fancy toes & butterfly chairs.

my mom introduced us to her favorite nail salon right before my brother's birthday - elegant nails & spa by firewheel. it is so great! they even have the sweetest mini pedi-chairs in the shape of pink & purple butterflies!!!

yesterday, "nonna" (jason's mom) took me and emma to get our toes done before our trip to florida. needless to say, emma loves having her nails done... what girlie-girl doesn't? maybe we've started this habit a little too early... haha, but its so much fun. i can't wait for special mommy-daughter days in the future!

here are some pics from girlie day:

emma in her butterfly chair...
what little girl wouldn't LOVE this chair?
(from when we went with my mom)


this is the life!
how many 2-year-olds have two pampering assistants??


yesterday, getting toes done again...
concentrating so hard.


pretty toes!

boy, oh boy.

i have had the pleasure of creating some new invitations lately... both for baby boy showers! :)

here is my latest work:

this first one is for my friend, sunny, who is due to meet her baby boy in mid-september. sunny and i have been friends for around 7 or 8 years... we started dating our husbands during the same week, and got married a month apart! :) i am so excited to meet her little guy, and so blessed that we are still in each other's lives.

her nursery is vintage cars, airplanes and trucks... so cute! i loved this invitation when i saw it... and thought it was perfect!


this invitation was made for a sweet woman from church. she and her husband are in my parents' small group, so our families have known each other for years. her niece is having a baby boy, and carol asked me to do the invitations!

i love the whimsy in this turquoise & lime stroller invitation... so cute!

you can "stroll" on over to my emma kate designs blog to see more of my work. :)

have a great weekend!

what a man.

mmm. just look at him. what girl wouldn't swoon over that slightly-toussled, bad-boy vibin' hunk-ova man?!

and really, the more america got to know mr. wes hayden from austin, texas, as he dabbled in lovin' on jillian, it was just by chance that he gained some publicity for his album comin' up, right? i mean... he only told us about his new song and new album once ever 5 minutes througout his time on abc's "the bachelorette."

it's not his fault that such a beautiful (and probably pre-written & ready-to-go) song needed to be played on tv about 10 times within the first 3 episodes. and who woulda thunk that his entire band would just happen to be available to give jillian a little mini-concert during the home-town date?

and the whole girlfriend thing?? maybe noone told wes that not only should he not be on a dating show on national tv while he's dating/in love with laurel from back home, but that it's probably not something he should share with all the guys that are also pining for jillian. and maybe no one told him that when he's trying to lie... ahem, i mean... explain the whole girlfriend-misunderstanding to jillian, that he should refrain from using the term "girlfriend" to describe said "laurel." and maybe noone explained that jillian would indeed view this little tv show one day, and that his true colors would eventually be visible to her and to all of america.

you can't blame him really. i mean, what an honor to be named "the first man in bachelorette history to make it all the way to the top 4 with a girlfriend."

and i don't think there's ever been a man more excited at the rose ceremony, knowing he's going home, because as he told us all, when he got home, he's "havin' a LOT of {insert 3-letter-word that rhymes with /x/ here}!" what a gentleman. really.

what girl wouldn't want him?

here is one of wes' shining moments from last night's episode:

"i don't know much about the music scene in barcelona, but uh, i had a song on my 2nd album that was actually #1 in chihuahua, mexico, so i feel at home, ya know, livin' around spanish people."

i mean, he's right. the market in chihuahua, mexico is very competetive... or so i hear. and it is only natural that he would feel "at home" with an entire race of people, simply by having a popular song in one of its descreet citites. and what better time to plug your album, yet again, than when you are supposed to be discussing all the reasons you love the girl that 3 other guys are vying for?

hmm.

maybe miss laurel from austin knows something we don't.

because i sure don't see any redeeming qualities in this guy...

thank you, jillian, for sending him home.

i will be enjoying the remainder of this season's "the bachelorette," sans-wes!

glorious.

last week, when i got into my car at around 3pm after school, this is what my poor little jetta read the temperature as being:

106 degrees.
i mean... i knew it was hot. i burned my bum through my jeans on my charcoal gray leather seats... but oh. my. goodness. 106 degrees? that should be illegal.

so, imagine my delight when, on monday of this week, the weather had changed dramatically after some much-needed rain on sunday! as i walked around campus at TWU, there was a beautiful breeze... the air was almost "soft" it was so comfortable. this is what "miss etta" the jetta told me the temperature was at 3pm on monday:

86 degrees!
20 whole degrees cooler than it was only a few days before!
isn't that crazy? and man... those 20 degrees make a HUGE difference!

it was a MUCH needed break from the endless weeks of over-100-degree weather we've had so far this summer.

and it was glorious.

i could live days like that everyday... but it probably won't happen in texas. :)

...and she's off.

jason's sister, lindsey (emma's "aunt lulu") left for new zealand today. she will be gone for 7 weeks on a summer project with campus crusade for christ, international. she will be part of a team of 10 college-aged believers ministering to the students at the university of victoria in wellington, new zealand, and also helping with the new zealand campus crusade national winter conference.

of course, we will miss her very much! lindsey and i have grown so close over the years, and especially over the last year, since she's been back in texas. she and jason are SO close... he loves his little sister so much. and emma... well... she just adores her "lulu." she'll miss her tons, that's for sure. however, we are so excited for this journey she will be taking, and to see how God will work in and through her during her time away from the busy-ness of life here in "dallas."

please be praying for our sister, as she grows in the Lord and serves Him overseas. pray that she has the time of her life, and comes back renewed, refreshed, and excited about the work He has called her to do!

to follow lindsey and her teammates on this adventure, click here.

i've placed a link on my blog-list to lead you to the blog she and her team will be updating throughout their journey. i'm sure she would love to know you followed her trip and prayed for her while she is gone.

we love you lindsey! we know you will have a blast! soak up every moment... it'll be gone before you know it. :0)

daddy's day.

emma is very, very blessed to have such a wonderful daddy! (and i am very blessed to be married to him.)

we got to celebrate "daddy" on sunday, and i think it was a great day!

we woke up early to go with jason's parents to the first service at woodcreek, but they had to wait until the later service, so we made an impromptu visit to our sweet friends the berardinellis, and coaxed them to come to breakfast with us! it was a great way to start our day... yummy breakfast at cindi's cafe in richardson... really sweet friends... lots of fun. :)

then, we headed off to church to do our normal sunday-thing.

we spent the afternoon taking naps and doing homework (guess who?)... we were so exhausted from katie and cory's wedding (which was saturday!), that we had kind of a lazy day.

we topped the night off with some great italian food at covino's with "nonna & grampa" (jason's parents) and "lulu" (jason's sister lindsey). it was a wonderful way to celebrate jason's dad, kevin... who doesn't love food and fellowship? :)

here are some pics from our special day:

the card emma made her daddy at church


emma & 2 of her favorite guys: grampa & daddy
(my daddy "papa" is the only one missing!)


we love daddy!


emma actually took this picture of us!


"lulu," "grampa," emma kate & "daddy"
after dinner at covino's

...and finally...

this picture is not from father's day, but it's really sweet. our family is so happy... we really love each other. we are blessed to have jason as our husband and father. he adds laughter to our home. he makes us smile. he is silly. he loves hard. he makes our family complete. we love him so much.

happy father's day, jason!
you are so loved.

hope you all enjoyed father's day... either celebrating the father of your little ones, your own father, or someone special in your life that played the role of a father. moms always get so much attention, but we need to remember how important our daddy's are. :)

have a great day!

kiss kiss.

this is going to be a quick post because i have class in the morning!

emma has a new obsession. kiss. that's right. as in, the 80's hair band. lead singer gene simmons. this obsession began when adam lambert performed with kiss on american idol. she just loved their songs, and we were stunned when, 3 days later, she identified kiss by a picture on youtube! since then, she asks for kiss just about everyday. we watch the american idol performance over and over again, emma serenades us on her guitar, and she even talks to kiss on the phone! :)

she says, "mommy, kiss' eyes have black on them. they're so beautiful." (in reference to the black paint on their faces.

needless to say, kiss is not what we would expect our 2-year-old daughter to love, but its innocent enough. :) she only knows one song, and it's a great one!

here is a video that "nonna" shot during a poolside performance last week. :) i love how she's just mindlessly singing it!

enjoy! i hope it makes your day!

just in case you can't tell... she's mostly singing:
"i wanna rock & roll all night...
and party everyday!"

she's the best air-guitar player around, too!

bridal tea.

i am so excited about the shower my mom and i are throwing for cory's fiance (my soon-to-be sister-in-law) katie! we decided to do a kitchen & recipe shower at the chocolate angel in richardson. it's this sweet little tea room with the most delicious food! the ladies at the chocolate angel catered mine & jason's wedding... it was beautiful!

anyway, i just wanted to share some of the details...

here's katie's invitation:

i think this retro-apron invitation is SO cute!
if you can't read it, it says:
"mix a sprinkle of love with a handful of kisses -
soon cory and katie will be
mr. and mrs.
but as we wait for that special hour
let's honor katie with a
kitchen & recipe shower!"

here's a picture of the chocolate angel's super sweet tea room:

isn't it just so beautiful?

i can't wait for the shower! i think it's going to be so cute... we're having "afternoon tea" with iced teas, tea sandwiches, pastries, tartlets, fruit, salads, etc... i love it!

i hope katie enjoys it... we really want her to just feel so special and loved. :)

i'll post pics from the shower after the fun!

go romo.

emma loves romo. "romo" is her #9 romo cowboy's jersey... she loves to wear "him" whenever she can! at one point, i had to pry "romo" off of her, because she'd warn the thing for 4 days straight... luckily, we didn't have anywhere special to go! :)

here's the best pic i have of emma wearing her "romo." (notice the stellar soccer skills - child prodigy? i think so!) haha...


so, the other day, emma was wearing "romo" and admiring herself in the mirror. she smiled and yelled out, "GO ROMO!" i thought this was cute, and that she needed to learn a little cheer for her beloved man-in-blue. :)

so i taught her this:

"R-O-M-O, Go Ro-mo!"

(i even taught her the traditional "ready? ok!")

so cute! we practiced this all day, so we'd be ready to perform for daddy when he got home from work.

we were all ready to show jason our fun cheer... emma wanted me to do it first (just a bit of stage fright), so i started...

"ready? ok!
R-O-M-O, Go Ro-mo!"

and then emma proceded to do her version of the cheer...

"ready? ok!
E-R-E-R-E-R-E-M-G-B-D-H-P-R-E-O, Go Ro-mo!"

haha.

classic!


happy sunday,

jake boy.

jacob andrew olson

4.20.2009 - 12:25 pm
6 pounds 12 ounces - 19.25 inches

our precious friends, the olson family just welcomed a new member to their little family. baby jacob was born last monday, and both he and mommy jerica are doing great!

jerica & erik have been sweet friends to us since 2005, when jason and erik worked together at AXA. we went through newlywed life together, our pregnancy with emma, the olsons building their first home, and then their pregnancy with jack, who is now almost 19-months-old. (his birthday is october 2nd, which is only 3 days before emma's - but of course a year later!) we have loved getting to know and love this family, and are so excited to experience this new stage of their lives with them. it will be so fun to watch jack be a "big brother" to baby jacob... whom he has lovingly nicknamed "jake boy." (how sweet is that?)

we are excited for you, jerica, erik and jack! and jake, you have one super cool family. at least WE think they're pretty great! :)

here are some pictures from jerica's blog, to introduce their new little guy to you:

baby jake with a cute little grin

erik, jerica & their new little man.
(doesn't jerica look uh-mazing? she just had a c-section!)

big brother jack being so sweet to his "jake boy"

sweet baby boy.

welcome, little man. we can't wait to meet you!

xoxo,

pretty paper.

here are the latest invitations i've been working on through emma kate designs (aside from my brother's wedding invitations):

this sweet invitation is for brynn, our friends missy & brian's daughter. she's having an afternoon tea and 5-course dinner at the american girl bistro for her 8th birthday... isn't that so fun? i thought this invitation was perfect for a tea party!



this invitation is for the shower i'm co-hosting for my sweet friend candice. isn't it fun? i can't wait for our happy, pink & orange themed baby shower!

you can check out more of my work at my blog:
emma-kate-designs.blogspot.com

stylish.

i'm making over my blog!

i'm not sure what i think about this new layout... any thoughts?

i have to re-do the header... i'm looking for some super cute digital scrapbooking pieces so i can make a new one to match.

but that's the kicker... it has to match. maybe that's what's throwing me off of this new makeover - the header doesn't match right now... PLUS, emma's picture is from when she was 16-months-old! aw, sweet little cutie... that was half her life ago! she's 31-months-old now... isn't that crazy?

anyway...what do y'all think?

gratitude.

i re-discovered an amazing song by nichole nordeman tonight. it was perfect timing. my cousin, gloria had posted it on her facebook profile, and it really just spoke to my heart.

i feel like this song's lyrics were written specifically for me, in this stage of my life. i am really struggling with feeling contentment with where my life is right now, and having difficulty in completely trusting the Lord to provide for us... instead, i am wanting to control everything and dictate how He provides.

this song just ripped into the depths of my heart. i wanted to share...

"gratitude" by nichole nordeman

{listen to the song here.}

Send some rain, would You send some rain?
'Cause the earth is dry and needs to drink again
And the sun is high and we are sinking in the shade
Would You send a cloud, thunder long and loud?
Let the sky grow black and send some mercy down
Surely You can see that we are thirsty and afraid
But maybe not, not today
Maybe You'll provide in other ways
And if that's the case . . .

We'll give thanks to You
With gratitude
For lessons learned in how to thirst for You
How to bless the very sun that warms our face
If You never send us rain

Daily bread, give us daily bread
Bless our bodies, keep our children fed
Fill our cups, then fill them up again tonight
Wrap us up and warm us through
Tucked away beneath our sturdy roofs
Let us slumber safe from danger's view this time
Or maybe not, not today
Maybe You'll provide in other ways
And if that's the case . . .

We'll give thanks to You
With gratitude
A lesson learned to hunger after You
That a starry sky offers a better view if no roof is overhead
And if we never taste that bread

Oh, the differences that often are between
Everything we want and what we really need

So grant us peace, Jesus, grant us peace
Move our hearts to hear a single beat

Between alibis and enemies tonight
Or maybe not, not today
Peace might be another world away
And if that's the case . . .

We'll give thanks to You
With gratitude
For lessons learned in how to trust in You
That we are blessed beyond what we could ever dream
In abundance or in need
And if You never grant us peace

But Jesus, would You please . . .


i am so foolish to think that i know best. and so foolish to worry about "what ifs." and so foolish to expect God to provide in the way that i think is best... because i know my way isn't best. but knowing that and living it out are two totally different things.

i pray this song continues to encourage my heart, as i strive to trust the Lord more and more. because really, i am blessed beyond what i could ever dream... in abundance or in need.

praying for daddy.

jason wasn't feeling well today. he went to the doctor and they say he has an upper respiratory infection. poor jason. :(

emma was very aware that her daddy was under-the-weather, and was a very good little nurse to him. it's one of my favorite things about emma - she is so very nurturing and concerned about her friends and loved ones.

while he was resting on the couch this evening, emma ran to her room to gather all her blankets for her daddy, because she just knew they would make him feel better. :)

i snapped this sweet picture of jason's little caretaker getting him all wrapped up in her blankets, right after she prayed the sweetest prayer for her daddy:


this was emma's sweet prayer for her daddy:

"dear Jesus,
please make daddy feel better,
when he sleeps with my blanket...
and my other blanket.
amen."

it makes my heart so happy to hear her praying to Jesus. i know it makes His heart soar, too!

so sweet...

mercy. power. Life.

for those of you who have followed my blog for awhile, you remember my plea for prayer for the larsen family back in the fall of 2008. lauren and matt larsen spent weeks in the hospital, by their baby girl's side, begging God for His mercy and healing for her. after suffering being born premature with an infection in her tiny body, pulmonary hyptertension, being in the NICU at children's hospital for weeks and weeks, being hooked up to massive machines that helped her fragile organs work, developing a grade 3 brain bleed, even having brain surgery and a permanant shunt implanted into her brain... after suffering all of that... precious baby Life Lucia Larsen was healed, completely healed by the power of our Great Lord.

her story gripped my heart and changed my life in a way that i don't know i can truly put into words. God shook my heart, my faith, my belief, my trust in His power. i am forever changed by the way God worked through this tiny girl.

i read a post from her mommy, lauren, on her blog tonight that spoke to my heart again. it was about God's mercy in their Life, and in her life, and how she is constantly amazed by her love for Life. and then amazed again when she realizes that this love for her child pales in comparison to the love God has for her. the Lord has taught me the same thing, over and over again, through my journey as a mother to emma kate. i am constantly floored and overwhelmed by the love i feel for my daughter. and then it hits me that God loves me in the same consuming way... only His love is more passionate, more complete, more selfless. His love is a perfect love. one of my most favorite thing about being a parent has been how God has revealed Himself and His Love for me through my motherly love for my daughter. i am so thankful that He so perfectly set it up that way. :) it has been so sweet to learn more of Him as i learn about being a mother, and about the love that is possible to have for another person here on earth. i wish that everyone were able to experience this kind of love. it is so sweet...

so sweet.

i wanted to share with you something that has further touched my heart and continues to remind me of my God's sheer power and perfect mercy.

lauren constantly updates her blog with pictures of her sweet Life. i love seeing her progress, her growth, her health, her bright smiles. she's perfect. she is like any other baby girl. she is like any other baby girl. how amazing is that???

that this baby girl, who was not expected to survive the first few weeks of her life, and then was expected to suffer great abnormalities throughout her entire life...


...only 8 short months later, is this baby girl...


...who laughs and cries and plays and is learning to sit up on her own and crawl and eat solid foods and cut teeth and say her first words and will eventually disobey her parents... who is perfectly healthy and normal... praise God for His perfect healing and mercy and power.

praise God for Life.




for more of the larsen family's journey with little miss Life:
A Royal Allegiance

for more pictures by lauren larsen:
lauren larsen photography

egg-cited about cupcakes.

so, i know this is my first post in a long time... and it's gonna be a short one! this is my first night in forever that i haven't had tons and tons and tons of homework to do, so i got to spend a little time with my sweet family. :) we played a little when emma got home from the arboretum with nonna & grandpa, then we went to our favorite place - target! - for a little much needed grocery shopping.

when we got home, i had to get to work making cupcakes for emma's easter party at mother's day out. of course, i couldn't make just regular cupcakes - it's her first school easter party!

emma picked out the cake flavor - "funfetti" - and then i colored the frosting yellow, pink & blue. i used cadbury solid chocolate eggs (with a hard candy shell!) for the easter eggs on top. i think they turned out pretty cute:


what do you think? i can't wait for emma to see them in the morning when she wakes up!

eggs + cupcakes = 2 of her favorite things! :)

baby everett is here.

since we have friends having babies every month until october, so far, we have another birth to announce! :)

our sweet friends, lisa & james burgess welcomed their firstborn, a son, into their arms and into their hearts on sunday morning.

(doesn't lisa look a.m.a.z.i.n.g. for just giving birth?!?!)


everett andrew burgess
3.01.09 - 10:52 am
8 lbs. 14 oz. - 20 inches

our "story" with the burgesses is a fun one - james was the store manager at barneys new york when i worked there in 2003 - 2004. for christmas 2003, before jason and i were engaged, both of our families were out of town for the holidays... we really didn't have anyone to spend them with, so james & lisa asked us to come spend christmas day with them. we were so overwhelmed by their offer, since up-until-then, we'd just had a work-relationship! we really enjoyed our day with them, and were excited at the prospect of gaining new friends, especially since they were married, and we were nearing that stage of our life together. james, however, had this "thing" about not being "friends" with people that worked for him (he's quite the professional!)... hehe... so when we got word that our store was closing in summer of 2004, and james took each one of his employees into his office to explain that he had found a new job, i wasn't exactly crying like everyone else - each girl before me came out of his office in tears, and i think my first words were, "so... can we be friends, now?" :)

after james' permission ;), we spent SO much time with the burgesses. james was a groomsman in our wedding, lisa helped out with a lot, and i think we saw them at least 3 times a week during our first year of marriage.

we are so grateful for their friendship, and so excited to rejoice in the birth of their son with them. it will be exciting to walk through the journey of parenthood with them!

we were blessed to get to visit them in the hospital on their first day together, sunday, and love on everett for a little while before visiting hours were over. he his definitely one handsome little guy. i'm already craving some more little-man-cuddles! we can't wait for emma kate to meet him!

and who knows... 2 years isn't THAT big of a difference... maybe emma will have an eye for everett sometime in the future. or maybe we'll have another little girl that can capture his heart! :) we'd be ok with being in-laws with them. :)

so congratulations, burgess family! we are praying for you as you introduce your new little one to your home and into our world.

we love you!

john 16:21
when a woman gives birth, she has distress because her time has come, but when her baby is born, she forgets the suffering because of her joy that her child has been born into the world.

psalm 127:3
sons are a heritage from the Lord,
children a reward from Him.

the final rose. part 2.

so... i kind of ranted and raved a little bit ago. and i still think all those things. i still think the whole show is silly, and maybe a bit staged, now. i'm still sad that jason treated melissa the way he did. (and i'm bummed she didn't want to come on the show to talk about everything - but i TOTALLY understand why she wasn't ready to come back!)

BUT...

i have to say....

jason and molly are pretty stinkin' cute.


i mean, really, they are. don't you think? they totally looked really happy and in love, too. so, i guess i recant my statement about wanting molly to dump jason. who knows... maybe finding love actually is possible on a 2-month-long reality show. :) i actually do wish the best for them.

even if it's only to validate this show and make me feel better for watching it! :)

the final rose.

so, just like a lot of america, i was stunned by last night's final episode of "the bachelor." first of all, let me say that i know being obsessed with this show is the silliest thing ever, and i'm actually a little embarrassed to admit that i watch it, but i just can't get enough of it!

that said, i absolutely loved jason mesnick all the way through the season, and i called melissa & molly being the final 2 by the 3rd episode. melissa was always my favorite, though. she's so sweet, cute, loves hard, is nurturing... she seemed to be everything that jason needed and wanted.

so, needless to say, i was thrilled when he turned molly down at the final rose ceremony, and i couldn't wait to watch him propose to melissa. i was SO happy for her... she was so excited and relieved - her dreams had come true.

at about 8:50pm, this is what america was watching:

(by the way, didn't melissa look gorgeous in her chic yellow gown?!)

he proposed. she said yes. they looked incredibly happy, incredibly in love...

so imagine my confusion when, fast forward 10 minutes to 9:00pm, and a very somber jason is sitting on a couch in an empty "after the final rose" studio, telling chris harrison that he's dumping his fiance for molly - the girl he just wasn't in love with 10 minutes ago (well, on tv).

it. was. excruciating.

i felt so awful for melissa. how utterly humiliating to be dumped on national tv, forced to give your engagement ring back to the man who promised you forever... and then he's making out with molly on the couch minutes later. i mean, really... who does that?

he completely gave up on melissa. he just gave up. how can you say you love someone and want to spend the rest of your life with them and then just throw it away - not even attempt to fight for her?

anyway, i was so proud of the way melissa handled herself - she let him have it. she tried not to cry, to not let him see how much he'd hurt her. i'm surprised she didn't chunk that ring right at his lying face!

she'll finally get to talk about it tonight on part 2 of "after the final rose" and i'm looking forward to seeing what she has to say. honestly, i'm also kinda hoping that molly has decided she doesn't want to work things out with jason over these last 6 weeks since the taping of his "dramatic decision."

...and i'm kinda mad at "the bachelor" for stringing us along like this and putting tv drama ahead of a sweet girls' heart. she shouldn't have had to go through that. especially not on national tv.

needless to say... i'm not a fan of jason mesnick anymore.

if the "shooper" fits...

so, remember that little post from a couple days ago, where i totally raved about the etsy.com boutique "mom's blankies" and their cute little custom-made "shoopers?"

well... i got an email today from allyson from the blog, "a heart for home," telling me i had won the random drawing for their giveaway! :)

so as soon as the package arrives, emma kate will be toasting her little toes in these adorable little shoopers:


how fun is that??? :) i'm hoping our little princess loves her new slippers.