Children – ittybittywhitty

What Matters the Most

A brief summary of my 2019 and our new family photos where I took a turn in front of the camera ❤

December 22, 2019 ittybittywhitty2 Comments

2019 – what a year you have been!

In some ways, the year went by at warp speed, and in others, it’s moved slower than Lucy does when she comes upstairs for bedtime. All in all, without going writing a novel, the year was amazing. There were far more ups than downs which is all anyone could ever ask for. Some of the highlights? We took a vacation this summer for the first time since the kids were born to spend a week in Michigan with my sister and her family. At work, I was able to work on the graphics and AV team once again at our Global Business Meeting in California. In the home office, our team of two grew to a thriving team of five. In terms of my passions, I have stepped up my photography game this year and have had the opportunity to do far more photoshoots than ever before!

The largest and most important highlight was that 2019 was a year of good health and happiness for our family. Bryan and I have been able to embrace the craziness of having a 1-year-old and a 3-year-old and have filled our weekends with family time. We began to really understand that this time is temporary, and even though we may not have a ton of time with friends, date nights, or energy for our own personal hobbies – the time we are spending with the family is what matters the most.

On a whim, on the last weekend of November, we were able to do a family photoshoot with the incredibly talented Ashley Jayde Photography. Before finding Ashley, the original plan was going to be for us to juggle the two kiddos, use a remote and tripod for my camera, and hope for the best. Through a series of very fortunate events, we found Ashley and she captured these gorgeous photos for us at Crown Rose Estate. I will cherish them for a lifetime and am delighted to share them with you!

Wishing everyone a beautiful New Year!

xo, Jen

The Conor Express

What do you get when you combine a one year old and a cake? Take a peek…

February 22, 2019February 22, 2019 ittybittywhitty1 Comment

Our little snuggly baby has officially graduated to our big squirmy one year old and i’m sitting here still trying to figure out where the past year went. Time went fast with Lucy, but with Conor it has been flying by at TURBO speed. It’s hard to even remember Conor when he was a tiny little infant, especially since now he is off the charts in his height and weight and I struggle even trying to hold him! The past year has been incredible seeing his personality shine through. He has a devious little sense of humor (just like his sister!) and has such a knack for picking up on all things physical. We gave him a golf club and he instantly knew to hit a ball. We put food in front of him the first time and he picked it up and perfectly and placed it right in his mouth. And, I swear, his throwing arm is already better than mine! I think we have a future athlete on our hands.

For Conor’s first birthday party, we kept it very small with just a few close relatives to join in on the celebrations. With so much going on – it made sense to keep it minimal this year. Even though it was a small gathering, that didn’t stop me from going a little overboard on trying to play into his train themed party. We decided to continue the theme of a train party to play off of his train themed nursery.

The cute train themed paper goods (cake topper, cupcake toppers, food signage) came from BlueOakCreations. A lot of the small items you will see (the fun conductor hats, lantern, wooden train letters, whistle) are from my last minute impromptu visit to the Brunswick Heritage Museum where I had the pleasure of meeting the museum owner and exploring the gift shop inside. I am really looking forward to going back to the museum with the kids once the model train exhibits open back up next month! Another highlight of the party, was the whimsical smash cake and cupcakes designed by our favorite local baker, The Farmers Daughter Bakeshop. This was our second cake by Keri, and I just love the creativity she used with the icing! Conor, as you can see below, managed to demolish that cake in about 5 seconds flat and required an IMMEDIATE bath afterwards. Another big win in all of the party planning, was getting the party catered by Chipotle. After struggling with a food idea, a friend of mine suggested a Taco Train (thank you Megan) and having Chipotle cater made it way too easy to do and at a really great price.

I want to thank all of our parents for their help with parts of the party, and especially my mom & stepdad for hosting it at their home. The kids are so lucky to have such amazing grandparents, and having 6 our of 7 of them joining in on Conor’s big day was so special!

I hope you enjoy scrolling through these photos from Conor’s party!

Cannot wait to see you grow up my baby boy ❤ We love you so much Conor!

Merry Everything!

And so I’m offering this simple phrase, to kids from one to ninety-two – although it’s been said many times, many ways, Merry Christmas to you!

December 8, 2018December 12, 2018 ittybittywhittyLeave a comment

This year feels a bit different, I felt a sense of completeness as I hung up stocking #4 for the first time. Lucy & Conor truly make this holiday (and every holiday) feel magical. It’s like I relive my own childhood as I see the wonderment in their eyes.

Reflecting on the past year, I still can’t believe we have TWO kids. Conor has been such a blessing to our family this year, and I was so excited to show him his very first Christmas tree. I am a bit obsessed with the teal and red bulbs we have on our tree this Christmas. While the kids are small, hanging anything too fragile seems a bit risky, so instead we used mostly stuffed ornaments and I just love how whimsical it is!

As much as I love the idea of making our own memories and traditions, there is nothing like bringing back the best ones from your childhood. When we were young, my dad always put a huge model train under the tree. This was no ordinary train, it had real sounds, lights, smoke puffs, you name it! We even would set up a little village with homes and tiny people in fake snow. I haven’t quite made it to that level yet, but in the meantime we have a beautiful little train set by FAO Schwarz that simply mesmerizes the kids as they watch as it passes by.

And although it’s been said many times, many ways…

I feel like i’ve hit the jackpot with these sweet & silly kids.

Masha and the Bear

To say Lucy loves Masha is an understatement. And, as proof, Bryan, Lucy, and I can recite every single word of every single episode verbatim.

October 30, 2018October 31, 2018 ittybittywhittyLeave a comment

If you have little ones, there is a good chance you know about the Russian animated series called Masha and the Bear. To say Lucy loves Masha is an understatement. And, as proof, Bryan, Lucy, and I can recite every single word of every single episode verbatim. I am pretty sure every polite thing Lucy has learned has been from her incredible daycare, and every naughty thing she has learned has been from Masha. For Halloween this year, Lucy wanted to dress as Masha, and Conor – by default – well…you guessed it…will be the Bear. It is going to be a sad, sad day when I can’t match these two cutie pies costumes together.

This past weekend, I dressed Lucy in her adorable handmade Masha costume made by Anna Fanosyan, owner of AnyutasCouture. She loved her costume so much that we left it on for half of the day, including our trip to find a pumpkin and our stop to the bakery (cake pop stains may or may not be a part of her costume now). For the past month and a half, Lucy has been asking me, “Is it Halloween yet?” so I am delighted to finally have her wake up tomorrow morning and say YES, it is Halloween!

Conor Boy’s cuddly bear costume makes him the perfect Bear to Masha and he was more fascinated with playing with the grass and mulch than taking photos. We are so excited for Conor to experience his first ever halloween and push him around in the stroller as we trick-or-treat through the neighborhood tomorrow night.

Wishing all of the little trick-or-treaters out there a happy and safe halloween!

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