Oh, how to decide!

The lovely and talented Darla took some belly shots for me recently, and she mixed in other shots of whole family. It was impossible to choose just a few favorites to post here, so please be sure click over to her blog to see more from our shoot and more of her fabulous work! Oh, and leave me a comment to tell me which is your favorite! (I can't decide!)

Silly, I know . . .

. . . to obsess about a diaper bag, when there are much more important things in life to worry about. But alas, it is a major baby necessity. I posted my dilemma on Facebook and the answers were too mixed to be helpful. (Yeah, I know I should listen to you, Mom. Moms are always right. You almost have me convinced, too, but then I keep seeing myself with this other bag casually slung over my shoulder . . .)

So, now I'm going to reveal the bags in question and poll my blogging friends.

Would you buy the one on sale (the brand I've been eyeing, but an older model at 1/2 price!), or the one you really love (same brand, but the "premium" model), not on sale, which roughly translates to 4 times (gulp) as much as the other one?

Believe me, I have justifcation. I mean, if I carry this thing every day for 2 years, the cost per wear is merely pennies. Okay, cents. And this is my 3rd baby, so I know how much I rely on a good quality diaper bag. And people spend crazy money on designer purses all the time. This is going to double as my purse for the next 2 years. And . . . alright, enough.

Here are the diaper bags in question, in no particular order. Which one do you like? #1 or #2? (Don't cheat and look up the prices!)






I do actually already have one of these bags in my possession. But I also have a receipt, and I'm not above using it!

the many faces of Dawson

As Tom and I browsed through the photos the kids took at Easter brunch, we were highly entertained by one particular nephew.






This isn't the first time he has hammed it up for the camera. I looked back through my archives and found many such photos. Here are just a few. He has food on his face in almost every single photo I have of him.





Dawson, you rock!

Easter Sunday

We dressed in our Easter finery for a lovely Easter brunch at the Gallatin Gateway Inn.


You know how the kids always finish eating first? (Perhaps because the adults are too busy taking pictures of their food.) Well, they begged to use the camera while the rest of us finished eating. And you know what? That turned out to be a grand idea because in the end, the best photos came from them.









Family: you can find more photos and order prints here.

4th quarter stretch

30 weeks down, 10 to go. Here I am, posing for the obligatory belly shot:

Seems like a good time to take one, before the 4th quarter "stretching" begins. Ha ha.

I also thought I'd share a few tips on maternity clothes, since I was looking for info when I was at the stage of outgrowing my regular clothes. I did have a few clothes left over from my previous pregnancies, but many I had given away or loaned out, and the rest, well, let's face it. Most things are pretty out of style after 5-8 years!

I wanted to be fairly modest about what I purchased, so I bought mostly pants and just a few tops. I've been able to use a lot of tops, elastic-waist skirts, and jersey dresses from my regular wardrobe which has been great. My options are thinning as I get bigger, but hey- only 10 weeks left! People can forgive me for wearing the same things all the time for that long.

So, in the photo above I am wearing a pair of dress slacks I bought from A Pea in a Pod. Their pants fit me the best by far (they have a what they call a "secret-fit belly panel" that is very comfortable to wear.) I needed dressier clothes because of my job, and even though I wasn't able to find these on sale, they were worth the money since I wear them once a week at least.

I'm also wearing an open cardi from Anthropologie. I have several cardis like this and they make a great transitional wardrobe item.

And here is another photo of me modeling my favorite (and only) pair of maternity jeans:

I bought and then returned 2 other pairs of more expensive jeans before I found these. I found them at the Expected maternity boutique in Fort Union. They carry a few pricey high end brands also, but the brand I really liked was the more affordable Lilac line. These jeans were long enough for a change, stretchy, and super comfy. I got them on sale for about half of one of the other pairs I had purchased and returned. Lilac specializes in maternity clothes that can be transitional (worn after your pregnancy too). These jeans do have a fabric belly panel, but they also have an elastic band on the inside that can be tightened, much like those they put in kids pants these days. How cool is that?

I also bought 2 shirts at Expected; the red patterned shirt in the jeans photo and the white shirt in the top photo. Both were on sale (even better!) and both have ruching on the sides, so I do think I will try them after pregnancy as well.

Hope that info is helpful to all you newly-preggos out there!

Meeting Ollie

Ahhh, what a sweet Easter treat: to meet our new nephew/cousin.

April Fools!

I got to stay home with the girls today because my sitter was going out of town. Abby had us dress up as monsters for Fool's day. (She made our masks and hands out of paper.)


Oooooh, scary!


This is what it looked like out our front door today. Mother nature's idea of an April Fool's joke?