Helping Families to Connect and Thrive

2020 Christmas Jammies

11.27.20

With full bellies and hearts, we kicked off the Christmas season on Thanksgiving night with new holiday movie quote jammies and our first viewing of Home Alone. Our family treasures this tradition so much!!! It is crazy to think this was our NINTH year of welcoming the holiday season this way!⠀

This is, however, the first year I have used lines from The Santa Clause for our jammies, and while I regretted choosing such long quotes during the more tedious parts of the design work, Isaac’s reaction and the belly laughs we shared made it all that vinyl peeling worthwhile! ⠀

Cole’s shirt quote: “He’s naked somewhere!”

Isla’s shirt quote: “Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night! When I wake up, I’m gettin’ a CAT scan!”

Jen’s shirt quote: “And I’ll have a caesar. No dressing. And one of those homemade cookies, the warm chocolate chip. No nuts. And a little slice of cheesecake. Uh, crème brulee, and, um, hot fudge sundae, extra hot fudge… on the side.”

Isaac’s shirt quote: “Down the chimney? You want me to take toys down the chimney into a strange house, IN MY UNDERWEAR?!?!”

While not directly related to the jammies, I think it is still totally worth noting how much Cole relates to Kevin McCallister– he did this entirely on his own while we watched Home Alone!

DIY Kitten Wrap Carrier

11.17.20

Shortly after we surprised Isla with Auggie, she began walking around with him swaddled in the front of her shirt, and I knew she needed a little wrap carrier!

I took inspiration from the Moby wrap I used with Cole, and whipped up this relatively simple DIY carrier. Now I say “relatively simple” because sewing stretchy fabric neatly can be a bit of a challenge. I worked around that problem by choosing black fabric– all the imperfections disappeared! Yes, I am a very basic seamstress! I put together a tutorial (also very basic) for making a kid-sized wrap carrier– perfect for kittens, dolls, and stuffed animals!

To make a kid-sized wrap carrier, all you need is a yard of stretchy jersey knit fabric, thread, sharp scissors, and a sewing machine.

I folded the yard of fabric in half lengthwise (hot dog style) and cut along the fold to create two equal pieces of fabric.

Next, I laid one piece of fabric directly on top of the other piece, and stitched them together across one end. When folded open, this made one long piece of fabric with a seam directly in the center.

I opened the fabric up so it was one long piece of fabric, then folded it lengthwise (hot dog style), with the right sides facing inward.

I sewed along one end and the open side. This essentially created a fabric tube. I pulled the fabric back through the open end so that it was right side out and then sewed the open end closed.

Here’s a great video tutorial for how to wear a wrap carrier.

Auggie loooves snuggling up in the carrier with Isla! He starts purring and falls asleep within moments.

To ensure their safety, I monitor Isla and Auggie whenever she has him in the wrap carrier. I also took some time to talk with Isla about the importance of keeping Auggie’s face out so that he can breathe easily.

I just keep thinking back to how much I would have LOVED this carrier as a child. It absolutely tickles me to see Isla so, so happy! She is such a sweet little kitten-wearnin’ momma!

The Story Behind Auggie’s Name

11.13.20

Augustus Charles. It’s a big name for a little kitten, but it comes from such heartfelt inspiration!

I will start with a little backstory to help you further appreciate how Auggie’s name was selected… Isla just might be the most literal namer in the history of namers. (We’re just going to pretend that namer is a real word). Her favorite stuffed animals (a rat, a piggy, and a squirrel) were named Rat, Piggy, and Squirrel. As Isla grew older and began using adjectives, her names evolved to include descriptors. Enter Little Cutie and Little Sweetie. I was so worried when we got Charlie that she was going to want to name him something like Little Fluffy– which, hilariously enough, she briefly considered! So, prior to surprising Isla with her first kitten, I read her one of my favorite childhood stories: a Little Golden Book called Charlie. Thankfully, the story made an impact and that was the name she chose for her kitten. Phew! We gave him the middle name Miller after our beloved orange tabby we had prior to Charlie.

I must admit I was still a little worried about Isla’s name choices when we brought Auggie home. We sat together in her room, snuggling our sweet new kitten and trying to think of the perfect name, but nothing seemed fitting. We reminisced about naming Charlie and then Isla remembered another one of our very favorite stories, Augustus and His Smile. “Mom! We named Charlie after a book and this kitten is orange like a little tiger. We could name him Augustus!” I was delighted by the idea, and then a deeper sentimental connection hit me. The story is about a tiger who loses his smile and sets off on a journey to find it. When Charlie disappeared the grief was crushing for us all. This sweet new kitten was such a symbol of hope and happiness– he brought back our smiles!

Isla loved the name Augustus, the symbolism, and the connection to naming Charlie, so it became official. She was also totally tickled by the nickname Auggie! In keeping with tradition, we chose Charles for the middle name as a nod to our precious Charlie.

Yesterday, Isla read Augustus and His Smile to Auggie. He surprised us by showing genuine interest in the story! Although, how could he not?! Even a kitten could see that every word is perfection and the illustrations are absolutely enchanting! Friends, this is truly one of our most treasured and enjoyed books.

Reading with his mommy relaxed Auggie so much that he snuggled up on her shoulder and fell fast asleep.

Oh, sweet Augustus! Thank you for bringing our smiles back.

Welcome, Auggie!

11.11.20

Friends, meet Auggie! Isla decided his full name is Augustus Charles. “It’s the name we’ll call him when he is getting into mischief,” she informed us.

Our precious Charlie’s absence has weighed so heavily on our hearts the past few months. After much deliberation and countless tears, Isaac and I decided the joy of a new kitten was just what we all needed. We surprised Isla with Auggie this weekend, and her reaction was EVERYTHING! The happiest, heartfelt tears ran down her face, and we instantly knew welcoming this little kitty into our family was the right decision.

Isla had zero clue that we were getting a new kitten. I told her I wanted to try some new photography techniques and asked her to model for me. While we were having our little photo shoot, Isaac walked in holding Auggie.

Within moments, Auggie settled in and snuggled up!

Auggie is already proving to be such a sweet, snuggly, and adaptable little guy, and we are so in love!!!

Forever Summer Family Photos

11.06.20

This past summer was such a special season for our family. We truly slowed down and focused on time together; filling our days with so many happy forest hikes, sunny afternoons on the sand, and cozy evening bonfires— I literally lost count of the number of s’mores we consumed! What I have not forgotten, and never want to forget, is how freeing it was to choose our adventure each day, the joy in our children’s giggles and the sounds of their feet patting along the wet sand, and the lightness I felt in my heart for the first time in a long, long time.

To commemorate this particularly happy stretch in time, we decided to take our family photos before the summer ended and highlight some of our most treasured pastimes from the last few months. It was such a lovely evening, and the perfect way for us to bid farewell to the season. As the sun began to set, we hiked up and over the hill to our favorite lookout spot, and then down onto the beach for a bonfire and, you guessed it, s’mores! As an added bonus, the cats joined us for the entire adventure— even on the sand! We especially treasure these photos of our dear Charlie, as he disappeared just a week later– a further reminder we just do not know what tomorrow will bring, so we must do all we can to make the most of each and every day together.

We sure are thankful for this little family of ours…

As we ascended the hill, Lauren took this photo and my heart just about burst the moment I saw it. The connection, the familiar road, the sunlight streaming through the trees– this image so perfectly captures the feeling of our summer, and fills my heart with sunshine.

To families out there planning their next photo session, I can not stress enough how much more meaningful your photos are if you take them in a place that is familiar, and you highlight your favorite shared pastimes. It preserves the feeling of that stretch of your lives– a time you will never get back– but you can relive a glimmer of that magic every time you look through your photos.

It also helps to hire a photographer whose work and personality you connect with deeply. We are so fortunate that all of the photographers we have worked with over the years have been extremely talented and salt of the earth good people. We adore every single one of them, and would jump at the chance to work with them again! Lauren is a dear friend who I met in college and then reconnected with years later as we both began to build our photography businesses. A tenderhearted mother herself, I appreciate how she looks for points of connection and shoots through the moments. She listened to our ideas and cared about learning the significance of each place we visited during our photo session. Her imagery highlights movements and little details, and ultimately captured the essence of our family. Thank you, Lauren, for helping us forever remember the happiness we experienced this summer!