our maternity session

Welcome to the last post of 2018, I can't believe how quickly the year has passed. It has been the BEST year yet! Definitely not without it's ups and down, struggles throughout but honestly the best because we got to greatest gift I could ever have asked for. In just a few short weeks we will welcome baby Girl into the world and then 2019 will be the BEST year ever. Today I am going to share our amazing maternity photos we had taken while in Arizona. I had been putting together a vision on what I wanted my maternity photos to look like and after hours and hours of stressing that vision came to life exactly how I imagined! 

one stop shop for everything expecting moms need

Good Morning + Happy Saturday! It has been a bit since I have gotten on here to check in with you all, life has been busier than ever and with baby quickly approaching and tying up loose ends in order to start maternity leave from my photography company. Needless to say my brain has been bit all over the place. 

I am so excited to share one of my favorite CANADIAN shops with you today! I have been working with this company for a few months back and couldn't be happier with their brands and customer service they offer! It has truly become a one stop shop for moms to be, you can pick up your maternity items, baby gear/clothing, and even postpartum. Bellies In Bloom is located in Victoria, BC and ran by the sweetest owners, Sabrina + Becca. They have a brick and mortar shop as well as a huge online selection. Take a look at a few items I picked up from them and have been using/waiting to use non stop!

must have maternity dresses

One of the most exciting and stressful parts of being pregnant is finding the perfect dress to accent that cute bump you have. Whether you are looking for a dress for Christmas, your maternity photos, or holiday parties wanting the perfect chic dress that everyone says 'oh you looking glowing in that!' makes you just feel beautiful inside and out! I knew we were traveling to Arizona for American Thanksgiving this year and my in-laws always have a dressier dinner so maternity leggings and a baggy t-shirt was probably not going to fly. I also knew I needed a Christmas dress for both Christmas eve and Christmas dinner, as well as a possible maternity dress because of course we are taking maternity photos. My favorite maternity shop PINK BLUSH has over hundreds of styles of dresses (and other maternity clothes!) and they are having their biggest sale of the year! It is the perfect time to stock up on any dress you will need in the next few months! Today (11/26-11/30) is PINK BLUSH's Cyber Monday sales! Use code CYBERMONDAY for up to 60% off site wide and 40% off ALL dresses!

Head over to my Instagram STESHAROSE account where I am giving away $75 gift card for the next 24 hours to one lucky winner! PINK BLUSH also has women's + children's clothes if you aren't expecting.

Happy Shopping!

Front Porch: Updated Fall Decor

Hello! Today I am FINALLY sharing our front porch Fall decor. I decorated for the first time last fall, (you can read that post here) and tried to update it each season. Obviously Fall is the best of all and this year I think I stepped it up another notch.  Give me allll the pumpkins you can! I was able to snag a couple "pastel" pink and green pumpkins from our local orchard, and if you have been following on instagram you would have seen we went to a pumpkin patch over the weekend and got these bright orange ones for carving. The more pumpkins the better... right?! 

Also, if you have been following on instagram stories, you would have seen that I was on the search for a new front door mat... ALL OVER TOWN! It is such a challenge sometimes living in Canada where shipping and duties will cost you a fortune. I can not justify $80 a door mat, so I did some exploring and searching and came up with this orange "gather together" mat and a secondary rug underneath for some dimension. 

Fall Bucket List

Everyone, it is October! Can we believe that?! Fall has been around for the last couple of week like a mentioned before but it TRULY feels like Fall and so many Fall activities going on. We have been having some gorgeous days (although we are embracing ourselves because rain is in the forecast) with golden glows of sun and walks around the property. I have officially stated that Fall is by far my new favorite season here in BC, the colors, the outfits, and the crisp air gives me all the good feels. 

Speaking of outfits, I am so happy to get able to start layering cozy cardigans and flannels! I keep adding more to my online shopping carts and then get frustrated when I g to pick out an outfit and the cardigan I had in mind is not in my closet it is in my cart... anyone else do that?! I also love these new mauve distressed denim pants I received from the Pink Blush maternity line. They are a great muted color for Fall and I cannot wait to pair them with many more sweaters. PLUS, a big bonus that none of my other pants have... front pockets! Yes, these maternity pants have real front pockets which I love. 

life on the go

Disclosure: I have partnered with YMC and Annie’s and have received compensation for this post. All opinions are my own.

I can't believe it is well into September already! Seriously, do the years get shorter or is life just so busy time is flying by? Must be the second one. Life lately has been a zoo around here! School has started, Sofia is loving her grade 3 class and of course she got the teacher she wanted (yayyy!). Ballet has started up again, this year she is in primary which means she will be taking classical ballet exams in the Spring AND Stephen is playing softball 2 times a week which Sofia just has to go to!  Not to mention we are half way through the pregnancy and my work is on over load. Geez, I get tired just hearing it all! haha. However months like September and into October are some of my favorites even though they are the busiest because come December when the snow hits we tend to hibernate as a family. 

One aspect to being busy that stresses me out is making sure my family has the right nutrients and healthy foods to eat! If you have been watching on Instastories I have recently been making homemade pear and apple sauce to have on hand for the winter. We grew our garden all summer long which is now coming to an end, and as seen a few posts back we have been hitting up lots of orchards for fresh fruit. Busy life doesn't have to mean fast food, you can still eat healthy even when its quick. 

bumpdate: 20 weeks

Okay, I may be a week and a half late posting this BUT I am getting around to the 20 week bumpdate. I feel like so much has happened  in the last 6 weeks however that could just be because I do more than eat bagels, sleep, and work... I, my friends, have become a member of society again! The questions, how are you feeling comes my way my answer is GREAT! At week 7, 8, or 9 I never thought those words would come out of my mouth, but here I am. I honestly feel great. Of course there are some second trimester symptoms that are present but compared to the first trimester this is a breeze!

dress (under $20!) // jacket // shoes // bag // watch // earrings