Catching Moments: {12/52}:

*Even the not so glamorous ones...

It is not always unicorns, butterflies, and rainbows folks... And you would think that since I have had a camera in their face since the day they were born they would be used to it by now, the answer is nope!

Thankfully Charli has always been pretty good when it comes to taking pictures {and still is}. Even if she doesn't smile she will at least stand still and look at the camera. Crew on the other hand, is a completely different story. I was talking to one of my best friends last night and we were cracking up at the difference between our boys and girls and picture taking... aye aye aye. 

But to be honest, I absolutely LOVE this shot my mom captured. It will truly always hold a special place in my heart! 

"The days are long, but the years are short"

Our 5th Anniversary:

5 Years ago today

We said "I do"

Surrounded by family & friends

And all that we knew

Right here in Jacksonville

Our journey began

Now we are back

With 2 babies in hand

I wouldn't trade a thing

Or a single day

Even when the Military

Takes you away

Because you see

My love for you grows

And nobody but us

Truly knows

That each family dinner

Or bath time routine

Just having you home

And right next to me

Is something we cherish

So much more

To just have you walk

Through our front door

So to my one and only

Happy Anniversary

I couldn't imagine another person

To do life with me!

***

And some Family Facts during our 5 years:

*5 homes

*4 moves

*3 Pregnancies

*2 healthy beautiful children

*2 Deployments

*1 Cancer Diagnosis/Surgery

*And much more 

I could not ask for a better person to do life with and I am so thankful to call him mine! 

Our Home Decor: Easter Edition:

Good Morning & Happy Maundy Thursday! 

It is so hard to believe that the most sacred three days of Easter are upon us, the Lenten season is coming to an end, and we will be celebrating that our Lord has risen in just a few days. I still feel like we were just celebrating Christmas, let alone celebrating Easter and Spring. So before we enter into this holiday weekend {which by the way our 5th anniversary falls on Easter Sunday this year} I wanted to share what our home looks like this Easter and give a little inspiration to those hosting Easter festivities this weekend! 

Enjoy!

{Front Porch}

{Dining Room}

{Family Room}

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thursday!

Happy Decorating! 

Evite: Bubbly Bar:

Happy Tuesday Friends! 

I am so excited to share with you that Evite has now featured the Bubbly Bar I styled a couple weeks ago. Head on over and take a peek and browse all the other amazing goodness that Evite has to offer! 

Thank you again Evite for all the love! 

My 5 W's of Blogging:

Happy Monday & Beginning of Easter Week! 

I am so excited to be linking up with my sweet friend Sarah over at Seeing All Sides for this fun little post. Sarah started this and I thought it would be so fun to share with all of you as well! I have had people ask how or why I started blogging but that they were so happy I did because they truly enjoy reading and following along {something I whole heartedly enjoy hearing}.
So here are my 5 basic reasons of blogging! I hope you enjoy!

{WHO do I blog about}

My Family, obviously! 

You will find that the majority of my topics are on our children Charli & Crew. 

{WHAT do I blog about}
I feel I blog about a little bit of everything...

Our life; From experiencing "firsts" with the kids, day to day topics, family trips/vacations, and even all the challenges my health brings to me and my family.

Home Decor; Decorating & Design is a true love and passion for me and is something I have always done. My mom and I laugh because even when I was in Middle School and High School I was constantly re-arranging my furniture in my room, I would make her buy me "holiday" bedding or "themed" bedding {ie: Spring/Summer & Winter}.  I love having this space of the internet to be able to share and even inspire others to decorate or change up a space for the holidays!

Party Planning; Planning and styling birthday parties, brunches, baby showers, you name it is also something I truly love doing. I am incredibly thankful for being recognized by Evite in this area and that they came to me and asked if I could be a top contributor for their website! I love sharing every tiny detail that goes into making a party truly special or unique!

Recipes; I love sharing my occasional recipes {food and drink}

 Photography; Not that I actually blog "about" photography, but photography is a part of me and documenting everything I can within a photo is what you will find in each and every post!

Plain and simple, this blog serves as my journal for our family and also somewhat of a scrapbook {also something I had a true love for back in the day} which means you will find just about everything related to that in here!

{WHEN do I blog}

I only blog when the kids are asleep; that includes nap time, bed time, or sometimes even waking up before them to get something posted or typed. Blogging is definitely "me" time and something I really enjoy doing. Although let me add that I never put a lot of pressure on it, if I get around to it great but if I am not feeling well and am sick I use nap time for me to rest instead!

{WHERE do I blog}

In our master bedroom office nook. Our master is huge and we have this amazing bay window nook area that we have made into an office space! Although I am ready to get a new desk soon because thanks to the Navy movers our nice big office desk broke... yep, two legs basically snapped off and was unfixable... So right now we are using a tiny little desk we had until I find the perfect one!

{WHY do I blog}

Because I absolutely love everything that has to do with organization and documentation. I was always the note taker in school {seriously something I LOVED}, documenting, and journaling things and this space is all of that in one. I can have photos along with thoughts and it is so clean and organized and that makes me really happy! Blogging is truly therapeutic for me and it is so funny because I have never enjoyed "reading and writing" or even "English" for that matter, and I feel blogging is all of that put together. haha! Lastly, I blog for my family. I hope that Charli and Crew can look back on this when they are older and really appreciate every thing I have documented and written about and that they enjoy seeing what their lives were like as they grew up! 

So what about you?

Who, What, When, Where, and Why do you blog? 

Catching Moments: {11/52}:

*Bathtime Shenanigans...

Because taking a bath in mommy & daddy's bathtub is way more fun... Always! 

Crafting Chronicles: Easter Bunny Bags:

Happy Wednesday & Half-Way through the Week!! 

Charli's Easter Party at school is approaching and I know there are others out there with festivities going on soon so I wanted to share these Bunny Bags I created for Charli's little friends in class. They are so incredibly simple and not to mention absolutely adorable! So if you are looking for something to hand out as a "goodie bag" for your Easter Party, Easter Brunch, or Easter Egg Hunt, look no further. These are sure to be a hit with kids and adults! 

Things You Will Need:

*Brown lunch bags

*Scissors

*Glue Gun

*Cotton Balls

*Twine {or string or ribbon}

*Tag {this was just an added touch, you don't even have to add one}

First, take your lunch bag and simply cut a "V" down the middle {I made the slightest curve but you really don't have to even do that}.

Next, open the bag and find where you want to place your cotton ball. Then hot glue cotton ball to bag {I placed my hand on the inside of the bag when I glued it on}.

Fill bag with whatever goodies you could imagine. I chose sidewalk chalk, spring inspired fruit snacks, bubbles, a stretchy Easter Bunny toy, and an Easter Egg filled with Jelly Beans. {I will definitely be making these again but an adult version; little champagne bottles, candies, and other festive goodies!}

Lastly, take your piece of twine, and at the bottom of the "V" {or ears} wrap the twine and tie {this part takes a little "fluffing". As you tie, you will need to work with the bag and ears to keep it upright, straight, and formed}

And voila, a simple rustic bunny bag that would cost next to nothing depending on what supplies you already have laying around the house! 

Hoppy Crafting! 

{you see what I did there... ;)}

Charli's Chapter: I'm a little Ballerina:

From Charli's Chair:

I'm a little Ballerina

And I love it so

I twirl and I plie

And even tap heel to toe

Every week I've learned more

Which will prepare me for the end

Where I get to wear costumes

And dance on stage with my friends

Tonight was viewing

So mommy got to watch me

Through the glass window

Of Studio Three! 

***

Until my next adventure,

Thanks for stopping by

xo charli

Catching Moments: {10/52}:

*Gardening with Yaya

Both of our children love being outside and when you add Uncle Yaya to the mix they are in heaven! Yaya brought over fun presents for the kids this week that consisted of watering cans & gardening supplies, along with actual flowers to plant & flower seeds! Needless to say, our babes had one amazing afternoon picking out the perfect spot to plant their new flowers with their Uncle! 

Stella & Dot Trunk Show:

Happy Tuesday Friends! 

I am so excited to share with you my Stella & Dot Trunk Show I hosted over the weekend. If you have not heard of Stella & Dot then I advise you to stop what you are doing and go Check Them Out! Their pieces are honestly beautiful, so fun, and amazing quality for such a great price. 

I have hosted several Stella & Dot Trunk Shows Online for a military friend who sold S&D and we were stationed in different parts of the country. This time though I could finally host one in my home and was so excited to put it together!

I have attended plenty of Jewelry {or other types of companies} Parties that are held in the evening and thought how fun and different would it be to host a brunch style Jewelry Party! 

The theme was "Bubbles & Baubles, Toasting to Style"! 

We had so much fun sipping on champagne as we chatted and shopped. Thank you to everyone who could make it and for making it a huge success! 

My Trunk Show is still open online until tomorrow for those who are interested!

http://www.stelladot.com/ts/jg2e6

Happy Shopping! 

Catching Moments: {9/52}:

*Photo Shoot Fun

We had fun at our beach photo shoot last week! The kids ran around, played in the sand, and played with their friends while we took a break from "pictures". Is there really ever a "break from pictures" though when your mommy's hobby is photography? Nope. And catching pictures like this, real life, in their element, just doing their thing is exactly what I love!  

*Friendships

Steven and I love being back home in Jax for so many reasons. But being able to watch Charli's {and Crew's} friendships truly grow with family & with some of our life long friends kids will always top the list!