Mackinac Island Vacation/4th of July

I'm so very happy to say that we have all survived our first vacation with an infant unscathed. The warm weather and direct sunlight proved difficult with a teething baby, but slamming a pina colada with a view of Lake Huron helped ease the tension.

My obsessive packing organization didn't fail me, and there wasn't a thing I forgot! Score one for the mama packing method! I splurged and got Layla the overnight bag that I've been wanting to get her for months, but I held out until I had a coupon. Thankfully, it arrived just in time to be filled to the brim with onesies, headbands, and rompers.

overnight bag

Like I did the last time we traveled with Layla, I packed and sealed her outfits by day in Ziplock bags. In each bag I put her outfit for the day and a back-up outfit (each with their accessories) and a onesie and pajamas for that night. I was able to seal the bag and leave an inch open and roll the bag up to let all of the air out before re-sealing it. It allowed for so much more room in the overnight bag! Because of being on the waterfront, and this is Michigan, I made sure to pack some cold weather clothes and her swimsuits and reusable swim diaper.

I did bring a small soft cooler that fit in the basket of her stroller that I could fill with all of her bottles since we were out and about all day, every day. Of course, you never want to forget formula/breastmilk, diapers, and wipes! One thing that I was so happy that I brought was a bottle brush and a mini of her BabyGanics Dish Soap. One of the most unexciting parts of vacationing with your baby is that the simple pleasures of home (like scrubbing bottles every night) aren't left behind.

Packing for myself was done in pretty much the same fashion. I did score this awesome cosmetic travel case on sale at Walmart!
I was so excited to get my hands on the little bottles so that I could label them (of course!). The back zipper has a HUGE pocket that held so much stuff! Razor, hair products, q-tips, toothbrush/UV sanitizer (don't ask...yes I have a UV sanitizer for my toothbrush), ClairSonic/charger, all of my Murad face stuff, comb and round brush, bobby pins, perfume minis, lotions, deodorant...anything else I could cram in there, you better believe I did. I do have a separate makeup bag, so that doesn't count. haha

Our 4th of July was so great (even though we didn't get to see the fireworks!). We spent it walking along Lake Huron in all of the little shops of downtown St. Ignace. It has such a great little harbor town feel to it and I love looking in all of the kitchy, touristy shops! We did find time to go to a really adorable deer ranch and take totally cliche family photos. haha The restaurant we stopped at for dinner, however, forgot we were even there and we ended up waiting for an hour for our food...so we missed the fireworks. But Andrew and I did get to catch some on Saturday! (more on that, later!)
My little sweet babe on the 4th...those eyes! (Headband from Pretty Little Elm)

Friday was spent taking a ferry to Mackinac Island and spending the day touring in and out all of the little shops and tourist spots, like the butterfly house and the Grand Hotel. If only I had a few million crammed away, I'd love to live there! After stuffing my face with fudge, sweet tea, and pasties, we walked along the water and watched everyone fly kites. I wish real life were that leisurely all the time! I scored a bunch of cute stuff that I might post later on.

Saturday we went to a local zoo outside of St. Ignace and did some more shopping. After dinner, my mom took Layla so Andrew and I could go see the fireworks in town that we missed out on on the 4th. While we were watching fireworks, HUGE SURPRISE, Andrew proposed! It was very cute and the ring is GORGEOUS!


I'm so excited to start planning a wedding and blogging everything to share with everyone! I'm so very happy in my life right now, and it's so exciting to start a new chapter with Andrew and Layla.

Hope everyone enjoyed their 4th of July!

Sweet Summertime

Sorry for the lack of posts, this month has been incredibly busy! Between planning for Andrew's first Father's Day, all of Layla's appointments, my birthday, and our anniversary, I haven't had a single second of free time! This month, we received word from Layla's doctor that her ROP is completely gone! We could not be more ecstatic! My little baby is such a fighter.

For Father's Day, we went with Andrew's parents to church, since a lot of his parents friends hadn't met Layla yet. I ordered her a special onesie to wear and made her a matching tutu to go with it.

How could you not want to just eat her up?! That smile just kills me!

Since we're taking a family vacation to Mackinac Island next week, I got Andrew his beloved iOttie Car Mount for his iPhone 5. We both use ours for GPS, music, movies, etc., so I figured it was perfect timing for a long road trip. He loves it and it works great! As for our anniversary, we've decided to celebrate when we get to Mackinac, so we haven't exchanged gifts yet. (It's totally something from my Father's Day Giftspiration post! haha) Since I have a little extra shopping time, I might have to go out and get something else, too! My birthday was awesome and we spent time doing what we love: eating, drinking, and watching movies. Who could ask for a better birthday?!

Anyways, even though we're only a week into summer, I've been in a summertime mindset since Memorial Day. This is how I work. Summer is way too short in Michigan, so you gotta fake it till you make it. I've been doing a ton of shopping in preparation for warm weather, beach days, and vacation, and I've found myself buying more accessories than anything else. I can't help it - as soon as I see a flash of pastel, glitter, or anything nautical, I must have it. I've bought some really great stuff over the past few weeks, so it's inspired me to make a summer style collage of sorts...
one. two. three. four. five.
six. seven. eight. nine. ten.
eleven. twelve. thirteen.

Um, so, Hi. My name is Renee and I'm totally addicted to mint green and glitter. haha You'll have to excuse the umbrella, Michigan has been plagued with storms and flooding for weeks, so...I thought these were fitting. The colors at least make them feel summery!

I'll be posting about packing for vacation and beach bag necessities within the next few days, so keep an eye out! Leave me some comments and let me know what your favorite summertime necessities are!