Farewell, 2012!

Tonight we will be saying farewell to the most amazing year of our lives so far & toasting to what 2013 may bring!

It's hard to believe that this was just one year ago... the best is yet to come was definitely an understatement! :) This year was one for the books... we have lots of amazing moments to highlight!

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In February, we welcomed our sweet little Harper Eve Garvin into the world. This is one of the first pictures ever taken of her & I often see this exact newborn face on her today.

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We celebrated Harper's first holiday, which I of course couldn't have been more excited about!

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We watched this sweet newborn turn into a baby right in front of our very eyes.

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We purchased our first home...

...and attempted our very first DIY home renovation.

We spent lots of time soaking up the sun (and rocking cowboy hats) at the pool!

(sidenote: he isn't wearing nailpolish, he jammed his thumb in a car door. another highlight of 2012)

Traveled all the way to Iowa to celebrate my brother's wedding.

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Enjoyed our first football season as a family of three.

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Did some yoga...

...and some trick or treating!

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Made our house a home...

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...and made our cribs into teething toys.

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Started a very early Starbucks addiction.

Rocked lots of festive Christmas attire.

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Played in the snow for the first time.

And had an amazing first Christmas!

2012 had so many incredible moments, it's hard to sum them all up in one post. We look forward to all the fun that will be had in 2013... more festive outfits, more chalkboards & more holidays!

I am so excited to continue blogging, all thanks to your love & encouragement over the last year.  Let the champagne & resolutions flow... I wish you all the happiest New Year's Eve!!

CHEERS!

Harper's First Christmas

We are finally home from our week long trip to Iowa. We had such a fun time with all of our friends & family... it can be so hard living far away. We will have our little family Christmas celebration tomorrow with the gifts that Santa brought while we were away ...I'm just not ready for the holidays to be over yet! ;) 

We kicked off Christmas morning with some waffles & then dove right in to gifts! Harper was a huge fan of the bows & ribbons... the sound of ripping paper though? Not so much. It terrified her every time someone would tear open a present. Who is this kid?

Christmas morning is so magical with babies! There is nothing more fun than watching them crawl around, plowing through piles of wrapping paper with bows stuck on their heads.
I was obviously the happiest momma in the world watching her eyes light up at all of her new toys... and then watching them all go immediately into her mouth. She loved her B. Keys that Santa brought her! 

We rocked our matching footie pajamas, which turned out to be a pretty good investment since we froze our asses off in the snowy, midwest weather! I was excited to have a white Christmas, but was quickly missing the Georgia weather.

I think it is safe to say that her favorite toy so far was the Zany Zoo activity cube! It is sturdy enough that she can stand up at it, walk around it & still has lots of parts & pieces to entertain her. She was having a blast with all of the fun, Christmas commotion swirling around her!

She also had the best bed head ever for Christmas morning.

After gifts, we had another Christmas with the rest of Brandon's family. I finally got to dress Harper in the cute tights that I bought for her a million years ago... it was everything I hoped it would be & more! 

"Fa la la la la!!!"

Grey Sweater Dress, Tights similar here & here, White Vest, Striped Scarf similar here & here,
Jameson Monroe Headband

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! Can't wait to share more pictures from our trip, Harper's first time playing in the snow & all the other festive shenanigans that have taken place over the last week! :) 

Harper Eve's First Christmas EVE

After a looooooong 15 hour car ride, we arrived in Iowa to visit family. My best tip for long roadtrips with 10 month old babies? Don't do it. It's a shitshow. There's not enough Christmas music or holiday cheer to make this trip enjoyable. 

I think by now, you all know that Harper Eve was named after my love of Eve's of holidays. So this Christmas Eve was even more special than ever. 

Flannel Shirt, Gold Glitter Belt, Harper's Headband, Denim Romper, Ruffle Tights

So special that daddy decided to give her ice cream for the first time! It has been his life long dream to be the first person to feed ice cream to someone (I know, he is a strange cat) so this was a big moment for us all! What better place than at great grandma's house on Christmas Eve? 

Despite the puzzled look, she loved it & reached for the spoon for more! A sweet tooth, just like mom! :)

Our favorite Christmas Eve tradition takes place at the home of the most beautiful Christmas tree. 

Where Harper got lots of kisses from her future husband, little Mr. Talan. 

My best friend from high school & her beautiful family have us over for cookies & cocktails every Christmas Eve. It is even more fun now with our little babes! I was in Heaven with all of the festive fun happening... wish I could have just bottled it all up & kept it forever!

 Then Harper realized that Santa was coming in the morning & lost her marbles. 

Hope you all had a wonderful & festive Christmas Eve!! Be back soon with Christmas day pictures & more! 

Under the Mistletoe

Possibly the most successful (and absolutely over the top adorable) Christmas photo shoot yet.

Ruffles & rolls all day long!

I am also positive that these are the exact images that flashed through my mind when we found out we were having a girl.

(Insert heart explosion here.)

One Week Until Christmas!

I have only been thinking about Harper's First Christmas outfit since the day I found out that I was pregnant. And now here we are, a week away, and I have no idea what she is going to wear. Part of me wants her to wear a fancy dress... but part of me wants her to be comfy and festive and covered in bows! It probably goes without saying, but whatever I put her in will end up covered in drool & food anyway.

Here is my collection of favorite Christmas Day Outfits... for your little lady or gent!

 Cream Sweater Dress | Red Ruffle Tights | Plaid Headband

Red Ballet Flats | Grey Sweaterdress

Trapper Hat & Mitten Set | Cable Knit One-Piece

Reindeer Sweater Set | Lace Up Moccasin | Santa Overall

I am in LOVE with those big bow ballet flats. Our baby gap had them in black at one time but I couldn't get Harper's size. If anyone comes across an abundance of them in a 12 month size in your local store... send me an email! :) We may need to work something out!

For the next few days, we will be buried deep in wrapping paper & Christmas baked goods! If you follow me on Instagram (@jlgarvin) you may have seen this picture and my comment about how much I suck at wrapping gifts. I have visions in my mind about how I'd like the gifts to look, but I always end up with crooked wrapping, too much tape & a half assed bow that I tied too tight or too loose. I actually DO love wrapping gifts though... my favorite materials include kraft paper, bakers twine & washi tape! :) You can also create faux chalkboard gift tags with regular black card stock.

Aside from my failed gift wrapping attempts, I still have yet to get a perfect picture of Harpie Doodle in front of the Christmas tree.

So hold on to your antlers, people! The Christmas countdown is ON! :)