Sam & Amanda: Married!

Sam & Amanda: Married on Friday, May 3rd, 2013.

I had the privilege of being able to capture my little sister’s wedding.

Since Reuben was the best man, I had baby duty and couldn’t capture the actual ceremony and reception. I stood in the back of the church during the ceremony and bounced Helen the whole time. She didn’t cry once and actually started cooing at the preacher. But my arms were about to fall off at the end.

Then we rushed outside, took a few pictures at the church, and headed over to a nearby park. The sun was just setting as we got there – gorgeous lighting!

It was pretty cold that evening. As you can see in the photos, there was still snow on the ground! That’s Minnesota for ya!

I wish I had photos of the reception to share – it was awesome.

It’s been so much fun to watch these two grow together. Can’t wait to see what the future holds for them!

6 Responses to Sam & Amanda: Married!

1. Megan 
   June 20th, 2013 at 12:14 pm
   So beautiful! Great pics!!
2. Hannah 
   June 20th, 2013 at 12:34 pm
   Simply gorgeous! I love the dress and headpiece, as well as the men’s attire! Best wishes to them both!
3. Amanda 
   June 20th, 2013 at 1:11 pm
   Hey, Erica! I hope you don’t mind that I borrowed a few pictures for my sewing blog. :) I still love-love-love the bright “pop” of the bridesmaids’ dresses against the drab springtime trees. :)
4. DessertForTwo 
   June 20th, 2013 at 7:28 pm
   I’m speechless. The photos are stunning! The dresses and suits are so stylish. I love this entire wedding!
5. Moriah Mari 
   June 21st, 2013 at 8:26 am
   Beautiful job, Erica. I love the idea of taking a picture with the bride wearing the grooms jacket – so sweet. :)
6. Rebecca Lately 
   June 24th, 2013 at 8:22 am
   These pictures gave me goose bumps! They are so gorgeous, and what a pretty wedding party. You did an amazing job, Erica!

Growing Up Too Fast? | 3 (almost 4) Month Update

Let’s be real. Having been blessed with a temperamental little girl (who cries at the drop of a hat), the last thing on my mind most days is that she’s growing up too fast. Instead, I long for the day that she can be happy for extended periods of time.

What’s that you say? 18 more years, you say? Please say it ain’t so!

Sometimes I think, she’ll be happy soon; wait another week. Sometimes I think, she’s always going to be crabby; I’ll always be on the edge, wondering if she’s going to lose it.

And then she smiles a big, sloppy, toothless grin and coos and babbles at me. And my heart melts and I want her to be like that always.

Here are some updates about how our little girl is growing.

• She’s over 14 pounds now! That’s more than twice her birth weight. Sometimes I call her porkchop. :D
• She has rolled over from her tummy to her back a half dozen times. And now she can readily roll from her back to her stomach (see this Vine).
• She learned how to reach out and grab objects. And now when I hold up things for her to touch she coos loudly – makes me laugh.
• She loves taking a shower – she had developed a strong distaste for her bath, so we tried taking her into the shower instead. Success!
• Guys. She laughed. FOR REALS.
• Helen is now taking her naps in her crib. And she fell asleep after only 3 minutes the other day! WHEW.

Helen has outgrown her crazy amounts of spitup — and exchanged it for massive amounts of drool. Which makes me wonder if she’s going to get teeth soon…

She’ll be 4 months old next Thursday!

Sorry to all you non-moms for boring you with photos of my baby. Yeah, I guess I’m not. :P

7 Responses to Growing Up Too Fast? | 3 (almost 4) Month Update

1. Liz 
   June 8th, 2013 at 8:32 am
   Your child is ADORABLE. Seriously. I’m due in 2 months and I hope my little one will be half as cute as Helen!
2. Rebecca Lately 
   June 8th, 2013 at 8:32 am
   What a cutie!! I know how you feel. Our second son cried a lot, too, and I was glad that the time flew by.
3. Cait 
   June 9th, 2013 at 7:44 am
   It was the same way for the most part with my now 16 month old, though now I have to say I’m sad that my memory of the first few months is such a blur. It’s almost nonexistent. I have a bad memory anyway though! It’s hard when you realize you’re looking forward so much to naptime when you swore you wouldn’t when you were pregnant. Or when they nap for 15 minutes and are fussy/finicky the rest of the time. But now it’s hard to remember! It gets so much better! Soon :)
4. Emily O. 
   June 9th, 2013 at 9:52 am
   She is so sweet! Hang in there! I agree with everything Cait said.
5. Kathryn Grace 
   June 10th, 2013 at 7:55 am
   Who says non-moms are bored with baby photos? :-) She is adorable!
6. Erica 
   June 10th, 2013 at 6:51 pm
   From one mom of a spirited baby to another. Just remember that for all of that fussy turns into a big ball of happy as well. Babies who cry a lot also laugh a lot. I was just like you a few months ago. Tomorrow will be better…I am not going to make it to tomorrow… But now I have a 10 month old and he is a changed man. He still lets me know when he isn’t happy but it is nothing like the first 4 months. You are almost there!! She is beautiful. We love all of the pictures!!!
7. Esther I 
   July 30th, 2013 at 10:18 am
   As a mom to an 8 month old, 20 month old and 3 year old, I never get enough of marveling at the wonderful milestones. Even though we have had lots of babies in our house in the last 3 years, I’ve checked your site with my husband nearby just to show him how adorable Helen is — so much personality coming through all your pics. What an absolute cutie! Enjoy it all because though it may be cliche, it will all go too fast. My 3 year old reminds me of that every day. Blessings!