Showering Sweet Baby

I headed home to Minnesota at 30 weeks pregnant to celebrate our sweet baby girl with my closest friends and family. My mom threw me the most beautiful baby shower and I am so grateful for all of the memories created that afternoon!

As guests arrived they sipped pink lemonade and champagne as they wrote on Project Life cards for baby girl's baby book. I received amazing pieces of advice and encouragement, along with some messages for baby, too. I also got to meet my nephew, Leo, who I couldn't get enough cuddles with!

After we settled in we played a few quick games before eating lunch. The Price is Right game was a big hit; it also was so nice to go home with all of the supplies my mom included in the basket! Guests also guessed my belly size. Almost everyone thought I was way bigger than I actually was! My friend Coley was only a few centimeters off and went home with the prize.

My mom prepared an amazing lunch, including my favorite chicken salad, a veggie pizza, and cucumber sandwiches. For dessert we had frosted sugar cookies, Rice Krispie bars, and cake. Everything was so delicious!

After lunch I opened gifts while everyone ate dessert. I received so many beautiful things for baby, including the handmade blanket photographed below from my aunt. I will be bringing it to the hospital to keep our baby girl warm and cozy.

We snapped a ton of photos before everyone headed home, including the gem below with my dancer girls. After 12 years of dance photos it is a guarantee that poses will be struck every time we are together.

The ladies departed with Brian's homemade granola as a thank you for attending. I cannot express how grateful I am for all of the love and support I received at my shower- baby and I felt so special! 

Great Minnesota Get-Together

One of my favorite traditions growing up was visiting the Minnesota State Fair the week before Labor Day. The food and people watching are like no where else in the world! I was lucky enough to fly home for the fair this year and satisfy all of my fried-food cravings. I attended the fair with my mom, stepdad, and twin brothers. We had a long list of foods to sample throughout the day, and ended up going back for seconds of some of our favorites! The Tom Thumb mini-donuts were especially delicious this year. The mini-donut beer was also quite tasty! We commented throughout the day about how crowded it was, and discovered when we got home that it was the highest-attended day in Minnesota State Fair history! We were proud to be a part of the historic day. I will be dreaming of grilled corn and cheese curds until my next visit.

Our Minnesota Wedding Reception {moments}

These are the final wedding photos I will be sharing from our Minnesota brunch celebration. There were so many wonderful moments that morning with our family and friends, and our photographers Rachel and Rob captured them beautifully. Candid photos are always my favorite and I am grateful we have so many from both of our weddings! One of my top five moments from our celebration was seeing my grandparents the moment they arrived that morning; the photos of us hugging will definitely be framed somewhere in our home.