I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. 1 Timothy 1 vs 12-17

His birthday was at the end of September, but I think he might have this card hanging around for quite some time on his desk ;)



Photo cred: Sarah-Bear Van Kruistum (snapped up North on Labour Day holidays)

Emma is busy learning how to stand up and we think she will be walking by 12 months which will be so much fun this summer! I kinda missed the mark with her 8 month pictures.. but here she is at 9 months.



I have been busy learning embroidery, and LOVING it. I started with a simple hoop design for Emma's door, and now I am working on pillows for our bedroom. If spring gets here fast enough I might have to postpone this "winter" craft and finish the pillows next year, but we will see. Check out my pinterest "Embroidery Love" board for fun and inspiring ideas :)

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!

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

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

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.

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."

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.

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.

Now that it's been a good week and a half since the official "love day" I am finally writing a post about it. Ha! Andrew and I had a lovely day. I made him a card and in turn he made me dinner (and of course got me chocolates ;)



I also found a really cute idea online (for all those book worms out there) of making a V-Day Bookmark for your sweetheart. This idea immediately made me think of my sister and her husband (they are your classic book worms). So I made up a little bookmark for her to give her husband at their cute (and what looks like delicious) Valentine's dinner - Yum!

One of my favourite (but most difficult) design projects has been our wedding invites. But I finally decided on these designs and love how they turned out.

At the beginning of May, Andrew and I got to spend a Sunday afternoon at Andrew's hangar and a nearby park with 3Photography (Specifically Jaclyn), our wedding photographer. She did an awesome job, and we were way beyond happy with our photos!! We would recommend the girls at 3Photography - so make sure to check out their blog & site. Check em' out!