IT'S A NEW SEASON (+ FREE DOWNLOAD)


It's a new season.

Spring is finally here! I wrote this post on instagram a little while ago but wanted to share it on here as well....

"Spring is coming, which always reminds me that the winter season can't last forever because hope is on its way 💕 "Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight. At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more. When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death. And when he shakes his mane, it will be spring again."

There's something so incredible about a new season. God knew what he was doing when he created seasons. Our hearts can handle only so much Winter...I need that newness that Spring brings, I need those lazy days of Summer and even those hard working days of Fall...each season always brings its blessings and challenges and I am always so thankful for the next one. So may your heart be encouraged that it's a new season. Spring is here, winter is over, and God has something new in store for you.

Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.
-Isaiah 43:18-19

It's a New Season!!!

So I made you a couple backgrounds to remind you that it is a new season! Just click below to download.

 PRINT  //  IPHONE WALLPAPER  // DESKTOP WALLPAPER
 

It's a New Season Iphone Wallpaper

XO!
laura

OUR HOME // NURSERY BEFORE & INSPIRATION


Nursery Inspiration

We've entered full out nesting mode. James wants to get as many projects done around the house before The Lion comes and I couldn't agree more. I'm not much help because I can't move very much but I can pin...oh, I can pin. We were originally going to put the nursery in our guest bedroom but after some discussion and practical planning, we decided to keep the spare bedroom for students in the fall and instead combine the office into a nursery/studio.

It saddens my heart a bit to squeeze baby in a small space but thankfully one of my BFFs (Courtney, I LOVE YOU) used to work at Pottery Barn Kids where she would help plan stunning nurseries in tiny Vancouver apartments! So Courtney came over the other night and helped me plan it out and I'm beyond excited to get started!

Here's what's inspiring me....

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6

I'm attracted to sweet and simple. Cool tones with a touch of natural wood. Here is what the current office/nursery looked like when we moved in... 

YIIKEEES. Everything looks so different now. The picture makes it look a lot smaller than it is and our refinished floors and white paint definitely made it a lot brighter. We also installed new blinds. 

For the longest time we had James' music desk underneath the window and my desk on the left side with a shelf above it. This month we moved my desk out to the living room/dining room and now have to move James' desk over to the right side. We're planning on putting the glider/rocking chair in the corner under the shelves on the left side with the crib against the wall. We'll put the dresser/change table on the wall across from it. Speaking of dresser/change table...James found this one on used vic that was green and dark wood. We planned on painting it in the near future but James surprised me with this...

How stunning is that dresser! Just wait till you see it in natural lighting all set up with a cute changing station and the cutest baby boy on top....eeeeeee! I'll be back soon with some more plans!

XO,
Laura

SPRING FEVER


pastel dream hair

image via

Spring is coming and I need a little inspiration to get through this last week of winter. The daffodils in my yard are in full bloom (have been since February ha) and the tulips are still on their way...cannot wait to see them emerge! Oh, Spring come soon! 

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5

spring fever

1. Mint Bowl   //  2. Peach Clutch   //   3. White Skinnies  
4. Floral Tumbler  //   5. Nude Nail Polish   //   6. Lavender Nikes

Happy Spring shopping :)

XO,
laura

HELLO WEEKEND


image via

It's FRIDDAAAAY! For some reason this week felt exceptionally long but I think it's the new exhaustion I have acquired from entering the third trimester! My belly is getting BIG and carrying around all that extra weight is making me one tired cookie. He's also waking me up in the middle of the night lately by having a dance party in my belly...I'm all about dance parties but not at 2am baby boy. Can't believe it's 13ish weeks until I get to kiss his sweet cheeks...eee!

So got any plans for the weekend? James and I are in full out nesting mode so I'm hoping to get a few things done around the house! If you follow me on snapchat, you'll see that he surprised me by doing a diy ombre to a dresser we bought off used vic! It's beautiful. Courtney came over last night and helped me plan out the nursery/studio. So I am getting amped to start decorating!!

I ordered this from Target and cannot wait to put it above his crib! I also ordered these plates & these plates for my shower because they're just too cute.

Spring is in the air around here! We've been getting some nice sunshine but also a ton of rain showers...no surprise there! I checked out the Essie Spring Collection and it just seems a bit too summery for me (not pastel-y enough for my liking) but I do dig this shade. I have zero inspiration to buy spring clothes because these days I just want to be in my H&M maternity legging/pants and a t-shirt. So please buy some white jeans so I can live vicariously through you....!!!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend! 

XO,
Laura

PS. LET'S BE FRIENDS!

 INSTAGRAM // FACEBOOK // SNAPCHAT: lauraliira
TWITTER // PINTEREST

OUR PREGNANCY STORY


I've been waiting awhile to share our pregnancy story. It's a bit of a complicated story because there are other stories intwined with it. But it's a story of God's goodness, so I just can't not share it with you. Just a disclosure- this may be a bit TMI as I talk about cycles and ovaries and all that fun stuff haha...don't say I didn't warn you!

When James and I got married, we knew we wanted to wait awhile before having kids. So I went with the IUD as birth control knowing I had a good five years of not having babies. But after two years of marriage, the ovaries started yearning. Little, cute babies everywhere with all their cute baby things...oh that can do some damage to your ovaries.

But James was still in school and then we bought a house so we decided to wait to start trying. Until we had dinner with some awesome pastors who encouraged us re: having babies while we were young. After some prayer and chats, we decided that I would get my IUD taken out and we would give it a go! Surely we wouldn't get pregnant right away.

And we were right as much as I didn't want to be right. The ol' IUD peaced out in early March and I didn't get pregnant until September. My body took a little bit of time to get on track and then James was travelling with Towers & Trees during a number of my "fertile windows" ha. It got to be a bit frustrating during the summer as I discovered my cycle going from 30 days to 32 to 40 (!!!!) to 35. When I look back on my app that tracked all that, we ended up just missing my fertile window days almost every month lols. During those months when my cycle was longer than normal, I obviously took pregnancy tests. I had a friend who hooked me up with those free stick ones so I couldn't not take them (they were freee!) 

I admit it was definitely disheartening to dip the stick and only see one line when it seemed that everyone was getting pregnant around me. But God gave me peace about it and I knew it would happen when it would happen.

September came around and James was in town the whole month. BOOYAH! This was our month to actually "try". Because my cycle was unpredictable, we decided to strategize a bit. So for a two week period let's just say we "tried" a lot. This also happened to be during our local rock festival, Rifflandia, where James played two shows at...so I can proudly say my son was conceived during a rock festival that his daddy played at (pretty freaking awesome, if you ask me, ha!!)

So fast forward a couple weeks...I decide not to test until at least day 32. I didn't feel pregnant. Some women know they're pregnant the second they conceive...I was not one of those. 

But I had a dream.

Let's get this straight though. I dream a lot. I've even had dreams about babies before but this dream was different. I don't even particularly remember what exactly happened in the dream except for the fact that I was pregnant and my sister was pregnant too. I woke up and just knew it was from God. I knew that I was pregnant. I even recorded it in my journal. 

I remember telling James when he woke up and I could tell he thought I was a little crazy. He knew I heard from God but this had been something that had been on my mind for a long time, so logically I could have just had a dream. But I KNEW....like I said before, I didn't feel pregnant but I knew that God was telling me I was. I told a couple friends as well, along with my sister. 

Now my sister was on her own fertility journey. Her and her husband had been trying for almost two years. So it was with so much joy and such a privilege that I could share that God was going to make her dreams come true.

So I waited five long days to test. I still wanted to wait until day 32 to test. I felt so crazy over those five days. One minute I would be talking to my belly saying "Oh hello little guy!" (which was my first instinct that I was having a boy) and other times I'd be talking to God, "Am I crazy? Did I just make that dream up?" 

But Monday morning came and I woke up before six like a kid on Christmas morning. I bolted to the bathroom, peed into a cup and then dipped the stick that would change my life. Immediately two lines appeared. Thank you Jesus. First of all, I'm not crazy...and second of all, but really first of all, I couldn't believe how amazing God is, that he would tell me in a dream that I was pregnant!!! I took two more tests to be sure.

I then woke James up with the news...and this is the one thing I regret. Man all you people who wait to tell your husbands and come up with really cute, creative ways...how do you do that!! I just could not hold it in. James obviously was so excited but he is not a morning person and it was 6am...so let's just say I didn't get the reaction that I wanted and next time I will wait till he's fully awake before I announce the news, lols. 

We told a few close friends and I excitedly called my sister to let her know that a. God was right, I was pregnant and b. she would be pregnant soon. James and I announced our exciting news to both our families one week later over our joint Thanksgiving dinner and that was the best.

And guess what? 5 weeks after I found out that I was pregnant, my sister got the news too. And we just found out she's having a little girl. Little boy and girl cousins who will be born five weeks apart.

HOW GOOD IS GOD!!!! I'm still in awe of his goodness as I feel our little lion kicking away. I can't say I haven't had fears (so many) but his promise has kept me grounded through it all. My faith has grown as I've seen this miracle grow in my sister as well.

And I know some of you don't share this story. Pregnancy is such a crazy, vulnerable thing, my heart breaks as I know so many who have experienced loss but all I can say is, God knows your heart, he is faithful, he is good and he's still at work in your story. Don't you forget that.

Love you to the moon & back,
Laura