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the Margot + mama style

if you would have asked me to define the word seasons before I became a mama, I would have simply answered, "spring, summer, fall and winter." not only do I now use it more than my own name, but the word has taken on an entirely new meaning. i've come to realize that motherhood is best described as a collection of a thousand different little seasons. you know the kinds I'm talking about. seasons that ask you what kind of mama you're going to become. seasons that require the hard lessons of advocating for your tiny baby. and seasons of finding who you are as a person in the midst of diapers and play dates. 

in that first pregnancy season your days are full of dressing your sweet and ever growing bump while creating perfect tiny outfits all over the nursery floor. then there's the brand new mama season of the comfiest pants, all the dry shampoo in the world, yesterdays mascara and enough decaf coffee to convince yourself you're awake. but somewhere after that season comes this larger, longer one. where you have these days of trying to remember who you used to be when you wore a clean shirt each and every day. so you put on clothes from pre-baby days and they just don't fit. physically or emotionally. so you try the flowy, never clingy target tee and nothing about that reflection makes you feel happy inside. so you decide that maybe it's time. time to weed out your closet, evaluate your make-up stash and start figuring out what your mama style is going to be. 

don't get me wrong. my mama style often looks like yoga skinnies and my fav hello sweatshirt. but I hit a point where I needed to create a new version of what I wanted to feel like at morning library time or a on a play date followed by grocery shopping. a new season where I finally had a brief section in the morning where I could choose an outfit and pull together a quick 5-minute face. i can't tell you how many times it's changed or how many hormone-induced dressing room meltdowns I had at the beginning. but slowly, over time, i started to feel like myself again. a new and improved mama version. i traded in my low rises for the, hands to the heavens, currently trendy higher rises. the slightly uncomfortable and high maintenance tops for easy to wear, but beautiful sweaters and blouses. and the you're-kidding-me-ly small busted, too short dresses for gorgeous, lush fabric pieces like this blue Margot Dress from Shabby Apple. 

when this dress arrived on my door I threw it on instantly. the first words out of my mouth to Jake were, "I seriously feel like I'm wearing the most luxurious hotel robe!" to which he responded, "I'm guessing a dress is a winner when it feels like a robe and looks like a million bucks?" all I needed to hear. I knew I wanted to plan our family photos around this dress and for a mama? it's magic. wrinkle free, soft as a bunny, the perfect thickness for fall and breathes like a dream. do you guys know I'm 5'10'' and some centimeters? not easy to find a dress of comfortable and appropriate length, let alone one you can chase your toddler around the playground in without raising your arms like a t-rex to avoid flashing the other mamas your unmentionables. no? just a tall girl problem? 

I can't say enough good things about what embracing this season has done for my heart. we are mamas, yes. but we're also women. and we need to allow ourselves little bits of time and attention for pulling ourselves together to feel confident when we step out the front door. really, not much is about you these days. and while we wouldn't want it any other way, I think it's okay to give yourself permission to throw away those college tees. donate those jeans that make you feel anything less than happy. try on someone else's style for a day and see how it fits. start the slow but so rewarding process of discovering yourself within your motherhood. go easy on yourself with lots of grace, and i promise it's so worth it. 

photo credit to the amazing Becca Rich of Lady and Gent Photography

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Erin: hat // dress c/o // boots (Buckle old, similar) 

Jake: raglan (simliar) // jeans

Zoey: dress // bow // belt // boots 

This post is sponsored by Shabby Apple and, as always, is 100% my own opinion. Thank you for supporting the companies that make blogging possible for me and my family!

fall in the valley

a few weekends ago we joined my extended family on our first (their annual) trip to Blu-Shastin for a little fall harvest get away. ohh how it did my soul some good. our little Wakeman clan drove up a day late and under the cover of darkness, so it wasn't until the next morning that we laid eyes on Central Washington in the fall. I had a little early morning project that required cell service. so, I drove 15 minutes into town to the "Take a Break" cafe and jaw dropped the entire time as the sun rose and lit up the golden everything. 

I lost count of how many times I asked my family, "so, why aren't we selling everything we own and moving to Chelan county?" guys, it's just gorgeous. ten minutes one direction you are picking apples in a hillside orchard where you're happily in Fuji-ville and two rows over you're a Gala. ten minutes the other way you're in well known and loved Leavenworth, which is basically tiny-Germany at it's finest. smack in the middle you find the world's largest and most kid friendly pumpkin patch + petting zoo + harvest festival. sign me up, right?

that little weekend officially marked zoey's first camping trip. we weren't actually sure how well she'd do. for all her flaws and strengths she's, not surprisingly, a lot like her mama. talks a big adventure game but at the end of the day loves most what she knows best. but the minute we put her in double pj layers, smack in the middle of jake and I in the camping trailer bed, she was sold. I may have lost a lot of sleep and gained a few bruised ribs, but a small price to pay for a little fresh air and a lot of reenergizing. 

fall is my favorite. hands down. it's more than the boots and the hats and the apple cider. there's some vibe of togetherness that just starts to show up everywhere. i think its that season that brings the most change. and with it, a subconscious reminder to slow down. prioritize. regroup. i'm relishing it this year. there's lots of little changes happening in our little world and I'm so happy for the scenic reminder that I'm just one small part of a much bigger plan. and come what may, we'll do it together. 

house reveal round 2 - living room + entry way

friends, I don't have a glamorous living room to show you today. I have a room full of mismatched woods, some objects masquerading as furniture and olive green couches with cream trim. oh, the silly five year ago me who decided those were a great purchase. although I'd like to shake her, I love that girl and her under confident self who wasn't quite sure of her style and wasn't sure if she was allowed to express it. I love that girl who was just trying to make her house a home for her new husband and was enamored to own real furniture for more than four people for the first time. but this room makes me happy! it's the room our family lives in 95% of the minutes of the day. in our family, our bedrooms are for sleeping and changing clothes. we live in the middle. together. toys happen here. entertaining happens here. jimmy fallon and pints of ice cream after bedtime happen here. you're not suppose to love it. we are. and it took me a reaaaally long time to be okay with that. (who are we kidding. I secretly still care what you think. but i'm working on it.)

(curtains)

I need to tell you a little story about my favorite thing in this room: those bright, royal blue curtains. i've said it before, i'll say it again, my favorite things in this house continue to be the ones where we've risked the most. biggest risk, biggest payout. my first attempt at curtains was yellow. I love yellow! it's a happy color that makes me feel brighter on the inside. the giant amazon box showed up on my doorstep and I ripped it open only to find, not yellow curtains, but honey. muted, subtle, and predictable. in fact, they perfectly matched the ribbing on my olive green couches. match made in heaven. except they didn't make us happy. in fact, quite the opposite.

if I had hung those curtains, I would have gotten a lot of compliments. most people would have loved them and told me how "well they go." but I would have felt, like very home before, like we were living in someone else's house. pretty as a picture but so not us. so I put them back in the box, fought every voice in my head that's in love with instant gratification and shipped them back. I pep talked myself for a few days and then I remembered a quote that went something like, "life is to short to have boring hair." if curtains aren't the hair of a house, I don't know what is. and life is too short to live in a house with boring curtains. so, I risked. and the payout? every time I walk into this room, I catch my breath. not just at the blast of happy color that hits you in the face, but at the reminder that life is short. so live it. love the guts out of the ones that are close to you and risk for them. risk for you. buy bright curtains.

(lamp)

(hunter boots // table lamp // toy camera)

(rocking chair - vintage) 

this house has been such a personal improvement project! here I thought I was building a home, when really, the thing most under construction was myself. there have been so many moments where I've had to battle out who I am and what we stand for. where is the right balance of spending to make a comfortable and playful place for our family turn into buying just one more Threshold item that I'm sure I need? I'm so grateful for the experience of coming together as a family and deciding what was important to us in a space, how to create an inviting atmosphere and what was okay to leave out. this room is by no means done. and, I sort of hope it never is. there are so many empty walls that I want to fill with revolving and evolving family photos. so many nooks I can't wait to fill with seasonal and holiday decorations. but this is our blank canvas for life. where it's okay to play, okay to relax, okay to have serious conversations. this isn't the room that looks great when the queen comes over, but since she keeps taking a rain check anyway, we created the room we need. in this season of life, today. and I love it. 

this room has been such a fun project and such a labor of love. I had the pleasure of working with some of the best in the biz! I am so thankful and grateful to these fabulous shops who contributed to items to this reveal. these businesses have the specialist of places in my heart. if you're looking for statement decor items, please start here!

Hello Tosha

wall art prints

"pineapple of my eye" || "it is better to be absolutely ridiculous" || "(lion) it takes courage"

Hello Maypole

felt balls + art print

felt balls // "let them be little"

Light + Ink

giclee stump art print

"monarch"

Society 6

throw pillows

"teal/white chevron" || "compass" // "black plus on white" // "mint green stripes" // "library"

Little Boston Print Shoppe

throw pillows

Feathers On 1st

throw pillows

"slanted triangle pillow cover" // "upside down triangle"

#discoverkitsap || friday night lights

a date night for some families might not look like an empty high school football stadium, but give us a late summer night with a little pig skin and an open field and we'll lose all track of time. 

when i met Jake, he had mentioned in passing that he played high school football. i was sure that sealed my fate of never dating this guy. the always homeschooled, never prom queen with the football jock? no one's going to believe that story. i didn't find out until much later, him being quite humble, that not only did he play, but he was the "Wakeman Saves the Game" kind of headline maker with a stack of hidden newspapers to prove it. a torn ACL in the last game of senior year robbed him of a full-ride college scholarship. 

seeing that guy walk onto a football field is something to behold. what i wouldn't give to see him suited up, tearing through paper signs running onto the field under the lights on a friday night (or at least that's what they tell me happens). there's a very simple respect that overcomes him. it's strong and silent. in fact, it took a little time and space before he was ready to loosen up and be silly with us. but i get it, brotherhood developed here. sacrifice and perseverance were offered here. great victories and tragic loses happened here. futures were changed here. 

there's been a lot of jokes going around lately about how hard it is to be a female football fan. buzzfeed will recount all the details for you if you missed it ;) a friend of a friend asked me recently what is it about football. when did i become a fan? do I only like the Seahawks because they're the world champs? girl, please. I do love watching the boys in blue and green. I am very proud of my city. but the Hawks have nothing on my running back from Anacortes High. I was a football fan the minute I saw that purple #34 jersey hanging in his closet. i'm on his team. where he goes, i go. where he leads, i'm all in. we play for keeps and i root for him. watching the sunday game with our friends or tossing the ball around an old field is so good. but even more, it's a chance to step into his world and see, for just a minute, the reigning Jake pay homage to thing he loved most. 

when Phoebe of elSage Designs sent Zoey this 12th man raglan sweatshirt it squeezed my heart so tight. i missed out on game nights and team pride. but this one won't. not with a dad like hers. seeing Jake chase her across 50 yard lines and play peekaboo behind goal posts is enough to do me in. but knowing his dream has gone from winning championship games to championing for his family is a thing i'll never stop adoring. now he sacrifices and preservers for us. he battles for our victories and grieves loses with us. he changed my future forever. every time Zoey asks for her "team shirt" and wears it with pride my heart swells 1000x bigger. she loves her dad and she'll never go a day wondering how he feels about her. thank you Phoebe so much for this mini token of a such big part of our story! we love you! 

Erin : button up (Buckle old but similar) // skinnys // shoes

Zoey : raglan sweatshirt c/o // skirt (Wunway old but similar) c/o // moccs c/o

Jake : hat (Just Sports old similar)// shirt // jeans // boots (Buckle old but in brown)