project life: the wedding edition.

well, it's thursday folks, and here - that usually means a project life post!

yay!!

i need to first, apologize for the glare on these pictures.

i took them in natural light {outside} in the shade, but the glare was awful. and i didn't feel like moving again - or waiting - so we'll just deal with it. but i have to confess that i am disappointed in them. not that it even matters.

this HAS to be one of my favorite weeks ever.

since i had a million pictures, this week, admitedly, took me a little longer than normal since i wanted to incorporate them all in one way or another.

i even slid one of my favorites onto the next week. {hah!} remember - there ARE . NO. RULES!

the very best way to fit in a ton of pictures are these baseball card holders.

you can find them in the collector's card aisle {usually at the front - both at target & walmart} and they're about 5 dollars for 25 of them.

even after that, i had more pictures to include... and ones that couldn't exactly be cropped. so i just added another insert. with some journaling.

the glare is horrible on this page. ugh!!

again, for me, i LOVE journaling on a scrap of paper & stapling it right to the pic. it works for me.

find what works for you!

if you're new here {welcome!} project life is a product created by becky higgins. 

if you want to get started and aren't sure how, click here.

feel free to ask questions!! i would love to help!

and ladies that i know have their supplies - you know who you are - where are those pictures?!?

riley + brady.

we met riley in our class @ clc this year.

brady came home everyday saying that he played with "wiley".

finally, about two months in, i realized he was saying "riley".

then, i kept my momma eye out for her. 

and noticed how cute she was. and how cute her momma was.

and so i did what any momma would do. i started chatting her up. asking her about riley's adorable clothes, her GREAT bows, etc. etc.

and i think it was at some class party that we really started talking about getting the kiddos together because apparently - riley talked about brady too! {yay!}

earlier this year, we finally went to lunch and we instantly became friends. we had to. we were in the same stage of life & are going in the same direction - as i like to say.

and, a funny thing happened while we were chatting.

amanda seemed to have lived everywhere. just like i had. and when she mentioned she lived in maryland for several years, i asked where.

to make a long story even longer - we went to the same elementary school in a little town outside of baltimore. we had the same fifth grade teacher - at slightly different times! i have never ever met anyone who has even heard of where i lived in maryland. and here she was from exactly the same place!

and then - we figured out our brothers were around the same age. turns out, they were in the same class! {at the same time!} more than that, my brother & her brother played soccer together while we lived there!

small. world.

all of that to say, that we've become special friends with amanda & riley. we don't get to see each other near enough, but we welcome any opportunity to get to play.

and saturday was that time.

amanda's brother {riley's uncle kenny} was playing soccer here in town and we got to go, with the mccords, of course.

riley is so. cute. in her portland jersey.

{look at her stacked bob. i love it!}

she ate her pizza with us before the game started & then they went to go sit with their family.

i cannot believe how much they look like big kids in these pictures. b's arm around riley - holding his ticket in his hand. {he was showing it to her.}

it reminds me of that song we sang in brownies.

make new friends. but ke-eeep the old. one is silver & the other gold.

we are so blessed by our friends. new & old.

on saturday.

the hubbs had been out of town & had to work late a few times last week so we were SO looking forward to saturday morning together.

we ran some MUCH needed errands and spent some time together as a family.

true 'family' time is a treasure for us.

and we had it.

we went to our neighborhood pool with the littles.

we packed our lunches.

and charlotte LOVED her first dip. i seriously think that she could have stayed all. day. long.

for reals.

{i know i'm biased - but isn't she so cute you could just eat. her. up???}

 

after a good naptime for the littles {and the hubby} we headed to our sweet friend's house for a birthday party.

harper's ice cream shop.

and boy, was it a HIT.

baby stella, miss joanna & pierce made the trek across the street to come too.

julie did SUCH a great job with all the cute ice cream details. sydney & maddie {the 'older girls'} were very serious about making their ice cream craft with cute beads for sprinkles.

and of course, the ice cream "bar" was the BEST!

hubby snuck a little bite when b. wasn't looking.

thanks, harper!

we can't believe that you are TWO!! what a big girl you are!!

we love you!

NKOTBSB.

{be forewarned that i'm about to gush & gush on & on about my pre-teen crushes... and a bit about my teenaged 'music interests..' haha.}

two simple words.

AH.MAZING.

not that i'm a 'seasoned' concert-goer or anything... i actually have a very limited experience in big concerts like this... but i'd HAVE to say this goes at the TOP of my list of any entertainment event i've been to. 

{thank you justin - and ticketmaster - for our suite tickets! *pun intended*!}

because it was JUST that. 

ENTERTAINING.

let's start at the very beginning.

a girl {who i won't name here} opened for the opener. 

she was. not. good. 

i felt awkward for her.

i had never heard of her - and it made me wonder how two sweet girls i know - that are uber-talented - aren't doing that. i mean, if she is... then - how are they not? 

{let me correct this by saying her voice, itself wasn't bad necessarily. her performance skills were sub-par i guess and i just think there are better people if you know what i mean?}

okay.

then. 

jordin sparks came out. and let me tell you.

i am now a fan.

she's super cute, not at all overly 'seductive' in her body language, dress, etc. {and yes - she's lost a TON of weight... so don't use that as the excuse of her not being seductive...}

she was just plain entertaining. and good. and we sang along with her songs.

and then.....

the main event.

was it everything i'd hoped it would be? 

yes. 

and more?

absolutely.

i had gotten concerned on sunday afternoon when i was getting ready that i had overhyped it in my mind. that it was going to be the ubsurdly great blast from the past concert. 

oh - and boy - was it great. 

first - they both came out. 

joanna and i kept discussing on whether or not they were going to sing at all together or if they were going to do nkotb first and then bsb second... etc. etc. 

it could NOT have been more perfect.

you couldn't hear ANYTHING for the first 20 minutes. i don't know if the sound was off - but the feedback in the mics was HORRIBLE because there were a million ladies girls screaming their rear ends off {as you will hear in a minute from yours truly} and you just didn't understand what they were singing when they were singing a medley of their songs together. 

nevertheless - it was awesome.

and then all of a sudden it was new kids on the end of the stage by themselves.

and they sang. i think they did the right stuff first. wowa. i cannot believe i remember all the words to all of these songs. {i'm singing in my head even as i'm writing this!}

yes, they did their old dance moves. 

yes, it was as COOL as ever.

yes, they sang ALL of your favorites. {my favorite in elementary school was cover girl - and i had totally forgotten about it until they sang it. awe.some!} 

yes, jordan was just a cute as he ever has been. {i may or may not have thought he was going to find me someday and marry me. and i may or may not have been convinced he was singing straight to me - even though he didn't know me - when he sang these slow songs...}

no, joey could not sing as high as he used to. {please don't go, girl did NOT sound the same.}

and yes, donnie took his shirt off. a few times. it got old. {but he's still cute.}

so. they basically tag-teamed it for 2 hours. 

there could NOT have been a better way to do it. 

so, about backstreet boys.

for some reason, i had it in my head that nick carter was the main singer of the group.

i was wrong. a.j. sang a lot. and he's REALLY good. 

i have always like brian littrel - but now i kinda like a.j. {look at me - going all teeny bopper on ya!}

anyway. they were great too. 

i saw them in concert when i was in college. i think i was a sophomore. and if you thought they were great then - i think they're even better now.

it's almost as if they are GRATEFUL to be there... so they're soaking up every minute of it.

they came out into the crowd several times.

 

very cool.

yes, they sang all of your faves too. 

no, they don't look terribly younger than new kids - but they have to be, right?

yes, they wore their all white outfits - which was always my favorite!

and yes, they did all of their old dance moves. just as sharp as they were before.

and then it was 10:30. i knew that we would pay for it in the morning if we stayed any later.

but they still hadn't sung their two best songs.

{do you know which ones i'm talking about?}

we had to go to the potty but we were determined to wait it out.

no matter how long. 

we had to see the end.

and we did. 

and it was wa-aay worth it.

first - came backstreet boys. {if you watch the video - you hear us discussing it}.

and you can ONLY watch the videos if you promise not to make fun of how dorky jo & i are... or how off-key my voice is. if you are going to do that... just don't watch it, kay? thanks. 

"..... backstreet's back - ALRIGHT!"

yup.

awesome.

then..... came nkotb.

we knew what they were going to sing. 

but there was a little surprise. 

they were all wearing mav's jerseys. 

how cool?!?!? the crowd went ca-ray-zay!!!! {as you can imagine!!!}

"are you tough enough? oh-oh-oh-oh-oh. hangin' tough."

love it.

then.... 

bsb came back out a-gain, and they kinda had a little sing-off. it was cool. 

a GREAT way to end the fantastic show.

and then we split. fast.

{or tried to.}

and there you have it. 

a blast from my past - straight to yours. 

can you handle it? are you sad you missed it? 

did you make it this far down? ha. good for you!!!

what song would you have rocked out to the most?!

project life. that's better.

ahhhh....... that's better.

{the pictures - i mean.}

MUCH better than my iPhone version.

i loved how this week turned out. 

i don't necessarily have a reason - i just like how all of the pieces and parts came together as a whole.

it seems kinda simple to me, for some reason.

really easy - going & relaxed. 

i love jotting little notes down & stapling them on the picture. 

it's the best - fastest - and most accurate way to journal for me. 

{as you can tell - my thoughts tend to be scattered & so does my journaling...}

i realized when i put this together, i didn't get any pictures of jeff & i's big night out. {boo!}

it's one of the rare times that i'm showered, spit - up & baby food-free, i have make up on and i'm not in work out shorts. why even get all dolled up if no one's going to see it?

well - i guess my hubby did - which is the ONLY one who counts... right?!

have you started yet?