Summer Happenings + Two Giveaway Announcements

Let me start by saying that yes, I know it has been FOREVER since I posted. I didn't plan on taking a break, it just sorta happened. But, I'm back and I am ready to start writing about all things related to my little family and life! I have some super important events that deserve their own special posts - Kristin's wedding and Emery's birthday!

So, let's start with five things that we have been up to this summer.

{ ONE }

One, One, One. My baby girl turned ONE! How did this happen? I feel like I blinked and now I have a one year old who talks nonstop and runs lap around me. A year ago, I wouldn't have been able to fully comprehend the amount of love that she would bring to not only John and I, but to our entire family. This little girl makes my heart sing!

There will be more posts to come on my sweet girl turning one!

{ TWO } 

The beach has been our official vacation spot of the summer. Anytime we can get out of Atlanta for a long weekend or a week full of fun, we hit the road for some sand, sun and saltwater. Bonus: Emery loves the beach and isn't afraid to get a little (or a lot) sandy.

{ THREE }

Water Time. It's safe to say that we have spent as much time as possible, either near the water, in the water or playing with water.

Pool. We have also spent many a days at the Atlanta Athletic Club. They have an amazing kid's area....like Ah-mazing! And, the water slides are pretty fun too....

This picture doesn't even come close to doing it justice. 

Water Table. Emery got a water table for her first birthday from my sister, Kristin, and her husband, Josh. Most days, it is just best to let her out there in just a diaper to play because she ends up soaked (and I usually do too). Recently, she has been hiking her leg up there to get her foot in the water (that's a major no no). Maybe a baby pool is our next purchase?

Centennial Olympic Park - Fountain of Rings. My sister and her friend, Gwen, made an impromptu visit down to Atlanta and we took Emery to the Fountain of Rings for some water fun. To say she loved it, would be a total understatement. Every couple of hours, they have a water show where the water and the music are timed to each other (much like the Bellagio Fountain in Vegas). Emery couldn't wait for the water show to be over so that she could head back to the water. She was constantly arching her back to try to get down and make a run for it.

If you are visiting Atlanta with children in the summer, I highly recommend a visit to the Fountain of Rings. Plus, it is across the street from the Georgia Aquarium.(also a recommendation).

{ FOUR }

Swim lessons. Because our little fish loves the water so much, I signed her up for swim lessons.  We just completed the 4th class so we are now halfway through. We sing songs while practiicing various swim skills - kicking, reaching and pulling arms, blowing bubbles in the water and floating on her back. She has also been dunked a few times so she could practice holding her breathe under water. Another huge skill that we practice at each lesson is climbing out of pool. It's elbow, elbow, knee, knee for anyone who wants to practice with their child.

Pre-lesson 

Post-lesson snack 

Asleep by the time we got home

{ FIVE }

Aquarium. We purchased annual passes for the Georgia Aquarium. We have only made one visit so far, but plan to go again real soon.

 

I just love her face!!!!! 

All of these pictures were taken by our friends, Paul and Jenn, who joined us at the aquarium. Next summer, they will have there own little miss that will need a trip to the aquarium. Jenn is due at the beginning of August!  Side note: She also writes a fun blog called pinterestdreams.blogspot.com!

So, there they are...a few of our summers happenings! 

And lastly, I will be hosting a BEAUTYCOUNTER giveaway next week! I know that I  mentioned this before  but it's really happening next week. Please be sure to stop by to enter. In the meantime, check out their website, their products and my friend and BEAUTYCOUNTER consultant, Vironica Dawson.
I will also be hosting a giveaway from Belly Dance Maternity in the coming weeks. I expect all of my newly pregnant mommies to be and readers to stop by to enter!



Five On Friday + eShakti Gift Card Winner Announced

{ ONE }

Happy anniversary to my sweet husband! I can't believe that its been three years since I walked down the aisle to marry my perfect match. So much has changed since then - new state, new house and a little girl - and I look forward to all of our adventures to come.

In honor of our three married years, I thought it would be fun to tell you the traits that I hope Emery gets from you (besides those good looks which clearly she has).

Outgoing - Wow. Did I marry that most outgoing person in the whole world? I'm pretty sure that I did and I absolutely love that about you. It was one of the first things that drew me to you. I use to tell everyone just how much fun you were and it all stems from your outgoingness. You are always up for meeting new people and expanding your (and our) friend group. I often think of you as a friend collector, constantly adding to your group of lifelong friends.

Hard-Working/Ambitious - You are one of the hardest working people I know, always with a goal of improving yourself and your position. The internal drive that you have to be successful isn't often found and I appreciate how hard you work for our little family. Without you, I wouldn't be so blessed to spend my days with our little girl.

Loyal - This is my most favorite thing about you. I see how loyal you are to not only your family, but your friends. If are person is your friend, they will be so for life.

{ TWO } 

This past Saturday, John, Kristin (my sis) and I ran the SuperCon 5k Run here in Atlanta. I love a good themed 5k and a reason to look ridiculous and dress up. We were team Spiderman.

Literally, everyone dressed up which was awesome and I am sure the costume competition was stiff.  I would have voted for the Super Mario Carts (not sure if they even entered or finished in time to be part of it as they were walking it), but they had about 8 "carts". I am not totally sure it 100% fit the theme but for creativity and time spent of the costumes, they deserved to win!

Oh, and Emery enjoyed the lap of luxury as she was pushed for the 5k (that little girl's daddy is a stud).

{ THREE }

My little girl will be the BIG 01 on June 3! I can't even believe how quickly this time has passed. It feels like just yesterday that we were headed to the hospital after nearly 8 hours of contractions. And now, she will be a year old. Somedays I look at her and she looks more like 2 year toddler than my bitty baby. Anyways, enough about how she has grown up way too fast so far....now onto the birthday party front. 

We are full steam ahead in birthday party planning. The invites went out today and it made it seem so much more real. I want to share the invite, but it would give away the theme! I got the invites from PrettyPaperInk. Jamie, the shop owner, did an awesome job coming up with a custom invite for the party! She actually gave me two versions and I spent about 3 hours going back and forth between the two! I loved them both so much that I almost used both of them - half of the invitees would get one and the other half would get the other! 

Anyways, please check out her shop. This is the second time I have used her for an invite to a party (previously for an gender real party) and I absolutely love her work (not to mention that she is so easy to work with). Here is the invite that we used for my friend Emily's (and Brian's) reveal:

via

Jamie started her Etsy shop as a way to raise money for the adoption of a child. Well, guess what? She is headed to meet her baby boy towards the end of May/early June (so her shop will be closed so she can soak up all the precious first moments with him)! What a blessing and an exciting time for her! She will continue using her proceeds to help others with their adoption costs.

{ FOUR }

Thank you to everyone who entered the eShakti $25 gift card giveaway. You all continue to make these such a huge success. The two winners of $25 gift cards are....

a Rafflecopter giveaway

{ FIVE }

And lastly, I will be hosting a BEAUTYCOUNTER giveaway next week! Please be sure to stop by to enter. In the meantime, check out their website, their products and my friend and BEAUTYCOUNTER consultant, Vironica Dawson.

 a. liz adventures, carolina charm, hello! happiness and the good life blog) 



eShakti: {Review + Giveaway}

The nice people at eShakti recently contacted me about reviewing one of their custom pieces. Custom, you said? Ummmm, yes please! 

eShakti is an online clothing retailer that specializes in custom clothing for all body shapes and sizes. For each item, you can decide if you want to choose a size based on the measurements listed or input your own measurements. You can also change up the sleeves, the dress length, remove pockets, switch up the neckline......the possibilities are endless.

After browsing their entire site, I knew that I wanted to pick out a dress that I could wear to one of my sister's wedding events. I chose a blue lace dress with black trim. I don't know what it is, but I am drawn to lace....HELLO, my beautiful wedding dress!

Now, it was time to choose a size or add in my measurements. I went with a size because all the measurements seemed to match mine pretty perfectly. Plus, the last time I had my measurements taken professionally was a few months after Emery Kate was born (and I knew those weren't going to be close anymore). Next, I opted to change the length of the dress and make it "above the knee (short girl problems);" although, I almost went with ankle length because I love a good maxi. For the rest of the options, I left them as is because I liked that it was sleeveless and boatneck.

I have now worn this twice - my sister's monograms and mimosas bridal shower and out to dinner with new friends - and received compliments on both occasions. I just love everything about this dress - blue, lace, cocktail length, custom and great quality! eShakti's inventory is constantly changing and my blue lace dress is no longer available. However, here are some of my fave new arrivals:

here

here

here

eShakti has graciously offered to giveaway $25 gift cards to two of my lovely readers. Just enter the rafflecopter below. The giveaway ends on May 16 at 8am. Good Luck!!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: This product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.

Life Lately

Hello....Hello....Is anyone out there?

Wow...talk about being MIA. It has been 3 or 4 long weeks since I have posted! We have been so busy getting settled in Atlanta and I have some major catching up to do. So, I'm going to start with a quick mention of what has been happening (along with pictures) and many of them will have more to come later.

1. We FINALLY closed on our new house in Atlanta and are all moved in.

Emery and I have been spending some major time outdoors soaking up the vitamin D. The outdoor space is one of the best parts about the house. 

There will be so much more to come on our house later as we try to get it decorated. I have a goal of having a good amount done by Emery's first birthday!

2. I (and many others) spent a long weekend in Savannah for my sister's bachelorette party.

3. Emery got her first (and hopefully last) ear infection for her 10 month birthday (two weeks ago)...poor baby. Needless to say, it was a rough for baby (and mommy).

4. We visited Set and Crystal in Savannah before they make they make their way to their new home in Maryland. We ate at The Crab Shack on Tybee on Friday night and spent Saturday on Hilton Head Island.

Emery LOVES the beach. She couldn't get enough of the sand and the water.

Beach "Usie"

5. I signed up for the SuperCon 5k Fun Run here in Atlanta on May 10. Check out their website to sign up for the Atlanta run or to check out the upcoming races in other cities.

My husband, sister and one of my sister's best friends, Gwen, will also be running the race with me. And, little E will be pushed in the jogging stroller by her daddy!

Here is a picture from last years race (courtesy of the SuperCon website):

Now, we just need to figure out our costumes.

6. John and I attended the Springtime in the City charity event benefitting the Adaptive Learning Center and a local Presbyterian School.

7. Thank you to everyone who entered the Put Me In The Story Giveaway. You all made it a great success. The winner of the personalized book is.....

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Diana H.

Congratulations Diana! 

8. And most importantly, my little sister, Kristin and Josh got married. 

At Christmas with Emery

Rehearsal Dinner Night

Wedding Day

Congrats to Kristin and Josh on the most perfect wedding day! Hope you are having the best time in St. Lucia....jealous! Love you both. 

Until next time lovelies (hopefully it won't be another 4 weeks). 



Easter Basket Goodies + Giveaway

Is it too early to start talking and thinking about Easter? I know that it was just St. Patricks Day, but I am onto the next holiday. It is ONLY one month away after all and I am a total type A personality.

In years past, I wouldn't be thinking about Easter at this point. Things just change when you become a parent. You want to mark every occasion and make them special. So, while Emery wont remember one little minute of it this year...I will.

Here are the things that I have for her so far....

ONE: Easter Basket

When thinking about the Easter basket that I wanted for Emery, I knew that it had to be personalized with her name or monogram and that it needed to be able to be used for more than just Easter (think Halloween, storage of crafts i.e. paper and crayons, etc).

Then, I found the cutest shop, Vinyl-E Yours, that had just what I was looking for. The bucket color (5 choices) and the monogram color (ton of choices) could be (almost) any combination that you could dream of. Since I am very visual (and I liked the combo Heather, the shop owner, had pictured), I chose the white 10 quart bucket with pink and green monogram and dots. To say that I am OBSESSED is an understatement. I was literally giddy for hours after I opened it.

Just for scale: It's large. 

TWO: Bunny Headband

Seriously, just stop. I can't even handle the cuteness of this headband on Emery. I mean...LOOK! Does it get any cuter (biased mom alert)? The headband is from the Etsy shop, Kendall Cole Couture. They have multiple options for Easter (baby chick, bunny, Easter egg), other holidays (4th of July, Halloween, Christmas) and over 500 varieties of headbands. Adrienne, the shop owner, even customized the headband size because I thought Emery was in between the sizes listed. And, guess what? It fits perfectly and must be comfortable because she didn't even notice it was there.

THREE: Baby Leg Warmers

Ever since Emery started crawling, I have been wanting to pick up a pair of baby leg warmers for her. Filling an Easter basket provided the perfect opportunity. This pair came from the Etsy shop, Blush Bowtique, I just love the colorful polka dots and ankle ruffles are ridiculously adorable. These may make an appearance again around Emery's first birthday. Stay tuned....

Checking out the ruffles

FOUR: Peter Rabbit Stuffed Animal

When Emery was born, we received a Peter Rabbit stuffed animal from Pottery Barn that is about the size of the medium one pictured below. I chose to save it for her first Easter since she received so many other stuffed animals, dolls and lovies.

Pottery Barn must not carry it anymore because these are the ones they have now. 

FIVE: Bible

I haven't made this purchase yet, but I need to get on it ASAP. I want to get Emery her first Bible for Easter. I can't think of a better time for her to receive it. I still have my childhood bible and I cherish it.

SIX: Books

Books are something that Emery gets for every holiday or special occasion and don't be surprised if I talk about them often.

The Tale of Peter Rabbit: My mother in law recently gave us The Tale of Peter Rabbit that belonged to John as a child. I love that we are now passing it on to Emery.

If I could keep you little: I received the opportunity to create a personalized book from Put Me In The Story for Emery Kate. I knew that this would be a special gift for her and that one day she will love seeing her name in a storybook. For a child, this seems magical. They have so many options to chose from, including many of the most recognizable children's books (On the Night You Were Born,  I Love You More, etc).

I chose the book, "If I could keep you little, Emery Kate" because of the message in the book.

ABOUT THE BOOK (taken from Put Me In The Story)
If I Could Keep You Little… illuminates the tender balance between letting your child grow up and savoring the beauty of right now.  Every page includes a mother or father remembering the special moments they wish they could hold onto in order to keep their child little forever.  The moments that parents cherish, such as kissing cuts and scrapes and singing lullabies, are placed into one remarkable book.

Now, let's talk about creating the book. It was so easy. It literally took me under 5 minutes to create. Once I clicked to personalize, it took me to a screen where I could add in her name, who the book is from, upload a picture of her and write a dedication You can see pictures of actual parts of the book below. I ordered the book on a Thursday and it shipped out the following Wednesday. I can't wait to read it to Emery and for her to enjoy it for years to come.

I wrote a little dedication to Emery, but wanted to keep it personal. 

Be sure to check out Put Me In The Story to personalize a book for your little one, for a niece or nephew, sibling or your best friends child.

Put Me In The Story has generously offered to give one lucky Everyday Loveliness reader their very own personalized "If I could keep you little" book. Enter the rafflecopter below for your chance to win. Giveaway ends at midnight on March 30th and the winner will be announced on March 31st.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The winner will be sent a code from Put Me In The Story to create their personalized book. US residents only. 
Disclosure: This product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.