Woah. That went fast!

Emma is 6 months old, and getting cuter by the day. She likes to Jolly Jump, blow bubbles, chew toys, eat carrots & peas, smile, and most importantly hang out with her hip parents ;). We hope you've had a great past 6 months, ours have been filled with happiness and laughter over this little bundle of joy. Happy 6 months Emma Bean!

There are three fabulous crafts that I would love to create before Christmas!

1. Mini Wreath Garland (cute little Christmas decor item)

CAMPING with babe TIPS :

1. Bring a play yard.
2. Hammocks are key.
Emma LOVED laying in the hammock with Andrew or I & it gave us some relaxing down time too.
3. Stay close to home.
We were able to call it quits a bit early (as there was a massive heat wave going through all of Ontario). It was important to be no more then an hour from home, so we could make a quick escape if things got rough.
4. Make sure your site has good access to the water & washrooms.
5. Bring a good stroller.
6. Have warm pjs for babe.

My desktop background has always been important to me. This past year I came across the blog Design Love Fest - Bri has a series called Dress Your Tech where she features beautiful wallpapers that are always free to download. Love it. Next time your due for a new desktop background - check it out.



For more links to pretty wallpapers - check out my pinterest board - I like a pretty desktop.

We aren't huge halloween fans here at the Hodgson's, but I couldn't resist putting Emma in this adorable dragon outfit (gifted by Auntie Rita.) Hope you and yours have a fun and safe night. xo

Before Emma turned 4 months old we took her to the beach (more then a dozen times), camping, and flying across the country.

Some would say I am crazy, others "adventurous" but I call it livin' life with my babe. When Emma was born I needed to get out, experience summer and enjoy God's creation. I knew outings would change when we had a baby, but I was determined to make it work and still enjoy time with family and friends.

I've tried to compile some notes and tips on traveling with your babe. I'll have to break it up into three posts, starting with...

BEACH DAYS!!

Emma was 4 weeks old when she had her first trip to the beach. Here are some things I found useful for her many beach trips:

1. Make sure YOU are comfortable.
I wore a maternity suit (with a comfy t-shirt and shorts in the beginning) that I had from doing water yoga when pregnant. The suit made me feel comfortable in my "new body" and covered me up well. I think it is important to feel at ease with yourself before walking into a new adventure with your baby - if your relaxed, they will be relaxed. One of my favourite bloggers, Lindsay at Hello Hue wrote a post on "say no to the frump:: 5+ swimsuits that won't make you miss your teeny bikini this summer." It has great links to some great suits that will make you feel good about being at the beach again.

2. Grab some shade.
When we were first married, Andrew and I purchased a beach shade tent (he is a ginger and I am a marshmallow). We needed protection from the sun. Little did we know how absolutely perfect this tent would be for a baby. Emma would nap under our Coleman Beach Shade the entire time at the beach. Make sure you purchase a tent with UV ray protection like this one. The tent also made a perfect hiding place when I had to nurse Emma on the beach :)

3. Bring a carrier.
My mom or I would wear Emma in a carrier while we set up. This worked perfectly, and would give us more hands to carry our gear down to the beach. We use the Snugli front and back carrier, we love it.

4. Have a buddy with you. (or your cute husband if he is available)
I usually went to the beach with my mom, or sister. Andrew is less fond of the beach, and he was usually working when the waters called my name. Having a "buddy" with me was key. These two LOVED holding Emma if I needed a break. Mostly Emma would just sleep in the tent but if she was ever fussy and I still wanted to get a swim in, these two were willing to hold her as long as I needed.

5. Bring lots of blankets.
To sit on, lay your baby on, wrap your baby up if its chilly, or block the sun.

6. Enjoy it and make memories.
Don't be afraid to take some pictures. We moms shy away from the camera too fast and miss out on cute pictures and fond memories.

Andrew and I both had baby books. Over the years I would go and look through my book and check out the time I was born, who brought me gifts, and how much I weighed. My mom even had a lock of hair from my first hair cut (a little creepy, but also cute). We never imagine how neat these books would be when we had Emma. It was so fun to compare and we could finally relate to what our parents had gone through when we were babes.

So it became an important project for me to make Emma a Baby book. I will admit, it can be tedious, with a needy infant in your living room while trying to cut and paste pictures. Also, I am still twisting Andrew's arm to write in his pieces. But its all worth it when I know how much it will mean to her, to look back on when she gets older.

I hope you and your family have a beautiful Thanksgiving, full of blessings. Xo

While on mat leave, I've been able to design a few fun items for friends and family.

Earlier in the year I created this warm wedding postcard.

Emma's 3 month old pictures are a little late, as our iMac hard drive decided to kick it at the beginning of September. Leslie (as we call her) has been an amazing iMac for me since i bought her in 2008, so I'm not going to complain too much about the repair. Leslie came home yesterday, so I quickly put together some of the shots I took just after Emma hit her 3 month mark (as Nana was bugging me that I never put any up).

Hope you enjoy these as much as my mom will :) xo

Emma is now more then 3 months old and Andrew and I are starting to get used to this whole parenting scene. 

Its been a while since I posted (which is usual).

Andrew has been up to his old tricks, cooking us delicious meals. He made a wonderful Quiche last week including broccoli, onions, and peppers all from our own garden. And more recently we enjoyed some fresh steak (marinated in salt), along with a homemade potato salad (it was so good!!) and some of our gardens green beans. Nom nom nom.

Another month has flown by, and this little girl is growing like crazy. She's up to 23" long and just about 11 lbs, and she's absolutely adorable of course ;)

In our house, Andrew is the king of the kitchen. I really lucked out. Not only does Andrew cook 90% of all our meals (usually from scratch - we are talking homemade bread, veggies straight from our garden), he does it extremely well. I have been eating like a Queen ever since we got married.

I've been meaning to blog more about the beautiful meals Andrew cooks our family, so I've decided to do a little blog series called "My Husband Cooks" where I'll display the scrumptious meals & treats Andrew dishes out week after week.

For dinner tonight we are starting with a Spaghetti Bolognese. This dish had a homemade sauce (which was absolutely delicious), caesar salad and garlic bread on the side. We finished the meal off with little personal sized chocolate cakes & ice cream - yum!

Before Emma was born I got an iPhone 5 for Christmas. I previously had a 3, but wanted the 5 so that I would be able to capture pictures and videos all day of my little bean. Well - I've successfully filled up my entire phone with Emma Lynn photos - O dear.

So now I have all of these photos on my phone.... what do I do with them? I found a great app by Social Print Studio, called Print Studio. They print your digital photos right from your phone onto beautiful thick matte cardstock and ship it straight to your door with record speed! Now I can take all of my iPhone pictures and put them into albums for safe keeping, to look back on down the road! I LOVE this app.



Another app that I have become very familiar with is Sprout Baby. This app helps me track all of Emma's major milestones, including her Dr. appointments, weight gain, diaper changes, feeding times etc. Its been my go-to app ever since Emma was born and it really helped me adjust to life with baby. Its surprising how hard it is to remember when you fed your baby last - maybe it has something to do with so little sleep ;)

Emma has been growing like a weed. I guess its true when everyone warns you to cherish every moment in the first year, as it flies right on by.

Em is now out of her NB clothes and into 0-3 month sizes. Its a bit of a toss up as she is swimming in some of the 0-3 sizes but the NB are way too tight, can't get them over her wiggling arms anymore.

I find that the brand Carter has always fit our little girl best size wise (although I prefer Baby Gap style wise). Today I went out to one of my favourite places - Once Upon a Child, and bought a few 3 month sized carter onesie's. Once Upon a Child is great for having expensive name brands like Baby Gap, Mexx and Carter's for cheap prices (because its all second hand :). This past trip reminded me of my pinterest board that I started while pregnant with Emma, called "I'd like my children to wear". Its a bit "dreamy" but here are some of my favourite shots from it... so adorable.

Wow, that flew by.




If you'd like to see even more recent pictures of Emma, or would like to stay updated on our lives (because I am so horrible at keeping my blog updated) - be sure follow me on instagram. :)

I found a bit of time in the first weeks to design up a quick announcement for Em. I even incorporated some pink (well, I call it peachy-pink) which should shock many of you!

We welcomed Emma Lynn into the world on Tuesday June 4th, at 9:55 pm. I was able to have a home birth (which is a crazy story in itself) and with only 4.5 hours of labour and the help of my midwife, Emma arrived. She is a tiny 6lb 6oz and a nice 20 inches long.

One week old today - the week has just flown by. Emma is quite adorable, making it very difficult for me to choose only a few photos of my already hundreds to share... Here is our little bundle of joy :) We are so thankful for her. God is good.
And just for fun - here are some photos of Emma's many "poses."

Andrew and I went to visit our midwife on Thursday and found out I am 2cm dilated & 70% effaced, which was a pleasant surprise. However, ever since hearing this news and facing the reality of how I could now have the baby "any day, anytime, anywhere, anyhow (insert vague any-word here)." I've just become more and more impatient (naturally).

Evonne Lack really sums up my feelings in her post called Waiting for labour to start is like...

"Okay, then. Waiting for labor is like waiting to get sick. You know you’re going to feel bad – you can feel the first pricklings of that virus – but you don’t know how bad it will be, or when it will start. 

NO! That’s ridiculous. Being sick doesn’t yield a reward, like labor does. It doesn’t change your life. It’s not transcendent. It’s just crappy. As is this analogy.

Waiting for labor is like waiting for the other shoe to drop. It’s like waiting for a surprise visit from another planet. It’s like waiting for the universe to shift.

No, no, and no. 

There’s nothing to compare it to. The experience is so full of sparring emotions that it’s impossible to come up with something just as strange, and infuriating, and annoying, and tiring, and other-worldly, and exciting. Impossible."

I'm officially full term!

My wonderful sister in law was gracious enough to take some shots of Andrew and I before I pop! We just wanted some low key pictures to remember this time of anticipation. She did a really great job, and we now have some wonderful memories for down the road :)

Thanks again Sarah! xo

A few weeks ago, A and I decided to take a little "babymoon" (or so that's what they call them) to Niagara on the Lake. We stayed at a real cozy B&B called The Park Place. Our hosts were great and the breakfast was to die for! We also made reservations at a neat restaurant called The Syndicate Brewery & Restaurant. The Syndicate takes pride in having "Farm to Table" - fresh and local food, and it was delicious.

My mom and I got a chance to spend a really nice week together. We celebrated both our birthday's, had coffee with friends, and dyed some Easter Eggs together before our whole family showed up on Sunday. The whole pinterest "lace trick" worked beautifully on our eggs, although we got the idea from Mom's Better Homes and Gardens magazine.

Sometimes life can fly by. Next thing I know I will be holding a 6 month old wondering where my pregnancy went. Today I just took some time to reflect on God's goodness in our lives, Andrew and I feel so blessed. What a beautiful time in life to relish in. Hope you had some time this week to pause and reflect too.

I've been searching online for a cute mobile to put in the lil' one's nursery.. but they tend to be pretty expensive and I couldn't find any cute airplane ones that would incorporate into our very warm and neutral nursery theme.

So as usual (sometimes I need just a little push) A said "why don't you just make your own?" So we did. It was a fun project and really got me excited about the arrival of our little one. Its also a cute way to bring Andrew into the room - as he is a pilot. I wanted to include airplanes in a way that would be cute and non-cheesy.

Supplies: White (65lb) Card-stock, White String, Wreath Frame, White & Beige Acrylic Paint, Double Sided Tape, Ceiling Hook.

Many people walk in my door and see three simple paintings that I created when A and I were first married. I usually get the question "Did you make those, or buy them?" Who would have known that a simple Martha Stewart stencil and some little canvas' would get so much attention.

Early in our marriage, when I was looking for decor items, I was encouraged by A to tap into my creative side and search out some money saving options. With one short trip to Micheals, I was on my way with a lovey and very simple project, that was also fun (for craft geeks like me anyways). Its pretty amazing how Martha can turn anyone into a pro overnight.