quinn

Quinn 2.0

January 28, 2013 by Jensey 9 Comments

My brother drove four hours each way to pick us up from the airport. On that four hour car ride to his home, a lot of topics were covered in conversation, but the biggest was Quinn. He’s our first nephew and Charlie’s first kid, so he had a lot of, “When you guys have kids, make sure you..” and “I just really wish some had told us…” I had a million questions for him, but one of them was whether he and Kristin have decided if they want more kids or they’re good. Charlie got the biggest smile on his face, blushed a little, and said something along the lines of “We’ll just have to see.”

Fast forward to my very first time cuddling Quinn, when my sister-in-law blurts out that she’s pregnant! I couldn’t believe it, so much so that the entire trip I just kept repeating, “I can’t believe you’re pregnant!” over and over again. Quinn and 2.0 will be so close in age that Kristin says they’ll even be in the same class at school. LIKE TWINS. My dream, people!

Kristin let me shoot their “announcement” photo, which is so special to me for a number of reasons- At the time, we were the only ones in my family who knew they were expecting. (I’m a middle child and typically the last to find out these things- womp womp.) Quinn is also wearing the little Restoration Hardware Baby and Child bear jacket I bought him before we even knew he was a “he,” and his little airplane sweater (Janie and Jack!) was a Christmas gift from us. :)

I’m so excited to be an aunt again!!!!!!

Oregon Trip Preview

January 21, 2013 by Jensey 6 Comments

Today’s my big brother’s birthday- His 33rd one on this planet, but his first one as a daddy, and that’s pretty special.

Nate and I had been dying to make a trip out to Oregon to meet our new nephew since his birthday in September, but between costs and our crazy travel schedule, we weren’t able to make it happen until a couple weeks ago. It was hands down the best trip I’ve ever taken, and I’m counting down the days ’til our next cuddle!

I loved watching my brother be a dad… Natural doesn’t even begin to describe it. Quinn is the luckiest. (And the cutest!)

Faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaavorite. Bffs already! :)

Happy birthday Charlie! :)

Baby Shower in a Box

September 27, 2012 by Jensey 6 Comments

Easily one of the best moments of my life was when my sister-in-law let it slip that she and my brother were expecting a baby! I knew immediately I wanted to throw her a shower, but after a quick glance at our wedding schedule and trying to figure out logistics of where (we’re in Tennessee, she’s in Oregon, Mom’s in Florida!), it was abundantly clear that a traditional shower wasn’t possible.

Our family and close friends are scattered across the country- Alaska, California, Florida, and Tennessee, and I wanted to find a fun way to include everyone we love. That’s how my idea of a baby shower in a box was born! It was a true labor of love and I’m thrilled with the feedback I’ve received! So, if this is something you think you’d want to do someday, here’s how I put it together:

Charlie and Kristin met when he was an airline pilot and she his flight attendant, and both sides of baby Quinn’s family are packed full with pilots. Between our families’ love of aviation and the fact that these boxes were sent across the country, I thought an atlas-themed shower was quite appropriate. :)

I started off by separating a few pounds of M&Ms by color (the OCD side of me couldn’t have it any other way)! I also bought a few maps of Oregon, Quinn’s birth state, online and using Mod Podge, covered $1 Ikea frames. I was so happy with how these turned out and hope to make some for myself soon!

Each recipient got a little box with a plain white onesie, three paint colors, and a paint brush.

Along with the onesie and paint, everyone received an invitation, photo frame, box of M&Ms, and a mailing label for Kristin (so she’d know their box was part of the shower!). Thanks to my buddy Lorie for helping me find a cute way to word my “invitation.” I know a lot of family members had already sent a gift to Quinn, so I also decided to include two bookplates, encouraging them to send their favorite childhood books to grow Quinn’s library.

(Editor’s note: We totally yanked Hipmunk’s adorable chipmunk for this! Also, names and addresses blanked out because, well, because.)

The onesie box all wrapped. :)

The shower in a box really was a hit and I felt so happy to be able to include key friends and family who otherwise wouldn’t have been able to attend a shower. Kristin and Charlie are still getting random boxes in the mail, which makes my heart happy! Hopefully this can help anyone out there not in the same state as their best friend or sister moms-to-be!