Family Pictures and an Addition

We recently had out family pictures taken.  We haven't had any professional pictures taken as a family with the three of us, and I felt like we were overdue for some.  After a lot of searching and referrals we chose a photographer my sister recommended who was within our price range and had a great portfolio.  You can check her out HERE.

Before we took the pictures, I stumbled upon this great post from Beth at Home Stories A to Z for suggestions on how to prepare for family pictures.  She had some really great suggestions and it definitely helped to come prepared with a few props, poses, and backdrops.  Here are some of my favorite shots that our amazing photographer captured.

This little stinker is notorious for his scowling faces. I love that she captured it here.

His smiles are pretty darned cute too.

I was in desperate need of a good head shot for the blog, and my dance studio where I teach.  I was happy with how they turned out.

Unfortunately, the first day of our photo shoot was FREEZING cold outside, and little boys can only handle so much pretending to be happy and warm. 

Lucky for us Natallee offered to do another session with us a few weeks later at no extra cost so that we could try to capture a few more of the shots we really wanted.

Like this one with my two most favorite dudes on the planet,

this one with the love of my life,

and especially this one with us all.

For those of you patient readers who stuck it out to the end, we also wanted Natallee to help us share some exciting news with our friends and family...

We can't wait for baby #2 to join our family this July! 

~PW

4 Years Strong

4 years ago today I married my best friend.

Time is a funny thing.  It feels like it was yesterday and yet at the same time, I can't remember life without him. 

I do remember having a permanent smile glued to my face the entire day because I knew that I had made the right decision saying yes to this incredible man, and felt so confident in what we we had committed to.

 Our bodies were absolutely frozen as we shot pictures right after our ceremony in the Salt Lake City LDS Temple, but our hearts were warm.

We had a beautiful wedding reception surrounded by incredible family and friends.

I felt secure knowing that although I was leaving my home and security I'd always known from my Dad, I was going to be protected and loved by this amazing man.

Lucky for me, he still makes me laugh every single day.

To my Sweets, thank you for the best 4 years of my life.  I look forward to an eternity more with you...

Love,

Me

My Favorites from 2011

Happy New Years, friends!  I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that this New Years Eve was the first I can remember where I actually didn't even pay attention to the time, and realized it was a new year when our movie ended around 12:30.  Is that a sign that I'm getting old, or just boring???  Don't answer that...

It dawned on me after I realized that I had missed the ball drop, the kiss, the excitement of the New Year that I am so happy to be where I am in my life.  I certainly enjoyed my single and even married but without kids years, but I don't miss the constant feeling of being let down after setting such high expectations for holidays like New Years in particular.  It was a great feeling to know that I am so content where I am in my life right now.  I am blessed with an incredible and loving husband, a hilarious and tender hearted little boy, wonderful friends and supportive neighbors.  Who could ask for more? 

So, I thought it would be fun to take a walk down memory lane and share some of my favorite projects from this past year. 

Hands down the biggest and possibly craziest project I undertook was our Master Bedroom Makeover. I did this entire makeover in about two weeks time in order to enter it into a design contest, and thanks to the support of so many wonderful readers and fellow bloggers I took second place in the contest.

We did a LOT of work in a short amount of time, but I am absolutely smitten with the end result.  It quickly became my favorite room in the house.

The matching Faux Mirrored Metallic Nightstands from my Master Bedroom were a project and a half themselves, but also worth the effort and mistakes learned along the way.

I shared some fun baby shower ideas from this Nautical Themed Baby Shower that I hosted for one of my good friends.

I feel like my biggest growth this year in the project world has been in reupholstery.  I've learned a lot, and continue to get better with practice and experience.  My Reupholstery series shares some of the tips and tricks I have learned for those who are interested in tackling upholstery projects themselves.

This Chevron Chair was another crowd pleaser and one that I really enjoyed doing.

Another insane project for me was the Dining Room Set that I transformed for my own kitchen.  It also required a ridiculous amount of time and elbow grease, but I am so in love with how it turned out. 

This Antique Dresser that I refinished was a great learning experience for me and turned out to be beautiful and timeless.

I did several different dressers this year, but my personal favorite by far was this Heavily Distressed Desk.  It was a quick and experimental one day project that turned out to be one of the hardest pieces for me to let go of when it sold.  I'm still a little bit sad that I didn't keep it for myself...

And for the foodies like me out there a few of my favorite recipes I shared are Peanut Curried Chicken,

Easter Bunny Shortbread Cookies,

and the BEST Salsa ever,

So there you have it my friends.  It was a fun filled year for me with lots of projects.  I have big plans for next year and will share some of my goals with you this week.  Bring it on, 2012.  I'm ready for you...

XO

~Penny Wenny

The DIY Showoff

Southern Hospitality