Happy Friday and Happy Halloween everyone!
I was so tempted to get or make one of those cute Halloween maternity shirts with the skeletons on them (like this) but honestly with a little over a month of pregnancy to go, I really didn’t feel like buying something to just wear today when I’m not going to be doing anything besides working and staying home eating Halloween candy. Whomp whomp. Cameron did have the idea that he could dress up as Charlie Brown and I could dress up as the Great Pumpkin…which, I think he was kidding about? But it would have been kind of funny. Instead, we are going to have a low-key Halloween at home (hopefully we’ll get some trick-or-treaters!) and my costume is going to involve yoga pants and a sweatshirt aka pretty much what I wear every day and I’m totally fine with that 🙂
Yesterday, I shared my monthly favorites for October, but one of my favorite things about the past month that I didn’t mention is the fact that I got to spend a lot of time with my family! I was looking through my photos on my computer/phone last night and realized I had a bunch I hadn’t shared, and so I thought today would be the perfect time for a little end-of-the-month photo dump…
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I went home to Michigan in late September for my baby shower, but while I was there I got to spend time with my parents and do some other fun fall things like go to the cider mill! |
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I also got to see with quite a few friends while I was home too, including my sweet friend Laura! |
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And Cam got to spend time with two of his best friends, Neil and Jeff 🙂 |
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Jeff, Laura, & Theo aka the cutest little fam ever 🙂 |
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Their little man is going to be two soon, which is crazy because it seems like he was just a newborn! |
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I also went with my parents to this grape farm near our house that I had never been to before (and I made them take bump photos for me, ha!) |
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I also got to spend time with my grandparents (and the rest of my extended family) which was nice! |
From Michigan, I actually flew to NYC for a few days and that was a really fun (albeit quick) trip. I
love New York City and the fall is definitely the best time to go for sure! Since my sister lives there, I really enjoy that every time I visit, we always do/see different things. Normally, we never spend much time near Times Square but this time, our hotel was right in that area and so we were in that part of town quite a bit. It’s definitely super touristy and crowded, but it’s fun in a way too because it really makes you feel like you’re in New York City! (Although I’m probably set on spending time there for awhile, ha!) We spent a lot of time with my sister and Ben, and had absolutely perfect weather the whole trip. I actually didn’t get out my real camera at all while I was there so all these photos are from my iPhone 🙂 A few of them may look familiar if you follow me on
Instagram, and so be sure to check out
my Instagram feed if you’re interested in seeing more photos or where we ate this trip because we had some really delicious meals while we were there!


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If you’re on the Upper East Side, the Carl Schurz Park is a really lovely spot to check out! |
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My mom and I went with my sister to see her try on wedding dresses and that was SO fun! We went to Lovely Bride (which has been featured on COJ) and it was (for lack of a better word) lovely! |
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Dad and Ben after our pizza dinner here – so delicious! |
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Morning time (sans makeup, blah) with the parents in Times Square |
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Loved this photo I got on the Brooklyn Bridge! |
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There are so many beautiful details everywhere you look in New York City! |
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My sister and Ben actually got engagement photos taken while we were there, and I tagged along with them and their photographer for the afternoon, which was really fun! I just snapped a few pictures with my phone, but they got so many cool shots like this bubble one in Central Park! |
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Central Park in the fall is just so stunning and the perfect place for photos! (This pic of them is just from my phone, so the ones from the photographer are even better) |
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Her photographer even got a couple of Melissa and I too – this photo is from her, not my iPhone 🙂 |
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Great dinner with family, along with some of Ben & Melissa’s friends |
Pretty soon after I got home from NYC, I had
my wonderful baby shower here in Portland! My mom flew out from Michigan for that, but I didn’t really take many pictures that weekend beyond at the shower. However, we had a really nice time (along with some good meals!) while she was here.
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My mom was also there when Kelsey took maternity photos for us (and helped wrangle Lola who was not really cooperating) and so she snapped a few of the two of us which was really sweet! |

It’s definitely a little tough having my family on the opposite side of the country, but it’s really special when we do get to spend time together. They’ll all be making the trip out here next month, and I’m looking forward to seeing everyone again soon! (Along with that whole having a baby thing…ha!)