Happy Birthday Owen!

So many changes in one year! The one thing that doesn't change is the smile that is on his face all the time! Happy 1st Birthday Owen!

Check out this fun give away!

Shelley, from the blog Crazy Wonderful has a fun giveaway that she is doing!  Check out the fun burlap clutch that she makes!

Little Guy

Our little guy will be turning 1 tomorrow and have been looking for some adorable ties for him.  I came across this great shop on Etsy that has some fun designs to work with.  How cute is this one! 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/83834694/fun-to-be-one-collection-in-orange-white

Fall Must-Take Photo Checklist

Before all the leaves are blown from the trees this weekend, I wanted to share my Fall Must-Take Photo Checklist.  It is just a few ideas to use when taking phtographs this fall.  Here are just a few things you can capture this fall:

à        Carved pumpkin

à        Cozy sweater while sitting by a fire

à        Ringing the doorbell while trick or treating

à        Details of your Halloween costume

à        Initials carved in a pumpkin

à        Favorite Halloween book

à        Raking the leaves

à        Basket full of apples

à        Picking apples at the orchard

à        Sitting in a pile of pumpkins

à        Sitting on a bale of hay

à        Biking down the street surrounded by fall colors

à        A tasty apple

à        Thanksgiving tradition

à        Write in chalk what you are thankful for

You can find the full list of ideas here in my Must-Take Fall Photo Checklist. Download it and put it in your camera bag! Now get out there and soak up this beautiful day! What are some of your favorite moments to capture throughout the fall?
If you like what you see, check out my FACEBOOK page and hit like to be notified about new ideas.

Minnesota State Fair!

Enjoyed a great day at the Minnesota State Fair!  This was one of our favorite stops!  What did you enjoy at the fair this year?

Our Little Guy is 10 Months Today!

Where does the time go?  Hard to believe the little guy is 10 months old already!  Stay tuned for some great ideas of what you can do with a 9-12 month old.  It is always the "non-toy" items they love the best!  Enjoy the day!

Got junk? Create an Invention Box for the Kids!

It is a beautiful Saturday morning to get out our Invention Box.  Ava LOVES this box!  The next time you think about throwing something away, decide if that junk would be a good addition for your Invention Box.  Just make sure all the containers are cleaned and washed out! 
It could be anything…here are just a few things that are in our box:  spray pump from an empty bottle, paper towel tube, rubber bands, sponges, empty coffee can, endless covers from containers, old stickers,  small cardboard boxes, anything that is shiny and sparkly, old wires, etc.  You can also go around your house and see if there are any extra things you might want to add like Q-tips, straws, cotton balls, etc.   
The only extras that I provide are a pair of scissors, glue bottle and a few drops of paint that she can jazz her project up with! Take a look at the pictures to give you a little idea.  When I pulled the box out today, Ava decided that she was going to make a giraffe.  It then turned into being an elephant. Love how the mind of a 3 year old works!   A few hours later you can see what her version of an elephant looks like!  Enjoy! 

Summer Must-Take Photo Checklist

I love photography and can spend endless hours looking at tips, techniques and ideas!  The summer flies by way too fast and wanted to capture every moment of summer.  Here are a few ideas of photos to capture throughout the summer with your family:

à        Playing in the sand at the beach

à        Doing a summer craft

à        Swinging

à        Eating sweet corn and watermelon

à        Watering the garden

à        Picking fresh food from the garden

à        Picking strawberries

à        Drinking lemonade or selling it at your lemonade stand

à        Flying a kite

à        Roasting a marshmallow

à        Water balloon fight

à        A summer picnic

If you would like a copy of the list, click here to like me on FACEBOOK and then I can provide you with the checklist.  You can find the full list of ideas here in my Must-Take Summer Photo Checklist. Download it and put it in your camera bag!  Now get out there and soak up this beautiful day!  What are some of your favorite moments to capture throughout the summer?

If you like what you see, check out my FACEBOOK page and hit like to be notified about new ideas.

Summer Bucket List

The summer seems to fly by and all the best laid out plans sometimes get forgotten.  At the beginning of the summer, I created a Summer Bucket List to keep us focused on all the fun things we wanted to accomplish over the summer.  Summer isn't over yet and still getting things checked off the list! There are a lot of great ideas out there on how to make a bucket list, but I simply made it on a sheet of paper. I kept it hanging in a place that we could see it all the time.  You can also cut out each idea and put it in a jar.  When you need a last minute idea of something to do, draw one from the jar.  Feel free to download the Summer Bucket List and add items for your bucket list next summer.  Keep your eyes open for my Fall Bucket List!  Enjoy!  What was on your bucket list?

Welcome!

Thank you for stopping by!  My name is Emily, founder and editor of Simple Side of Life.  I am also a mom to Ava & Owen and wife to Michael.  I love to discover, create, celebrate, explore and share all the things that help keep life simple so you can soak up every moment!  I live in Minnesota where the summers are hot and winters are incredible.  I hope you stick around to find useful tools and fun ways to be creative, live your fullest and celebrate each and every day! 

Hang in there as I get all of the tweaks out of this blog! 

9 Months Old Today!

Enjoyed an amazing evening at the U2 concert!

We were able to get unexpected tickets to the U2 concert!  It has always been one of those things on my life list and feel extremely lucky to see U2 live.  The energy was incredible and the rainy evening will never be forgotten.   Thank you Jen & Greg!

Good Times at the Ballpark!

Tired Ballerina!

Owen is 8 months!

Ready to Go!

Owen isn't quite crawling yet, but he is doing everything he can to keep up with his big sister Ava! 

Days gone by....

We enjoyed a beautiful 4th of July weekend with friends. I think by the end of the weekend, Ava was all fireworked out. Ava and Owen are growing so fast. Here are a just a few things that each of them are able to do now:

Ava:

1. Her new thing is taking care of bugs. If she finds a bug in the window sill, she soon finds a dish to put it in and mends it until it feels better.

2. She loves to write with anything she can get her hands on.

3. Swimming, swimming and more swimming!

4. Loves playing dress up in her play room.

Owen:

1. Stretching, grabbing and pulling himself across the floor. He is doing everything but crawling and sure seems to be getting to things in a hurry.

2. So big!!

3. A friend dropped off a walker for us the other day and it is his new hot rod. Thanks Janelle! He thinks it is great that he can get into anything and everything.

big A LITTLE o

We enjoyed the day getting photos done by Megan Gronlund Photography.  Megan photographed Owen when he was a couple of days old and we visited her again when he was 6 months old!  It was so much fun, but happened to be an incredibly hot day!  Thanks Megan! 

Enjoying the Day!

North Shore : Our Favorite Place