*warning: lots of pics in this post. many including cute toddlers.*

i have a special place in my heart for piney woods. if it were possible to enjoy the beauty of pine forests with out the humidity then it would be hard to keep me away.

this weekend we had the chance to go to east texas to celebrate the marriage of some friends, and decided to make the most of it and enjoy a chance to get away from the city with some of our besties.

though i was born in southeast texas, i had never spend much time in other parts of east texas. in case you haven't heard, texas is big y'all. we ended up renting a cabin that was part of a bed and breakfast between hughes springs and jefferson, texas called holly hills homestead.

the little cabin we stay in was a cute little rustic spot off of the main house. it was tiny, but charming, and had everything you might need. i wish it had rained while we were there, because i bet it sounds amazing on the metal roof. i should have taken the pics right when we arrived, but i never remember to do that, so sorry for unmade beds, etc... i promise it was all impeccably clean when we got there! :)




we flipped for rooms, and we ended up with the loft. you know jia loved climbing those stairs!









the girls had a good ole fashioned jumping on the bed slumber party!

we totally lucked out. for a last minute internet discovery, we weren't sure what we would find...but it was pure heaven in the woods! it had all the charm of a b&b but hidden away on a beautiful and secluded piece of land. i loved every minute there. it was like a secret garden. pictures don't do it justice. we will absolutely be back.










despite living in texas nearly all my life, i had never really heard of the town of jefferson. but it's a cute little place that you can tell must have been a pretty happening spot a couple hundred years ago. it's full of history, antique shops, and country charm. a great little get away. it reminds me a little of fredericksburg, though smaller and not so crowded. and of course the piney woods have a totally different charm than hill country.






we enjoyed roaming around the shops there and exploring. it felt like stepping back in time. we found a couple birthday gifts for jia, including this vintage rocking horse that i'm totally in love with. why is it that vintage kids stuff is so much more stylish?



on the way home we let the girls and dads take a swim in lake o the pines. i think they had a pretty good father's day.




we all had a great weekend and i'm already looking for a chance to go back!

a couple months ago one of my very best friends was diagnosed with breast cancer. she is a friend who is more like a sister, so my heart has been with her on this awful journey. i truly wish i could take her pain...but i can't, so i threw her a party.



a green gables tea party/hair party/birthday party.




with chemo and her birthday around the corner it was time to prepare. if you look online for hair cutting chemo parties, you pretty much just find ladies drinking a lot of wine together and then shaving their heads. not exactly what i was going for. :P

my friend has gorgeous red hair and is a lover of all things avonlea, so it just made sense to throw a green gables tea party...with plenty of help from some more amazing friends!





after all, anne shirley had to lose her hair for a far less romantic reason, so this is a party she would definitely approve of!

we invited a hair stylist to cut pixies for whoever wanted to shed hair in support, and a make up artist to help my friend adjust to her new look. all this happened while we watched anne of green gables and drank tea, raspberry cordial, and ate goodies!






we wrapped things up with a birthday celebration, and giving gifts of super cute hats, head coverings, and chemo gear to make sure my friend was all prepared for the days ahead! and doesn't she look adorable in that pixie?!



but most of all i hope we helped prepare her by showering her with love! i don't think i've ever been to a party that was so filled with love and support! i guess breast cancer can bring out "bosom" friends, and definitely kindred spirits!

i don't blog nearly often enough, but pretty much the only reason i blog at all is because my mind is like a sieve these day and i want to note down all the special memories that i can before they fall right out of my head. so most things i write may not interest anyone other than me, but for me they are little things about my baby that i just want to make sure i remember.

jia is 21 months old now, and she has friends! she's just starting to sort of play with other kids, as opposed to just parallel playing.

one of her best friends at this point is a little darling named cora. cora is really almost more like a cousin, because her parents are some of our favorite people in the world and they live just around the corner from us.



so these two spend a lot of time together. they're exactly 9 months apart in age, so cora is baby enough that jia is fascinated with her, and jia is big enough, that cora thinks she's cool.



for whatever reason, jia calls cora "iya". this is a regular conversation between jia and my husband.

husband: "jia, can you say CORA?"
jia: "iya".
husband: "say CO-"
jia: "CO-"
husband: "RA"
jia: "RA"
husband: "cora".
jia" "iya".

jia and cora don't know many of the rules of proper social interaction, but jia has only hit cora over the head with a toy once, so in toddler terms i think that pretty much means they're best friends. one of jia's favorite games is stealing cora's pacifier out of her mouth so that cora will chase her. consequently this is not cora's favorite game. cora's favorite game is trying to block jia from going through a tunnel or down a slide at the playground. when your best friend is a toddler, i guess you get used to playing a little bit rough. :)



as you know, sharing can be an issue for toddlers, but jia has figured out a way to use the whole system of sharing to her benefit with cora. whenever cora has a toy that jia wants, jia simply starts bringing cora a bunch of other toys until she gets distracted and turns her attention to a new one, allowing jia to snatch away the desired toy. it's great having a best friend with a short attention span...at least when you're 1.



anyways, it's a lot of fun seeing these two cuties grow up together, and i'm so looking forward to seeing them grow together through the years! love these girls!

so over the past few weeks, two of my very dear friends have both brought some amazing bundles of joy into the world!

i'm over the moon excited for them. seriously it's hard to contain! haha. the early days with a newborn are just so crazy and incredible. both terrifying, and full of wonder. it's basically like falling head over heels in love and having no idea which way is up.

next to a newborn, at 8.5 months jia looks almost like a toddler now! haha. it's crazy what a difference just a few months makes in the life of a baby. it has gotten me to reminiscing back to when she would just fit into the crook of my arm.


first pic of our family! can you believe i'm just now going through the pics that were on our actual camera?! mom fail! wow...there's no tired like what you feel right after a long labor. boy do i look it! yikes!



holy heartburn! that chunky monkey had a lot of hair!!

i miss the days that have flown by, but i'm so in love with the person i'm getting to know and who she is becoming. this is such a fun time. motherhood has definitely turned me all sentimental. i wish i could just hold her forever. i'm wrapped around my little girl's finger in a way i never had dreamed. it has really taught me to appreciate the amazing treasures from heaven than children are.

so here's to raising these treasures together amongst friends!
have fun getting to know your little ones and falling in love all over again!