The Life and Times of Emily Jane

Lucy and The Chubby Little Snowman

Lucy is getting so smart. It is amazing watching her little brain develop as she learns new skills. I was very impressed the last time I was home with her memorization and her speaking skills. She demonstrates both in this adorablevideo of her reciting The Chubby Little Snowman.

 

Doesn't she seem like such a big girl?? She is still only 2!!

For the love of a hanger.

Before planning a wedding, I had no idea there were so many details that can go into it. I don't think that all of these details are necessary for putting together a beautiful wedding. But, I do think they are very fun and am therefor trying to incorporate as many little details into the day as possible.

A pretty classic photo for the wedding day is of the dress. And, I couldn't have my dress on any old hanger. No! Take a look at what my dress will be perched on!

 

I got the hanger on etsy.com. You can have whatever you want put on the hanger. I went back and forth between 'love', 'mrs. olson', and ' emily <3 jared'. I ultimately went with this one because I thought I would be able to use it in the future or lend it to friends on their big days. You can find them here.

Baby Vivie - All wiggly and cute

I was home last weekend for Thanksgiving. It was a really great weekend and I got to spend a lot of quality time with both of my nieces, Lucy and Vivie. On Sunday, I spent some time just hanging out with the girls. Vivie was hanging out in her little chair, being super cute doing nothing but just being her. So, I took a quick little video of her. So, here she is at 2 months old.

 

We have contact!

 

We have contact! I got my first letter in the mail from Jared yesterday after work. I wripped the envelope open as soon as I saw it in the mailbox and read it as soon as I got into the apartment! He is doing well and seems to be really appreciating the experience and gaining a lot from it. They are keeping them working hard though. I don't think he gets more than 5-6 hours of sleep a night and they are working from the time they wake up until when they go to bed.

AND, HE JUST CALLED!! Yay, I am so excited to have talked to him! It is really hard to go without your best friend, the person you share everything with, for so long. I have really missed talking to him. It was obvious that his state of mind is shifted a little and that he is in 'work mode' constantly. But, I am just really grateful to have gotten 21 minutes to talk. :)

Vivie's Photo shoot

When I was home last weekend for Vivie's baptism, we did a little photo shoot. Here are some of my favorites!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Isn't she just the sweetest little doll. I just love her innocence. She is just starting to smile and giggle and interact with us.

Wedding Planning Update

I'll be honest, I haven't really done much wedding planning in the last month. I have been beyond busy with getting used to a new job and taking two grad school classes. But, I did decide on a photobooth!

Photobooths have been gaining in popularity the last year(s). And, I love the idea of having a photobooth at our wedding. I think it will be a fun activity for guests and will result in lots of hilarious photos of our friends and family having fun. We were at a wedding a few weeks ago (love you Bridget and Derek!) with one and had a blast with it. Were are some of those photos.

 
 
 
 
 
 

I decided to go with Mi Photoboothand am really excited for this part of our wedding reception. Another really good photobooth company I found wasThe Traveling Photobooth. While expensive, the offer a really great product.

The Dress

I bought my wedding dress!

I have decided to not share photos or details on the dress because I want it to be a surprise to most people attending the wedding. But, I will tell you that it is big and fluffy and ubber pretty.

It actually took me a long time to finally decide to purchase this dress. I was talking to my friend Christine last night about the dress commitment and she told me this "Committing to my husband was easy, comming to the dress was the hard part." And, I so agree.

I have dreamed about my wedding dress my whole life. When Jared proposed, I started to develop an idea of what I wanted my dress to look like. I found a lot of dresses that were beautiful and just a few dresses that made me feel and look like the bride I wanted to be. But, none of them fit the exact vision I had in my head.

So, when I found this dress, I knew that I loved it. But, it still wasn't the perfect dress. My friend Lindsey really helped put things in perspective though. She told me that perhaps I could find my perfect dress if I had infinite time and infinite money. But, I just don't have that and this dress is beautiful and I love it, so just get it!

So, I got it! And I love it! And I am so excited to wear this dress the day that I get to marry Jared!

Bye, Bye, Baby

I am a bit of a sad, mopey girl today.

Jared left yesterday morning for AMS (officer training for the Air Guard). He will be gone for 6 weeks.

We have done distance quite a few times before. So, while 6 weeks is a longer time for us, it isn't too difficult to deal with.

The really hard part is the lack of communication. Jared signs in today and they will most likely take his phone away and not return it until the end of training. For the first 2-3 weeks, there will be absolutely no contact. I will write him letters and he will hopefully be able to reply to a few of them. Then, for the 2 weeks after that, I think he will be able to call occasionally. We think that there is a possibility he will get his phone back the last week.

Ugh.

This is going to be hard.

BUT....

I am so excited that he will be able to have this experience. Jared has been wanting to be an officer for a long time, so I am really glad this is actually happening for him. I know he will come back a better man and I can't wait to see his transformation.

I guess you can be glad and sad at the same time.  :)

Jared and Emily: Love on the Farm Part 2

Here are some more of my favorite photos from Jared and my engagement session. Now, I need some advice from you all. I need to pick a few photos for our Save the Dates and another photo for our Christmas card. Let me know which ones are your favorites!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

All photos were taken by the amazing talented and super fun Emily Steffen from Emily Steffen Photography! If you are planning a wedding in the Wisconsin/Minnesota area, I highly suggest looking her up!

Jared and Emily: Love on the Farm

Here is part 2 of our engagement photos. They were taken on Jared's family farm. Jared's great-grandfather, Andrew Olson, moved to Nebraska from Sweden and started this farm. Jared, his father, and his great-grandfather all grew up in the same house on the same land. It was very special to be able to take photos at this beautiful place.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Okay, that is enough for now. There are actually more, but I am tired and this post has enough photos for now!