Tennessee pt. 2: good to be home.

^^ the real deal! at Edley's

^^ Sunday hike at Shelby Bottoms with my family and Merle, the great dane. 

^^ queen anne's lace is so beautiful

^^ more Wesley time! love these of she and her daddy. 

^^ my sister, brother-n-law and I saw Frances Ha late night at the Belcourt Theater

^^ 32 weeks!

When I am home, we spend a lot of time on my mom's screened in porch...talking, laughing and enjoying each other. I think it's my favorite thing to do, especially in the summer with a lovely adult beverage in hand. It was particularly fun this last trip, because we had little baby Wesley to pass around as we chatted. These photos are what a lot of my trips home look like-- family, food, and a touch of nature. I really like to get a hike in if possible when I'm home. Hiking in Tennessee is very different from hiking in Colorado-- more lush, less altitude. The trees are so dense and green, and everything is growing wild and almost out of control. We saw a snake this time as wandered down the 'ecology trail'! My mom was out of there pretty quickly :)

I'll be back again in Nashville early August for my sister's birth. It's hard not to look back on this past year and get a little emotional. With my sister becoming a mother, and my brother now being a father, things are really pretty special right now.

Tennessee Pt. 1: Oh, the places she'll go...

^^ mama Kali looking so stylish!

Between birthdays and baby showers, I feel like the past few months have been kinda crazy! Well my sister is now 32 weeks {woot woot!}, so my mom threw a baby shower in her honor last weekend and naturally I had to fly out to Tennessee to join. I also finally got to meet my beautiful niece, Wesley Jayne Souder! The long weekend wasn't quite long enough, but we crammed a lot of family time in and had some fantastic meals (oh how I miss Southern food). Saturday was the shower and my mom of course went above and beyond and everything was darling. She set up a DIY tent with paint and stencils and we all made onesies. It was by far my favorite baby shower activity to date-- ^^ look how cute they all turned out. Baby Wesley stole the show for a bit and let me hold her while Aunt Kate opened presents (doesn't she have the best facial expressions?). I can't tell you how good it felt to be with family for a few short days. They mean the world to me and I know it's just going to get harder and harder to leave with these beautiful babies in the picture!

Wandering Wednesday: Jackson, TN + A Baby Shower

^^ all my girls! Such pretty mamas :) 

 When I was planning this baby shower from so many miles away, I had pictures in my head of how I wanted it to look, but had no idea how any of it would turn out. I was so anxious to get to TN and put everything in its place! Luckily the decorations we ordered arrived on time, and we had plenty of helping hands. Honestly, the day was so gorgeous, and the setting was so perfect, that all the little details were just the icing on the cake! With spring in full bloom right now, My dad's backyard is the dream setting for a baby shower and the seventy degree weather wasn't too shabby either. We invited mainly family and close friends and decided that, although a lot of baby showers are gender exclusive, we wanted the men there too ;) With that in mind, I created a game that revolved around the new dads, and called it 'The Newly Dad' game. (the basic gist of the game is explained here, but I tweaked it a little) The best part of the whole party was that all of my families were all in one place at one time...step, ex, in-law, you name it, everyone showed up! One big,happy,dysfunctional family! To some that might sound like a total nightmare, but to me it was pretty amazing to see everyone together, sharing this beautiful day. I can't wait for these baby girls to join in on all the fun! It's funny how these sorts of things can bring the most unlikely crew together. And this crew, my family, is the best crew around in my book! 

...until next time Tennessee.

the decorative details:
Green Watering Cans: Zulily

Party Favors: Plant a Memory

Labels: Pink Paisley Designs

Petifores and Cookies: Shirley's Bakery

Bunting Flags: Berry a la Mode

Game Rule Illustrations/Design: Aly Aga