for his name.

For the changing table/storage, we got the Hemnes 8-drawer dresser from Ikea. It was the perfect size and priced right!

There is a subtle “owl theme” happening in the nursery, so this Target Owl Lamp was a must. I wasn’t loving the plain black lampshade that came with the lamp, so we added our own blue and white houndstooth fabric to the shade using this tutorial.

The wall art was purchased from Henry James Paper Goods Etsy shop. I loved the whimsical prints, and working with another designer who was willing to make some custom changes for me. The frames were from Pier1 Imports.

One of the splurges was the bookshelf from Land of Nod. It was too cute to pass up! The bottom storage bin is perfect for all his stuffed animals, and I love the paneled back. The adorable crate bin for toys was also a gift from my friend Shea!

My BFFL sewed those fabric liners for the baskets! I’m lucky to have talented friends =)

The cloud shelves were also a Land of Nod purchase, and I can’t wait to test out the “Tickle Monster Laughing Kit“. It came complete with fuzzy monster hands to use for tickling while reading the book (thanks again Matthew and Grace!) =)

The wooden toys – boat, plane and car were baby shower gifts and one of our favorite items in the room!

Jaxon has LOTS of books, and the cutest little owl bookends to hold them in place.

Another favorite item is the Pali Lucca Convertible Crib. I love the paneling at the top! And believe it or not… my husband made the crib skirt. This crib wasn’t exactly skirt friendly, so we had to get pretty creative to make something that would work. Thanks Ashley for sewing the polka dot sheets =)

The custom mobile was from Lovefelt Creations etsy shop. The designer even let me mail her pieces of our fabric to incorporate into the mobile. I can’t even hannnnndle how cute this turned out!!!

After scouring the internet, I finally found the perfect round rug at Urban Outfitters. The shade of blue is SPOT on! My mother-in-law sewed the comforter hanging over the crib railing =)

We found a rocking chair that also has the option to recline from Walmart. It’s seriously the most plush, soft, coziest thing ever! Ashley also made the chair pillow complete with tan pipping. It’s perfect! The canvas curtains were from Cost Plus World Market. And I can’t forget… I got his baby book from Two Giggles Etsy Shop.

This boy has the cutest clothes! I only bought a few things, and most everything else was from friends and family.

We’ve opted to use The Honest Company disposable diapers which are 100% bio-degradable and non-toxic, made from natural plant based materials. I love their fun patterns!

Well, that pretty much wraps up the tour of Jaxon’s nursery! The only thing missing is JAXON =) I am getting so anxious to meet my sweet little boy, and actually use this nursery we’ve invested so much time and energy into. We’re ready for you baby boy!

A very nice family owns this gorgeous property in Stayton, Oregon that we raided for the evening to get these amazing photos! I feel incredibly blessed that one of my dearest friends is a professional photographer. Thank you Ashley Sturm Photography for capturing this moment in our pregnancy journey!

This blue dress was from Mapel Boutique in Portland, Oregon. Not maternity, but it did the job!

Ryan and I made this little burlap and linen banner for Jaxon’s nursery using sponge letters and blue paint

The grey dress was a find from Motherhood Maternity, which has been my go-to store for several months now!

As clueless first time parents, we’ve been reading up on how to Be Prepared for a newborn!

This was from our 19 week ultrasound when we found out the gender, and that he was looking good and healthy!

We’re obsessed with his baby Nike shoes! So miniature and adorable =)

All the nursery and baby essentials are purchased, the final touches are happening in the nursery… so now all we need is our baby! We couldn’t be more excited to meet him in a few weeks =) Thanks again Ashley for the amazing pictures!! We absolutely love them!

Starting with the shower invitation, I convinced my friends to let me design this myself and I had SO much fun working on it. Since I design stationery for a living, I wanted the opportunity to design something for my little guy to put in the baby book. His nursery colors are cream, tan, and shades of blue with cream and tan stripped walls, so I incorporated this same theme into the invitation design. I did a square format with a matted invitation, placed inside a pocket sleeve with a belly band wrap, and then placed inside a blue metallic envelope with a cream and tan polka dot envelope liner. I just love how it all came together!

Since i’m a gluten free eater, my friends made EVERYTHING gluten free for me =) It was the sweetest thing! Check out these adorable cupcakes Brianne made with all sorts of cute sayings. LOVE!

Ashley R. put together these cute favor bags with a little “JM” die cut attached! The contents inside are one of my favorite snacks… My Little Pony fruitsnacks! hahaha, they know me so well!

Are the paper straws not perfection? Cream and tan stripes, and blue and white polka dots!

I was loving the frozen banana bits and all the banners decorated around the house!

You could also decorate onesies by cutting out designs out of fabric and then ironing them on. I was impressed with all the creative designs!

There was a cat (because I LOVE cats), a turtle, a mustache, an elephant, and all sorts of other cute onesies!

Look at sweet little Elliette with her beautiful Momma =)

Another game was passing around this basket for each person to briefly look inside, then the basket was removed from the room and they had a few minutes to jot down all the contents of the basket. The person who guessed the most items correctly won! Amanda Field took home the prize, good memory lady!

Here I am playing Vanna passing the basket around =) There were also adorable “Wishes for Baby” cards that Ashley P. designed to compliment the invitation. I loved reading through all these after the shower. My favorites were hoping that Jaxon learns to love Jesus with all his heart, and that he learns to love cats! Both very important =)

All three babies that came to the shower, Easton (left), Jovi (middle), and Elliette (right). Fitting to have babies at a baby shower!

Opening presents! My friends really spoiled Jaxon because I got tons of cute things from necessities to fun clothes.

Group shot! A couple people had to leave a bit early, but this is the majority of the group. I love all these ladies so much!

A few extra pics! Brianne and I on the left, then Ashley R. and I on the right. I have beautiful friends!

Shea and her 7 week old daughter Jovi, and then newly married Emily and I on the right!

A close up shot of sweet little Jovi and her adorable outfit!

Amanda Field and I on the left, and then Ashley P and Sally on the right. Thanks Ashley for documenting my shower with all these wonderful pictures! Ashley is also pregnant and due on November 13th. She’s having a boy, so Jaxon will have plenty of buddies to hang with!

Thank you SO MUCH to all my friends who came to the shower! I know some of you even drove from Portland, and I really appreciate you all coming to celebrate me and baby Jax =) Thanks again to my wonderful friends who put tons of time and energy into planning the shower and making it an absolutely perfect day! I’m one lucky lady, and this baby is already so loved!

We found out the news in early January, and we’ve been keeping this a secret until we felt comfortable telling people. I am 15 weeks along, and just had an appointment with my doctor on Friday. We heard the little heartbeat pumping away and everything is going great!

My due date of September 12th is actually perfect timing. It will be right after the busy wedding season has died down, so it won’t affect any of my current client projects. I plan to continue taking clients with wedding dates up to October since those orders will need to be completed by early August (well before my due date). Then I will take a few months off right after having the baby.

Here’s a picture with my two kitties Abby (left) and Macy (right). They are so excited to become big sisters =)

We feel very blessed and excited to start a family! Thank you for sharing our excitement with us!

I purchased the grey linens and green napkins myself, but most everything else was a rented or borrowed item. Sue Hamilton from SHE Designs saved the day by having two silver chiavari chairs (which are hard to find in Salem), and she also rented me lots of decor pieces.

My bistro table and half round table were rentals from A to Z Party Rental here in Salem.

The plates, silverware and crystal glasses were rentals from Shirley Kavanaugh at Crossroads Linens.

All the flowers were done by Rebecca Butler of Belle Fleur Floral Design, who also loaned me the majority of the vases used to hold the flowers. I knew Rebecca would do a great job, but I was completely blown away! The flowers made my display even prettier and more welcoming for people.

All the old books were borrowed from my friend Ashley Reynoso. They were great for adding height and interest to my bookshelves!

I had a drawing for $125.00 towards wedding invitations at the show. The winner is Kristen McDaniel from Canby Oregon!!! Congrats!

And there you have it, the complete tour of my booth! I had SO much help from friends and family over the weekend, and I couldn’t have done it without them. Thank you Ashley Reynoso for helping me setup all day on Friday! Thank you Ashley Porter for assisting me in my booth on Saturday in talking to brides and giving me a lunch break =) Thanks to Brianne Cameron, Marcus Dutton, and my mother-in-law Annie Ward for helping tear down my booth on Sunday evening!! And most of all, thanks to my HUSBAND!! He spent many many hours building my bookshelves, installing the lighting, picking up a trailer to get all my rentals, bringing us lunch, hauling in my computer screen every morning… and so much more. I’m one lucky girl!!

The only people who knew the genders going into the party were their doctor, and the cake baker. After Ashley’s ultrasound on Friday afternoon, I drove a sealed envelope containing the gender information straight to Cake Creations by Kirsten. She then created a two tier cake, where the top tier represented the gender of one baby, and the bottom tier represented the gender of the other. She died the actual cake on the inside either blue or pink to represent the gender. As Ashley and Brad cut into the cake, they revealed what they were having! Take a look at the pictures and video below to see a glimpse of the fun!

These were the invitations I designed and mailed to their guests. Raspberry envelopes with a custom envelope liner, the invitation on speckled cardstock and a blue matting, a pink raffia bow, and finished off with custom address labels. I went all out, because well, this is what I do for a living =)

I designed the little cake topper, and attached it to a paper straw and tied with a pink raffia bow.

The balloon chandelier was pinterest inspired, and crafted with the help of Ashley’s aunt Angie! We kept a tally on the gender poll to what their friends and family thought Ashley and Brad were having.

Ashley’s been having lots of cravings during her pregnancy, so we had craving inspired nibbles out on the table!

The team for Two Girls was pretty lonely!

The team for Two Boys was the second largest!

The team for a Girl and Boy was the largest and the team I selected (here I am holding the sign in front)

The suspense and excitement in the room was high as Ashley and Brad began to cut into the cake.. top tier blue, bottom tier pink!!!!

Watch the video of Ashley and Brad cutting into the cake to reveal the genders!

As you can see by their stickers, Ashley was thinking it would be Two Boys, and Brad thought it would be Two Girls. I still can’t believe it turned out to be a girl and a boy, it will be fun to have one of each! They are SO excited, and going to be such amazing parents to these two precious babies =)

Two follow Ashley and Brad as they enter into a new chapter with twins, visit her blog Our Celebrated Life!

Not sure why we had neon green grass before? Thank you JB Instant Lawn for the upgraded look =)

The extended patio is my favorite improvement. We went from a dinky 8×8 fairly unusable patio to a great outdoor space for entertaining!

The patio set and cushions were purchased from Cost Plus World Market and are working out perfectly for our new outdoor space.

This before and after is shocking to me… the added trees and shrubs are great for privacy from the surrounding houses

The of course we have, “the hill”. It was a baren wasteland before, and is now full of flowers and plants!

This is a view from the patio looking at the side yard. I love our new little path courtesy of Parkway Landscape Supply for the rocks!

There you have it, the recap of how the majority of our weekends were spent over the summer. It was a big project, but we couldn’t be happier with the finished result. Our families were a big help and we couldn’t have done it without them! Also a big thanks to Chuck Mangum for the landscape design and plants, we love it all!

We are looking forward to next summer when we can spend time outside enjoying our new entertaining space with friends and family =)