5 easy steps to create an adorable first birthday cake smash

I blinked, and my squishy, newborn baby turned one. How did that happen?

Ever since she was really little, I saw all of these adorable pictures of first birthday cake smashes on Pinterest, and I knew I wanted to do something like that for Kate's

Best one year old gift ideas for a girl: our personal favorites!

When my daughter, Emma, turned one, a lot of people asked me for gift ideas for her. And one month later, at Christmas, everyone wanted even more ideas.

Back then, I had some ideas, but now that she's 2, I feel like I can do a better job of looking back at

10 tips to turn a nursery into a big kid bedroom

"All children, except one, grow up." -J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

Well, Emma hasn't grown up quite yet, but the time is certainly flying by. I can't believe she's already 2!

And, as a 2 year old, we decided it was time to redesign her bedroom,

Postpartum essentials: Which postpartum supplies I stocked up on for a healthy recovery

When I came home from the hospital after having my first baby, I had no idea what I would need afterwards for a healthy recovery. I bought things that I didn't need to because the hospital stocked me up on samples before I came home, and I

20 books you absolutely have to read with your 1 year old

When my daughter, Emma, was one year old, I put together a list of over 200 books that I wanted to read with her before she turned 2. And then we read them. All of them. And then some more. It was awesome.

A few weeks ago, I shared our favorite
100 of those books in a post

Essential breastfeeding supplies: How I organized my nighttime nursing station

If you choose to breastfeed, you will be spending many, many hours of the day and night doing so. Why not make it comfortable and convenient? Today, I'm so excited to share with you how I organized the corner of my bedroom to make it a comfy, convenient nursing station, and which supplies I always keep on hand to make nighttime

The 100 best books for 1 year olds

When my daughter, Emma, turned one, I started asking my friends and searching the Internet for the best book recommendations for toddlers. I compiled a list of over 200 books, and we steadily read through that list all year long. As we went, we added new books that we found and loved, and removed the ones we weren't crazy

Kate's pink and gray nursery reveal

I can't believe Kate has already been home with us for 3 weeks. And I'm just now sharing the pictures of her nursery. If you read my Welcome, Kate! post (or if you follow me on Instagram) then you know that we waited around for this baby to come for quite some time. I had so much fun getting her nursery ready, partially because it made all that

Welcome, Baby Kate!

She's finally here!!! Welcome, Baby Kate. We couldn't be more thrilled to finally be able to hold you in our arms.

Take me out to the ball game. . . Our baseball gender reveal

It's a . . .

BOY?? GIRL??

We've been making our family wait to find out whether we were having a boy or a girl so we could do a fun little gender reveal with them. We found an etsy shop that sells breakable baseballs

10 classy pregnancy announcement ideas

Most of you already saw my exciting baby news last week... so today I decided to share some of the great baby announcement photo ideas that inspired my own photo announcement. These are all classy and (fairly) simple ideas, so feel free to take one or two of

An exciting announcement!

I am so excited to share with you guys that Kevin, Emma and I are expecting a BABY this December!!!

Your cloth diapering questions answered by real moms: What would you say to a new mom who is trying to decide between cloth and disposable diapers?

Today's post is the last one in my cloth diaper series, and it's for anyone who is trying to decide whether to use cloth diapers or disposables for their next baby.

You probably already know that I'm a

2016 Bestsellers: Baby Edition (1/2 year report)

Is anyone else addicted to Amazon Prime?

I mean, I was pretty addicted before, but as soon as I had a baby, it got real. Free 2 day shipping- and you'll deliver it right to my doorstep? I don't have to

Your cloth diapering questions answered by real moms: What are your favorite cloth diaper accessories?

If you're thinking about using cloth diapers with your first baby (like I was) then it makes sense to add diapers and diaper accessories to your baby registry. But what, exactly, should you ask for?

I did a lot of research before deciding

Your cloth diapering questions answered by real moms: What is your favorite brand or type of cloth diaper and why?

I'm back with more cloth diaper survey results! Today's question really made me realize how much better cloth diapers are now than they were 20 years ago. There are so many great options out there! I can't wait for you to check out some of these moms' favorites.

Your cloth diapering questions answered by real moms: What tips or tricks have you learned to make cloth diapering easier?

When I first started using cloth diapers, I had a lot of questions. How many diapers do I need? What kind of laundry detergent should I be using? How do I manage a weekend trip?

I learned the answers to these questions

Your cloth diapering questions answered by real moms: What made you decide to use cloth diapers instead of disposables?

So, you're thinking about using cloth diapers? A little more than a year ago, while I was pregnant with my daughter, I was trying to make the same decision. And it was really confusing to me.

That's why I decided to get together a

Hope after a miscarriage: 17 comforting Bible verses

I would have been almost 4 months pregnant today. Instead, when we went in for our 12 week sonogram, we were told that our baby didn't make it. There was no heartbeat. I had a miscarriage.

I was absolutely heartbroken. I still am.

What to do with monthly baby pictures

Nowadays, it seems like everyone is taking monthly baby pictures. Not wanting to miss out, I also took pictures of Emma every month. One of my friends gave me onesies at my baby shower with numbers painted on them, and I had so much fun taking pictures of Emma in her special onesies every month. But what to do with all those adorable photos? Why, display them at her first birthday party, of course! I decided to make a banner using all of her monthly baby pictures and hang them up in front of our dining room window for the party.