gramland.

i once posted 5 grams in a day...

i love you instagram.

we are blessed.

i love how little things like a box full of toys can remind you how blessed you actually are...

i feel pretty confident in saying that i don't think chris & i bought even one of the toys in this box. the same goes for so many of abel's clothes & baby things, as well as the majority of furniture in our home.

we are blessed. 

blessed with a family that loves & cherishes us. a family that adores our sweet baby abel & a family that gives & gives until there's nothing left to give & then they give some more.

i love my family with every fiber of my being & i am so thankful.

it is my prayer that we can give & bless others in the same way that we have been blessed & taken care of, whether it be in a monetary gift or simply loving on others, giving them time & attention, prayer, hope, encouragement, etc. we are here to love one another. we are here to show others Jesus & the love He has for us with our lives as an example.

we are blessed.

love on each other today & tomorrow, and every day after that!

i didn't feel much like blogging.

last week was a weird one. i try not to be one that complains about "long days" or "weeks straight outta you know where" but i won't lie when i tell you, last week was kind of a long one. monday was more full than usual (& not of my favorite things) & i found myself on tuesday wondering if it was the weekend yet. all that to say, i felt a bit overwhelmed & didn't feel much like blogging.

i've since had a weekend to decompress & am now happily to the middle of this week with no complaints so far. here's what you missed...

i woke up on the braver side of the bed & cut my hair... only like 8 or more inches (something like that).  i'm loving it so far & have yet to break down or regret it.

two of my very favorite friends came to visit from california. we saw air dubai at the taste of fort collins,  survived the heat & ate the most giant reeses puffs rice crispy treat i've ever seen outside of my dreams.

our late nights have consisted mostly of abel teething & watching happy feet (since it's the ONLY thing that distracts him from the pain long enough to go back to sleep (poor guy).) the good news is that our days have been made up mostly of giggles, reading & a healthy dose of pinterest.

i'm officially in nesting mode (i blame the healthy dose of pinterest) & am really just ready for summer's end and the transition into FALL! crispy colorado air, gorgeous fort collins leaves, estes park, the holidays, the clothes... and as to be expected, i feel like i need to go & bake something now.

hmmm.. yep, i think that's most of it. the highlights at least. so, now that i have laid it out in front of me, i guess last week wasn't all bad, i mean i got to hang with this guy... 

here's to wednesday! i hope yours is going wonderfully!

i'll eat you up, i love you so

^^^that picture right up there? it's my new favorite (for today).
it's our computer background, it's already framed & it's my favorite of the 6 homemade coasters my sister made for us this past week. those lashes are just too much for my mama heart! i love him so. he is perfect in every way & time hasn't slowed down like i had hoped it might once he got here, it's only moved more quickly.
abel is just the best.
he's getting so big but is still so small at the same time. his personality is THE business. he is starting to look less like me or chris & more like abel. ya know? his own person... & a CUTIE one at that. it's been such a joy to watch him grow & change these past 27 weeks (no i'm not counting in weeks, but some back-grammin' made me aware of that fact today & my mind was blown because that just isn't that long). it seems like he's been a part of our lives forever! he most certainly has enriched them beyond anything i could have imagined, & i still get giddy over the fact that i get to be his mama. rockstar status.
we are getting REAL hair over here & who knew between chris & i, we'd have a little blondie? bath time is getting more & more fun with lots of splashing. he's making a new scrunchy face that is TO DIE FOR cute. i have to get it on camera because it cracks me up like nothing else. just a little flat, ear to ear grin with two teeth peeking out from the bottom, the rest of his face completely scrunched. gah! he currently does NOT love his carseat. current favorite feature? (aside from the scrunchy face) ...the chunk on the tops of his feet... i mean, do you have chunk on the top of your feet? bet not...
he might have the strongest baby abs of steel in the game & it's not uncommon for me to come in after nap & him be in full crunch mode waiting for me to pick him up. he wants to GO & boy am i in for it when he does.
they aren't lying when they say it just keeps getting better. it really really does.

you all know how i love creams & crispy white...

this beauty, a perfectly round baby bump + creams&crispy white?
bam.
that love just jumped to a whole new level.
meet my sister ashton (in case you have just stumbled upon this blog for the first time). if you've been around here for a while, you probably know that she is...
a) my little sister.
b) my best friend.
c) the funniest person i know in real life.
d) one of the most beautiful people on the face of this earth (inside & out) & it's not uncommon for me to find myself wishing i looked just like her.
you'd also know that she's pregnant with a baby girl & she's due in october! gah! i'm going to be an auntie for the first time & abel is going to have a cousin! weeee! i'm so excited for her & her husband to experience parenthood. i believe it is the most amazing gift in this world & i know they will be so great at it! you know... since they had chris & i as an example... ha, kidding. in all seriousness though... i was SO excited to take these pictures for her! i LOVE photography (in case you hadn't noticed)... & photographing a pregnant woman is SO special. a pregnant sister, even more so.
i love how the photos turned out.
simple. beautiful. natural. just her... loving herself in a whole different way, dreaming of the little one that is growing in her belly. no crazy setting, just a simple space with natural lighting. being pregnant is such a wonderful time & it was my goal to really try & capture that essence for her.
enjoy a few of my favorites! & feel free to "pin" the heck out of 'em! i plan to ;)

^^^yea... abel has a hard time staying out of the spotlight... we didn't mind! doesn't she look like a natural? xoxo