Emma Grace: Two Months

sweet baby girl is two months old. 

i'm completely addicted to her little coos, snorts and almost-giggles.

her smiles and snarles melt my heart, even at 3:30 am. #soworthit

she never stops squirming, even in her sleep.

morning stretches are serious business and require at least 30 different facial expressions. 

she's stubborn and strong and i love every single tiny inch of her. 

month 1

baby bump and baby beats

emma grace and i are officially in the home stretch. don't get me wrong, i love having a little buddy with me all day every day, dancing and wiggling around like a fool. pretty positive she's got some baby beats on and is practicing for her audition for step up 6...

i'm just ready to see her little face!

now that the end is in sight, everything is becoming so much more real. for the longest time, her arrival felt forever away. but now that we've crossed into the less than one month mark, we feel a definite sense of expectation and excitement. it's been so much fun getting her room ready, putting together her furniture (well fun for me to watch bub-hub at least...) and hanging up all of her tiny little clothes.

i've really been loving our family time and have been enjoying this season of stillness and calm. i'm so guilty of being a busy-bee and a multi-tasker, but lately, i've been trying so hard to sit still and soak in every minute we have left as a family of two.  i really think my level of exhaustion is a real blessing from the Lord to teach me to step back and let go.  i'm just tired enough to need to sit and do nothing, but not too tired to spend time hanging out with bub-hub and raider.

now the real test will be to see if i'm still feeling calm and relaxed a week from now. :)

two years down, forever and ever to go.

our second year of marriage was full of new things and big grown up decisions. 

we moved to a new city, into a new apartment,

and then into a our first real home.

we found out our sweet baby girl would be joining our family.

we started new jobs and took on new responsibilities,

joined a new church and met new friends.

two years ago, i said "i do" to a beautiful life with my best friend.

i can barely wait to see what this next year will bring.

happy anniversary bub-hub.

you're the bomb[dot]com.

life lately: homeownership

since apparently the whole becoming parents thing wasn't a big enough life change for us, we decided to add home-ownership to our list of responsibilities.  after months of searching and making offers and searching some more, we finally found our perfect little house. God is so good and provided the perfect place at the absolute perfect time.  we are in the process of packing (again...) and painting and planning projects, and I just can't even wait to move in!

lately

bub hub
has discovered his secret painting talent. #edgingexpert
is a master at unloading the washing machine now that the prego-belly is getting in the way.
won the best husband award for bringing home frozen and letting it be our packing party background music.

raider
has been a perfect walking companion, even now that mama's had to slow her roll a little more than usual.
is mastering the doggy door at the new house. #professionalpup
shows his love and excitement for emma grace by pouncing on mama's belly every time she's on the couch.

sarah grace
is still pregnant with only 8 (insert long or short here depending on the hour...) weeks to go!
is a terribly painting assistant and not so great with keeping paint off the floors.
is taking naps and sleeping in every chance

emma grace
is growing bigger every day and wiggling up a storm.
finally has a nursery...at least a room that will be decorated sometime in the near-ish future...
is already loved more deeply than a mama could ever hope and dream.

life lately

life just seems to be speeding by, which is good and a little bit not so good. good because tax busy season is over and we have bub-hub back (notice how he's missing from every single photo...oops...) and a little bit not so good because i'm realizing how unprepared we are for baby girl's arrival. that's what prayer and family are for right?



lately

bub-hub
has a love/hate relationship with the mavericks.
somehow talked sg to watch sherlock, and now they are both hooked
has officially dominated tax season and life has returned to normal-ish once again.

raider
won't stop drinking water out of the toilet.
has designated the closet as the most comfy location for a nap.
has completely forgotten his leash-walking-manners. #rebelliousphase

sarah grace
is getting used to her ever growing baby bump and puffy cheeks.
loves using sweet baby girl as an excuse for chipotle and fro-yo.
can't quite cope with season three of scandal being over already.

emma grace
is 28 weeks old and the size of an eggplant.
has a growing collection of the most adorable wardrobe, ruffles included.
is completely worth every backache she's giving her mama.

life lately

lately

bub hub
has been inching his way closer and closer to the tax deadline.
is love march madness.
is an expert curtain rod and picture frame hanger-upper.

raider
has spring fever.
is glad all his toys made it to the new apartment safely during the move.
loves his recently rediscovered rope toy.

sarah grace
is obsessed with her pre-natal barre workout dvds.
loves getting to wear comfy cozy clothes all the time, even to work.
has been rocking her grocery budget goals, but not so much her fun, shopping ones.

baby emma
is already 25 weeks old.
is swimming around and kicking up a storm, especially when we were at the mavs game!
can't get enough frozen yogurt, topped with almonds and m&ms and blueberries.

twenty five and i'm feeling good!

last week, i turned twenty-five. ahhhhhhhh!
i spent the day being spoiled by my sweet bub-hub, and the rest of the week/weekend being spoiled by friends and family.
twenty-five is a pretty big life stage.

bub-hub's family has this fantastic birthday tradition that involves the birthday-ee choosing all of the meals for the day. when we got married, i made sure to inherit this tradition.

we splurged on donuts for breakfast, chick fil a for lunch, and chipotle for dinner with fro-yo for dessert. the next day, we had a yummy family birthday dinner at sfuzzi's! and of course, lots and lots of red velvet birthday cake!

i think twenty-five is definitely my favorite age so far, and i have a feeling it's going to be my best year yet!

what birthday is your favorite?

instagram // etsy // pinterest // twitter

if baby chastain is a girl...

we are only a few days away from baby chastain's gender reveal. i can't wait to share the news with our family and friends. it's been so fun sharing the secret with bub-hub over the last few weeks, but i think if we have to wait any longer, we might just burst!

if baby chastain is a girl...

i would fill her room with lovely watercolors.

the wheat field // etsy

i would find her fun toys to plan her first tea party,

birdtoast // etsy

and stick her in all sorts of adorable tutus.

Shabby Chic Creationz //  Emilyz Embellishments

i can't wait until we get to share with my friends and family! :)

if baby chastain is a boy....

if baby chastain is a boy, i would want to fill his room with adventure.

100 layer cakelett

i would definitely fill his closet with little cardigan onesies and bow ties.

the barber shoppe // etsy

and i would love to fill his walls with scriptures full of strength and love and boldness.

maidservant of encouragement // naptime diaries

only a few more days of waiting!

high five for friday! // january 31

happy friday!

the cold weather this week had me stuck inside a little more than i'd like, but it definitely helped with my productivity. if only i could make it through the day without taking a nap, or thinking about how badly i want to take a nap…

one. i recently downloaded lightroom, and i've been trying to get my brain wrapped around it. i know everyone says is so simple to use, but i'm not gonna lie, i'm pretty intimidated. but i bet all the free tutorials i've been finding online will make me a pro in no time!

two. i've started my first project life album. i got one for our family and one for baby! i'm obsessed. i can't wait to share more layouts and pages as i figure it out.

three. raider and i have been training for the color run. after not being able to run for four months, it's been quite the task getting back in the swing of things, but it's great to have a running buddy! even if he doesn't quite know what he's getting himself in to.

four. bub-hub and i took our first expecting parents class last weekend. i didn't think it would be possible to feel more prepared and less prepared at the exact same time, but that's where we are! i feel so encouraged knowing we have such a supportive church body. and know i have a list of things to figure out. but at least i have a list now! :)

five. is it wrong to blame my addiction to thin mints on baby? i'm the worst future mom.

how was your week? have you given in to the girl scouts yet?

disney family vacation: epcot

epcot is such a fun place and so full of experiences. we met so many characters including mickey and his gang. we also found alice & mary poppins in london and even aladdin and jasmine in morocco!  

going through each of the countries was the best.  we took a stop in norway to see the scenery that inspired frozen, and chased down the three amigos in mexico. and did i mention the tour of colonial USA?

i loved seeing the different styles of building, hearing the different accents and languages, and trying the yummy new food!  although, i'm not sure if croissants and creme brûlée in france and pizza from italy really count as stepping out of my comfort zone!

we also had a blast trying out the new test track ride, talking to bruce the shark, and experiencing mission space. 

walking log: 11.1 miles
favorite memory: dinner in italy was my favorite meal of the trip. i also really loved getting to see the behind the scenes inspiration for the movie frozen in norway! 

disney family vacation: animal kingdom

after our day at hollywood studios, the next park to conquer was animal kingdom.

we found the yeti on mount everest, experienced life as a bug underneath the tree of life, and even rescued a dinosaur! animal kingdom also has the most wonderful shows: the lion king and finding nemo.

we also had the chance to try african food for dinner.  disney is a great place to branch out of your comfort zone and try new things.

throughout the day, we found several friends for photo ops! the best moment of the day was when doug (the puppy from up) played charades with bub-hub to tell him he was friends with reveille (the texas a&m mascot)! grantham also taught pooh to "sic 'em bears".

i didn't want to leave.  our day at the animal kingdom was definitely my favorite.

walking log: 8.4 miles
favorite memory: even though the safari was probably my favorite ride, but by far, i loved the scenery the most. walking from region to region was amazing, and i definitely felt like i was being transported to another land.

new year, new blog

happy new year! welcome to the first post on the new blog!

after several years of blogging at gracefully made designs, i've decided to split the blog and start a new family focused blog, the chastain family!

here, i plan on sharing our family adventures and life's ups and downs, while gracefully made designs will continue to focus on designs, event planning and other business endeavors.

i'm not making any promises, but i can almost guarantee that i will post way too many photos of bub-hub and raider [as if there could ever be too many…], and i will probably forget to post for weeks at a time. but this is our family's blog and i can't wait to share our adventures with you all.