MADELYN'S FIRST BIRTHDAY

 oh my goodness, i cannot begin to thank all our family and friends who came to celebrate our sweet little miss madelyn turning ONE. we are so lucky to have so many people in our lives who love us and our little baby girl. we had a beautiful fun day celebrating (although it rained) and i truly enjoyed planning/crafting every little detail for this special day, she only turns one once. 

xoxo

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what madelyn wore :

gold lace crown | love crush boutique

white eyelet tulle dress | zara (last season)

FAMILY PICTURES

A few weekends ago my sweet friend Brooke took some beautiful family pictures of us. She just launched her photography company, Brooke Whitney Photography. If you are in the Atlanta area, check her out!!

Look at this face!?! I absolutely L.O.V.E these pictures and will forever cherish these!

Thank you Auntie Brooke oh so much for spending the afternoon with us. We love you!!

Outfit Details

Vy | Peachy Plaid Button Up Shirt (old - similar here) / Chino Shorts

Me | Mint Maxi Dress (from Dress Up Boutique) / Bloom Necklace

Madelyn | Flower Dot Bow Dress / Mary Jane Jelly Sandals / Lace Headband (Made by Me)

MINI STYLE

Like most Mommas, I love shopping! Now having a little mini to dress has made my heart so happy! My style for Madelyn is of course a reflection of my own, I mean most of the time I wish her wardrobe came in my size. 

There are a few tips I keep in mind when shopping for M: 

-Would I wear it? She is my child so I want to dress her like me.

-How long will she wear this? Since I started shopping for M, my mom has always told me that she will grow fast so not to spend too much on her clothes as she may not get that much use out of it. M is on the smaller end but I do want her clothes to somewhat grow with her. So I shop in both the baby girl and toddler girl section. For example: a toddler shirt can now be a dress for M and as she gets older can actually be used as a shirt.
-Is it on sale? I rarely ever pay full price, I always want to feel like I'm getting a deal and I will wait for one. If I see something I love I will keep my eye on it and if it's meant for M then it will find a way home with us.

-Do I love it? Just like when I shop for myself, I try not to buy pieces unless I love it so I do that with M. 
-How will she wear this? I tend to buy pieces and not outfits when out shopping so I try to always stop and think what does she have at home that will make an outfit. 

Over the last two weeks, there have been some killer sales around and I have picked quite a few pieces for M. After bring all the goodies home I couldn't wait to play in her closet and see what would come together. So I wanted to share a few outfits I just can't wait for her to wear.

(I apologize in advance for the photo quality, my camera setting was a little off and needs to be fixed)

Cotton Knotted Headband / Empire Top / Bloomers (from an existing dress)

Denim Jacket / Flower Print Romper (Baby Gap, got it in store but no longer online) / Gold Braided Sandals (Old Navy, gifted from a friend)

 Empire Top (Baby Gap, got it in store but no longer online) / Legging Jean (Baby Gap last year, similar here) / Rose Mary Jane (Old Navy last season)

Headband (Made by Me) / Stripe Sundress / Gold Mary Jane Jelly 

A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS

(I realize I am a little behind in posting about this but I couldn't miss writing about M's first Christmas)

 Since Christmas fell right in the middle of the week this year I took the whole week off to celebrate. Trust me, I didn't complain one bit as I was beyond excited to spend all that time with family celebrating little M's first Christmas. When I got off of work on Friday we were on our way to Orlando. The ride down really threw M off her usually schedule which resulted in an hour and half melt down. It was the first time she was stuck in her car seat for six and half hours but we made it with a semi happy baby at 1:30 in the morning. We always try and made it to the Christmas service and this time Madelyn was on the program to received her dedication. 

On Saturday before heading to church we had to stop by and see Vy's grandpa. He was the pastor of the church and a gentle kind hearted man. Before he passed, he was waiting for Vy and I to have a baby as she is the first great grandchild to carry the family name. It is apparent that Madelyn shares a few of the same features with him so we know that he is living within her.

When we arrived at church, it was the first time M was meeting the majority of the family. She was quite popular. Madelyn received her dedication from Vy's oldest uncle.

Vy and I say often that we are very lucky to have such a happy and sweet baby. She was so well behaved during service that you wouldn't even know there was a baby there.

A little family photo after service.

{What Madelyn Wore: Headband - Made by Me, Floral Cord Top, Tights - Old Baby Gap & Bow Back Flats }

  Then we have a very tired sleeping baby girl. This girl can really sleep anywhere. We are definitely enjoying it while it last.

For being such a sweet girl, M's auntie gave her an early Christmas present. 

 This year we were in Orlando a little longer than years past so we got to hang out with cousin and family a little longer. We were able to leave M with her grandparents a few nights to have a little grow up fun, we went a Magic basketball game and went to see Anchorman II. We have not been to the movies since I was about 38 weeks preggo when we saw the Great Gatsby, it's been that long. Vy's family celebrates on Christmas Eve where we all go over to his uncle's house to eat dinner, play white elephant game (wish I had photos as my hubs gifted a giant photo of his head) and open presents.

M stayed up way passed her bedtime and was not into any photos at this moment. Everyone was so sweet and generous to little M. 

  {What Madelyn Wore: Green Polka Dot Dress - Old Jack and Janie}

M wasn't too sure on what was going on.

On Christmas day we left early to head back to Atlanta to spend Christmas with my parents. The drive back home was 100 times better than on the way down and M was such a happy baby when we arrived at my parents, she is such a little trooper. It is a lot of traveling but we are able to spend time with both sides and full our hearts with all the joy and love of the holidays.

(After being in a car for six and a half hours I was looking pretty rough and the pictures that were taken I am not a fan so I'll spare you those.)