Happy Easter! What a lovely celebration we had this year at my in-laws' country club after church followed by a relaxing and festive day at their home. Even the snow didn’t stop me from pulling out my spring polka dots and Easter hat. 

But when I was pouring over friends' social media pictures at the end of the day, I couldn’t help reminiscing about when I last wore polka dots and pearls: the 2017 White House Easter Egg Roll! If you haven’t heard of this annual Easter Monday tradition, you must add it to your bucket list. What a treat for families! The tickets are completely free and distributed on a lottery system with sign-ups in February, but if you know someone on staff, you can usually get around the lottery and snag a spot (thanks Mr. O&O!). 

Aside from tickets, the only other obstacle is the entry line. Our experience started out a little rainy, which seemed to deter more people than previous years, so we only waited about an hour from arrival to stepping on the South Lawn. Historically, however, lines have snaked blocks and people have waited several hours. Once you get inside, the lines are pretty minimal and thankfully they pass out snacks and drinks while waiting in the initial line, but I’d recommend bringing an iPad or something similar to entertain the kiddos. 

The Presidential Tennis Court is one of the first things you pass entering the South Lawn, so we stopped by and tossed balls around with a crew of Special Olympics athletes. Baby O&O also got to kick a soccer ball to the D.C. United Women’s soccer team at another station, comprising the top sports highlights of the day.

The namesake event is a must-do once you get there. The roll (and the actual egg hunt) are the only other substantial lines we had to stand in once inside, but the wait was 20 min or less, and the line for the egg roll was actually rather enjoyable. We passed by The Beast, enjoyed music by the United States Marine Band  (added to the event by Indiana’s own Benjamin Harrison in 1889), and even spied the White House Rose Garden and the Oval Office windows as we waited. Before we knew it, it was our turn. The basic concept is you scoop/roll a hardboiled egg down a lane with a spoon, racing others to the finish line. Baby O&O needed a bit of help but happily played along. It was exhilarating to take part in the 140-year-old tradition!

Countless other activities sprinkle the lawn from live music to arts and crafts, with many photo ops in between. On the way out, every attendee receives a wooden egg keepsake and a goody bag of Easter toys and treats. It was wildly successful and I would highly recommend it to any family!

​In honor of kicking Indiana polo season off, I'm bringing back the baby shower series to highlight two fantastic polo-themed showers thrown for me a little over a year ago to celebrate Baby O&O. Because of Mr. O&O’s and my combined love for all things southern and preppy, we decided on a polo theme for Baby O&O’s nursery, which inspired the two hat-wearing showers that came to be. The room has served its purpose well into toddlerhood as Baby O&O now loves pointing out all his "neigh-neighs" before bed. 

The first was a small, family shower that started with the most perfect blue and white polo onesie invitations and ended with a matching cake. Everyone got in the spirt and came wearing a hat and dress, with many sets of pearls to boot. The most special part was the old family cradle used to display a gorgeous array of goodies for my little man. 

​A few months later, a family friend on Mr. O&O’s side also caught wind of the polo nursery theme and put a Ralph Lauren polo spin on her celebration. After discovering an old RL teddy bear fabric, she incorporated this print into everything from the boots and rocking horse welcoming guests to the spiced nuts adorned with horse charms sent home as favors. While the details were jaw dropping, my favorite part of this shower was the game she played during presents: each guest had a mad-lib style questionnaire that they filled out and read part of before their gift was opened. The hostess wrote the personalized story, incorporating many sweet things such as Baby O&O's anticipated career and advice for him as he grows. As the guests read their stories, the hostess collected them and placed them in an album for me to keep. It is so heartwarming to go back and read the stories and see how the imagined Baby O&O holds up against the real deal.

​Upholding the legacy set by this painstakingly decorated nursery and fantastic showers, we took Baby O&O to his first match last summer and are gearing up to head out again this year! I hope you’ll join us at Hickory Hall Polo Club this summer.

Just after completing a 30-day self-love journey where I made a deliberate effort to love and prioritize myself a bit each day, I received the most perfectly timed invitation to attend a “Love Yourself Portrait and Beauty Celebration” from photographer, artist, and owner of Lusicovi Creative, Elise Rorick. Mr. O&O and I have a stunning collage in our dining room from a Charles Dickens themed Christmas photo shoot she did for us a few years ago, so already knowing how talented she is, I was thrilled to have the chance to pose for this #loveyourself themed shoot. 

The event included several local vendors offering a variety of self-care themed items, my favorites being the complimentary hand massages from Hillside Avenue Spa & Salon, a fun just-because flower arrangement I took home from Southern Sky Design, and some heavenly-smelling tea I picked up for a friend from Lesley Saligone Wellness.

​But the highlight of the day was a festive photo booth where you could color a heart and write one thing you love about yourself to hold in your photos in exchange for amazing, complimentary, edited pictures from the lovely Lusicovi Creative. What a perfect way to show yourself some love! I even got to fulfill a secret goal of mine to wear a flower crown. Elise was tons of fun to work with and she is incredibly talented. If you are looking for a photographer, give Elise a call and mention this post for 15% off your booking fee.

This event was such a blessing! I loved spending an hour just enjoying some me-time surrounded by gorgeous flowers while quietly coloring. As an extrovert, I of course also enjoyed chatting with the local small businesses about their passions and mission to promote self-care, but it was a great reminder to take time for myself. Even Jesus withdrew from the crowded world to pray and recharge in solitude, so I’m thinking that this self-care stuff is totally legit! Thanks Elise for putting on this awesome event at the most perfect time. Can’t wait for next year!   

At the beginning of 2015, I invited a group of women I love doing life with to join me on a 31-day journey of loving our husbands better. We used Proverbs 31 to guide us, culminating the month in a Valentine’s Day reveal party for the books. Two years and a 13-month-old later, I got to thinking that it might be nice if someone spent a little extra time loving me! Ha! Then, after reading an especially poignant devotional about how even Jesus took time to withdraw and rest, I realized that the person who has been neglecting to love me the most was none other than myself. I recalled an effort my sister-in-law initiated about a year ago to work on self-care and I made a decision to revisit her idea by filling my own cup so I could be better equipped to truly savor (my word this year!) 2017.
 
Thereunto began my Self-Love30 Journey. I reached out to another group of women with an invitation to spend a little time each day for a month loving ourselves. I created a Facebook group with these ladies where we could post our daily efforts at self-love and encourage one another throughout the process. I figured if I was feeling a bit neglected, some of these gals might be feeling similarly. I had no idea how true that would end up being! A few of the initial responses brought me to tears:

​The main goal of self-love as I defined it was working on giving ourselves what we needed, which may or may not have been what we necessarily wanted, but with the caveat that there would be no judgement if what you in fact needed was a glass of wine and TV night! We ended up with a great mix of productive, healthy, prayerful actions paired with a sprinkling of much-needed indulgent baths and decadent desserts.

In true O&O fashion, I ended the 30 days with a celebration of US at my house where everyone was invited to relax, recount our journey, and enjoy a specialty coffee from a truly delightful on-location barista service,  A Cup Above Coffee Catering. 

While we cheered for the “most prolific” participant and laughed over the “most indulgent” (winner of a bottle of wine!), one of the ladies who had participated in both the Love31 and the Self-Love30 journeys made a rather acute observation, “I was surprised to discover that it was easier to be consistent in taking the time to love my husband daily for a month than it was taking time for myself.” It was a little sobering to admit, but I completely agreed with her. It is disheartening to see how much we as wives, mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends put everyone else’s needs above our own and barely even think twice about it. My biggest takeaways from this exercise were realizing how prevalent self-neglect is among even as small a sampling as 25 women in Indianapolis and how much easier and more enjoyable the daily grind is when you take time to refuel and have support in doing so.

For the cherry on top of such an amazing and energizing month, I received an invitation to local photographer Lusicovi Creative’s second annual Love Yourself Portrait and Beauty Celebration. Stay tuned for a follow up post on that when I get pictures back, but let’s just say it was a perfect way to end a month dedicated to caring for ME. For now, I'll leave you with a list of ideas to practice your own self-love. Who knows, maybe you could tack on 10 days for your 2017 Lent resolution? #SelfLove40

​What is more perfect than a penguin-lovin’ gal like myself throwing a penguin party for her son in January? These cutie animals are always overdressed and never clash, plus we own so many of them that it was an effortless theme for Baby O&O’s first birthday!

For the pre-planning, Best Friend O&O offered up her Cricut for the penguin-shaped invites while another friend recommended an Indy-based Etsy designer for a custom penguin “1” shirt for Baby O&O's big day.

Once the per-orders were in place, I gathered all the penguins we owned and strategically placed them throughout the main rooms we would be occupying. The stuffed penguins and penguin books I was able to place at low levels to serve as both decorations and play things for the kids. I kept the less kid-friendly decorations up high with the food display. I also left out my penguin Christmas décor and picked up a set of penguin Christmas ball ornaments from Michaels (at 80 percent off!) to add extra penguin pizzazz.

​My basement is entirely dedicated to kids, so that is where I set up most of the stuffed penguins in front of a fun black-and-white banner backdrop. I also created a picture wall of a variety of moments from Baby O&O’s first year with a special “1” poster from Shutterfly as the showpiece. For the upstairs, I hung two month-by-month picture banners. As an afterthought, I blew up a few black balloons and dispersed them throughout the house. They were the biggest hit! Who knew how fun a balloon was to a one-year-old?

The time of the party was between afternoon nap and dinner, but I still wanted enough food for everyone to have a solid snack. I went with a simple, kid-friendly menu that aligned with our theme: tuna-salad sandwiches cut into the shape of penguins, shrimp cocktail, goldfish, Swedish fish, and my prized creative piece, an igloo cheese platter with olive and cream-cheese penguins. 

​Guests warmed up with coffee and hot chocolate and finished off with a tradition from my childhood: first birthday carrot cake. I made a moist carrot cake filled with pineapple and coconut and a batch of matching mini carrot cake cupcakes for the kiddos. Baby O&O started off wanting nothing to do with his, but by the end of the night he gobbled it down and asked for “Mo!” 

​Happy Birthday to my sweet boy! 

​Every year when October arrives with its glorious fall weather and all things pumpkin, I make sure to clear my calendar to make room for seasonal outings. Bonfires in the backyard, baking delicious treats, trips to the pumpkin patch with friends, and Mr. O&O’s family’s annual pumpkin-carving contest are all of the fun things that fill my weekends this time of year. But as of late, when the weather gets crisp, I make sure to save a spot on my calendar for one annual indoor activity: Grace Church’s fall theatre production.
 
It started for me in 2013 with To Kill a Mocking Bird, which is one of my favorite books. The Noblesville, Indiana church’s actors blew me away with their professionalism and caliber of their performance. I was hooked. The next year, Mr. O&O and I returned for more and Grace did not disappoint. We fell in love with their amazing rendition of Les Miserables and were once again blown away by the talent displayed and the amount of community involvement, especially on the part of IMPD Officer Chris Wilburn (links to video of him singing!) who brilliantly played Jean Valjean.

​This year, I absolutely cannot wait to see Grace put on Disney’s classic musical, Beauty and the Beast. My lovely sister-in-law’s cousin, Betsy Sandifer, is playing the female lead, so I feel a bit like a Belle groupie! Tickets are already on sale now and selling quickly, but thankfully there are seven showings between October 28 and November 6, so there are still tickets available. It is seriously a phenomenal event that I would highly recommend to even the most seasoned theatre patron. I’ll be at the 7pm showing on Friday, November 4 if you want to join. Hope to see you and a friend there!

​Whether it is fun children’s board books, age-old nursery rhymes, or classic young-adult novels, book-themed baby showers are a popular way to welcome the next generation. I have helped throw 2 book-themed showers in the last 6 months, and Mama O&O and BFF O&O tag-teamed Baby O&O’s first shower back in September. Here are a few different variations on this emerging theme.

Classy and Classic
Books were a perfect theme for my first shower because it honored my love of literature and career as an editor and also worked well as a gender-neutral element since we hadn’t had our gender reveal yet. Mama O&O hosted a lovely brunch at her house in VA and put together the stunning centerpieces (flowers from Anita's), champagne bar, and amazing food displays. 

​BFF O&O helped from afar by pulling together the pastel gender-neutral color scheme in the invitations, making the banners, and picking up the gorgeous cake from Shortcake Bake Shoppe. (She even continued the trend to incorporate books in the newborn photos she took!)

​From the bookmark favors to the book-layered diaper cake, every detail embodied my love of books, which I pray baby O&O will inherit.

Fun and Colorful
When I heard my dear friend Chelsea wanted a book shower for her baby boy (who was born only one day before Baby O&O), I was thrilled to be able to help her sister throw it. I recycled Mama O&O’s idea of wrapping books in fabric for centerpieces and happened to have some leftover blue and red fabric from my bedroom curtains, so I used that to go with Chelsea’s bright primary color scheme. I picked up a few red vases and some complementary flowers to sit atop the books for a vibrant look. 

​Pure Eatery in Fishers served as the perfect venue with their side room, family-style salads, and sandwich platters. Chelsea’s sister brought in a darling banner and matching coasters and signs. We adorned the dessert table with book-themed desserts, including the cutest cakes I found at Market District in Carmel for only $10 apiece! The other co-hostess, Kate, put the finishing touches on everyone’s place setting with “book worm” favors. 

Cute and Simple
There are so many fun books out there that you can use to complement a food display for any kind of book shower. And most of them are available at any local library for an easy and inexpensive way to make anything book-themed! Here are a few of my favorite examples that take the least amount of work. 

When I was pregnant, I read a book about French parenting called Bringing Up Bebe by Pamela Druckerman, and it totally shaped my parenting philosophy. In honor of this French child-rearing style I was hoping to employ with Baby O&O, my girlfriends threw me a perfectly magnifique French-themed baby shower at Indianapolis’s most elegant confectionary and my personal favorite place in the world, a Parisian-inspired bakery called The Cake Bake Shop. 

​Since it was November, the shop was all decked out in their Christmas silver and gold décor, which is nothing short of magical, so very few additional decorations were needed, but of course, the extra French touches the hostesses did add were truly the “icing on the cake,” if you will. 

​Guests mingled over French-pressed coffee in the shop’s special event room, which is easily my favorite space on earth. We had the option to indulge in a slice of pumpkin chocolate cake or funfetti birthday cake, and while we sunk our forks into the rich sugary goodness, the hostesses led everyone in a fun guessing game of baby stats about either Mr. O&O or me from back when we were wee ones. 

​Everyone then showered Baby O&O and me with a plethora of goodies, and I basked in all the amazing love, generosity, and cake. Sticking with the silver and gold color scheme, guests left with a matching tea candle and a full belly. Reflecting back on it, I am so thankful for all the dear women who came to celebrate our sweet little boy and for the 3 very special women who put every last detail together to make my French dream a reality. 

For all the locals reading this who have yet to experience the slices of heaven the Cake Bake Shop adorns their counters with daily, I urge you to stop what you are doing and run there immediately! And for those reading from afar, feel free to follow my Cake Bake visits by keeping tabs on my Cake Bake Pinterest board to see what delicacy I try next.
 
As for the French parenting, I am happy to report that it is going splendidly so far. Baby O&O is taking to his French upbringing like a true Parisian bebe. 

In honor of this very special day, I interrupt this baby shower blog series (appropriately) for a brief look into the reality of a new mom’s first Mother’s Day. While I totally agree with and relate to all of these points (especially #9!), this wise bit of insight actually isn’t mine, but is a fantastic guest post from my dear friend Lisa Graft (for whom I threw the running-themed baby shower), a now-seasoned mama (compared to my 4 months!) to precious and adorable Josie. Take it away, Lisa!

​Last Mother’s Day (my first), I posted this beautiful picture of my daughter and me with the caption, “Doesn’t get any better than this.” 

​And I felt guilty. Like a liar. True, it doesn’t get any better than holding my sweet baby and giggling together, but it does get worse! So, in the spirit of full transparency, here are 10 truths about my short experience in motherhood that I wrote last Mother’s Day that still hold true, even with another year under my belt.

I’ve never been so exhausted – mentally, emotionally, and physically. When I became a mother, the selflessness came instantly to me. The work, then, is to not resent Josie for engendering the selflessness. And to not resent my husband for his learning curve on becoming selfless. And that’s tiring! But, of course, motherhood is amazing on so many levels. I love Josie more than I ever thought I could love a human. I’m enjoying the trial and error part of raising a baby because I’m becoming a very confident mother, and every day, I try to appreciate my tired eyes and full heart.

​This next shower we threw was a first for all of us. Our lovely friend Maggie and her husband answered the call of God on their hearts to adopt a child with down syndrome and embarked on a 1-year journey to bring their now 2-year-old son home from Bulgaria. To commemorate this life-changing trip to Eastern Europe, they chose a vintage travel theme for his nursery, which we couldn’t pass up carrying over into her shower. 

​Again, we went with a non-traditional venue and tried desperately to find something travel-themed (contenders included Indiana Transportation Museum and Mr. Muffin’s Trains), but we just couldn’t make it work logistically. In the end, we opted for a local favorite, Hubbard and Cravens Coffee, and it worked out beautifully on a crisp Halloween day. 

Our spread consisted of fresh fruits and veggies along with a variety of meats, cheeses, and breads. The mom-to-be is paleo, so H&C kindly allowed us to bring in our own dessert, roasted balsamic strawberry tarts with coconut cream, made by the 38-weeks pregnant beneficiary of the last shower, major-league baker Laura. 

​We introduced our theme with the perfect invites (found by Liz) from Etsy, setting the stage for everything else on the day of. ​We had the entire place to ourselves, so the set up included several smaller tables at which we placed mini centerpieces made of stacked travel books under simple porcelain mugs filled with coffee beans (kindly provided last minute by H&C). We scattered a few vintage cameras and suitcases around the center tables and added photos of their little man to personalize the look. For the finishing touch, I ordered luggage tag favors from Etsy picturing vintage European maps. 

​The guests enjoyed a tantalizing game of baby shower bingo while our mama glowed with love and excitement as she opened the goodies her son would be using soon. Fast-forward a few months, throw in several heaven-sent timing miracles, and this little boy found his way home to his adoring parents by Christmas. 

​Coming next is a look at my favorite on-location shower, a Parisian baby bash for none other than Baby O&O!