Looking back now it seems like forever ago. Dustina and Wyatt were married underneath a tall weeping willow tree, and it couldn’t have been lovelier.

Every now and then we book weddings seperately, as was the case with Dustina and Wyatt’s wedding. Will shot their day with our friend Nikki James who is such a talent. We were very fortunate to have her tag along for the day! I loved looking back through the images, and it seemed extra fun because after meeting with Dustina several times it was great to see how everything she dreamed up came together. The reception took place in a nearby barn, the ground covered in saw dust, and a special made dance floor just for them. Dustina is a country girl and her and Wyatt love horses. I was so excited to see how she incorporated little boots into her centerpieces at the reception and little round pieces of wood with table numbers on them. There were so many thought out little details, like an “s” shape in multi-colored rose petals that lined the isle between hay bails used as seating for the guest[my favorite idea!!] The bold orange was a beautiful color for fall, and the mums and white pumpkins took me back to when Will and I were married as we had used similar elements.

Dustina was flawless in her gown. I have to admit, I gasped a bit when I saw the first few images of her. Her hair, make-up, veil. Flawless. With all of the details of the day set aside, this is one of the most beautiful inside and out couples I have worked with. I really enjoyed getting to know Dustina over our little get togethers last year, randomly running into her places and their engagement session. We couldn’t have enjoyed things more! Congrats you two, even if it was months ago, it’s so great to know you two are happy and just as crazy about each other now as you were on your wedding day :)

But beyond that, it is also someone’s birthday.

Someone very special to me.

She has been by my side through many tears, and many smiles.

Championship games, and broken hearts

She cheered me on whether I was in right field, or trying to run three miles

She sat through my Piano recitals, and brought me chicken noodle soup and John Wayne movies when I when I was sick

She taught me how to thrift, and how to find the best deal for my dollar

She has been my biggest encourager, my strongest supporter, and she is my best friend.

Not only is she the master of card giving, and the best advice giver

She raised six children as a stay at home mom

She has been loyal and happily married to my dad for over 32 years

Watching them together has inspired me to be a better person, and a better spouse

She is a sister, a friend, a daughter, an aunt, a grandma

and she is my mom

Love you Mom, I hope your birthday is full of laughs, and [hopefully] good cheeseburgers and a piñata full of candy at our place tonight :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

{This was the most recent picture I could find of our family together, minus my brother who is in FL. This was taken on Easter 2012, and we just stood in front of the kids because we knew we couldn’t or shouldn’t try to compete with their baskets full of candy lol}{and a few pictures of the cake I made for her party last night because I haven’t baked in forever, and I am a little proud of how good her coconut cream cake turned out :)}Since we are in the process of re-modeling our kitchen, and Will just put in our final counter top while I was in the process of baking, things have been pretty hectic. For the cake I just made a simple white box cake with whole eggs, and I always add a half cup of sour cream which make the cake extra moist. It is a trick I learned a long time ago, which makes a huge difference. I cut the cake into three layers, poked holes into each layer with a straw and filled it in with coconut pudding.

Here is the recipe I used for the Coconut  frosting that I made from scratch…I haven’t used store bought icing in years, and once you’ve had real whipped frosting, or buttercream it’s impossible to go back :)

Source: The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook

If you know me, you know I have a slight obsession with Instagram. It allows me to quickly keep track of our busy world, and I love looking back at all of our adventures in one little spot. Here are a few instagram pictures that have documented the past month, hope you enjoy them!

My sweet little girl is four.

We celebrated with family and friends last night in high fashion at Charles E. Cheese [Or so Will calls it] Annie came home with an overly large Dora balloon, and a sugar high. It was a great time.

 We couldn’t love you more, Happy birthday Annie Layne!

Cake by Jenny, owner of Sweets

Congratulations you two! We are so happy for you :)

a few portraits that I took from last spring…

We were so honored to play a role in Megan and Paul’s warm August wedding last year. When we showed up the forecast was looking as though there would be a downpour, but just before the ceremony the sun came out and the rest of the evening was sunny and beautiful.

Her dad, mom and brother were very much a part of the day, even so much as her dad tying the knot on the back of her gown as she got ready. Their home was the perfect backdrop and provided a romantic atmosphere, as well as the simple, elegant details including an extra long table that sat each guest comfortably, succulents graced individual place settings and tall candle lit bottles lined the center of the table.
The ribbons are a Scottish tradition called Handfasting. First Megan and Paul wrote letters to one another describing how they felt about each other and placed them in a wooden box. During the ceremony each sibling, parents, and a few close friends tied a ribbon around Paul and Megan’s hands, then they read aloud the meaning of each. Then they sealed the box with a nail. In the future if Megan or Paul decided that things are too difficult in their marriage, they must open the box and read the letters that they wrote to each other. This was such a beautiful, meaningful idea, and fit with Megan’s vision of the wedding day perfectly. 

When we were thinking through names that we liked, ones that we actually agreed on, we had decided early on that if it was a boy he would carry my dad’s name and a girl would carry my mother in-law’s name, as their middle name. We loved the idea of honoring our parents in this way, it was a big deal to both of us…and so…we ended up with a “Marie” :)

Emmaline Marie, 7lbs & 20in

As for Annie and Cash…they are so excited about Emmaline…Annie frequently kisses her, and holds her. Cash has just now come to terms with the fact that it’s not his baby brother. For the first week of her life that is what he called her. He also questioned numerous times “You get cut open?? then he would demand  ”Put her back in” He is coming around now, and he has been so excited about her, holding her when he isn’t too busy playing with his trains or being tickled by daddy. It has been nice to have Will around so much, I feel so spoiled, but very thankful that he had so much time off of work while I was recovering from my c-section. We had pre-planned this one, since I had to have one with the other two…unfortunately my recovery has taken a little longer this time, but I am starting to feel a lot better.

Yesterday we played some, baked, and decorated cupcakes and cookies in the spirit of Valentines day :)…it was so nice to have the kids home for a full day. Between staying over at each of the grandparents so much, we MISSED them like crazy. I am just now getting over the “completely overwhelmed by having three kids” stage, and today we are all on our own, and so far, I have survived. But don’t quote me too soon :)

I hope you all have a great day, and get some goodies from the one you love…Here are a few pictures from our memories of yesterday!

Reception: Sycamore Creek Country Club, Springboro

Dress: Bridal and Formal

Cake: Melanie Wadlington

Flowers: The Flowerman

DJ: DJ Toad

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