LIFE'S LITTLE DETAILS

For the love of Starbucks...

My sister and I did our best to capture a Gray Malin inspired photo. It wasn't easy.

Words can't express how much I love this little guy.

My nephew, Dupree, joined us in Iowa. // An afternoon at the Sioux City Art Center. // My precious Godson and his adorable little sister.

Fabulous chalkboard lettering at the baby shower courtesy of my über-talented cousin, Brianne.

Awkward Ashley doesn't disappoint in this "belly" photo with my sister (left) and cousin (right). Yikes!

We went antiquing in Mondamin, IA. Naturally, I was smitten with the bright color of this Model A Ford.

Howdy, m' dears! It's nice to get back to the ol' blah-blah-blahg. My time with family in Iowa was just perfect, and I'd be lying if I said the return to Swell Rio wasn't a tad bit hard. Of course I was eager to reunite with Flyboy, Tripp, and Beez, but I wasn't quite ready to say good-bye to my family. This past week, I was surrounded by oodles of love, and I was reminded yet again how truly blessed I am to have so many wonderful people in my life. Quality time was spent tuning into Bravo, and giggling about silly things like the variety of nipple creams available—absolutely insane, I tell you! Ha Ha! Any time I felt nervous or overwhelmed with doubt about my future as a "mom," I could share those fears with the people who know me best. More often than not, my silly concerns were met with a hug, joke, or an awkward belly rub. It's precisely the kind of support you hope to be surrounded by during times like these. Oh, and we ate an insane amount of comfort food (a preggo lady's dream). It was delightful and gluttonous, and I'm positive my spin bike won't be impressed this week. Oops! We even celebrated Max with a fabulous baby shower, which was organized by my cousin, Brianne, and my Aunt Candy. It was truly wonderful! We received so many generous and thoughtful gifts, I had to make a trip to Target to pick up an extra duffel bag to bring everything home. As I unpacked all of the goodies and organized the nursery yesterday, I found myself wishing I could rewind and experience last week all over again. It's not often that I get to be surrounded by so many family members all at once. I will cherish the memories we made forever. Last week was amazing.