Oh my, I loved the books I read this month. It is rare that I actually pick books and love all of them, but this was a great reading month! Highly recommend all of these.

Everyone Brave is Forgiven

I’ll be honest, I was dragging my feet on reading another WWII book. I just read so many there for a while because my Kindle kept recommending them. (Read one, and five more recommendations pop up!) Then I went through my beach reads phase with lots of Elin Hildebrand just to have some happy light reading after all that war. Ok, so all that to say, I decided to go back and try this book. I loved it because the perspective was much different than the other books I read since it was set in London. I also loved the story line in this book and read it very quickly in two days. (Could not put it down)

The Magnesium Miracle

Finally finished this book although I did speed over some of the things that weren’t applicable to me.I would say this is a must read for everyone. So many things that I didn’t think about like how our soil is depleted of magnesium. Magnesium wasn’t even on my radar until March when I started having heart palpitations. I learned so much from this book and will definitely keep up my epsom salt baths. I really had no idea how important magnesium is and how easy it is to have a deficiency, especially after having babies. Ok, I might go eat some dark chocolate now.

Dignity and Worth: Seeing the Image of God in Foster Adoption

I saw this book recommended on another site and loved this mama’s open and honest heart about foster care and adoption. I thought she was so honest and shared so much about what to expect when considering fostering and foster to adopt. She also shares a lot about her sons and some of the lessons that her and her husband learned along the way that would be good for anyone to read about fostering and adoption.

Before We Visit the Goddess: A Novel

I loved the way this book told three different women’s stories – the grandmother, daughter, and granddaughter. This book was very well written and kept my attention. There are a few surprises in the book and it was one of those books that I couldn’t stop reading.

 

The One-in-a-Million Boy

This was recommended to read if you liked A Man Called Ove (which I love, love loved) so I dove in to this story. It’s so creative, and I love a good story. I never thought I would pick something up about boy scouts and world records, but it was such a great read.

Linking up with Quick Lit on Modern Ms. Darcy. Check out her site – so many great book ideas!

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Rebecca Keller is a Raleigh Newborn and Family Photographer featured in People Magazine and on several blogs including The Bump and Let the Kids Dress Themselves. Because we chat a lot about our personal lives on the blog, we may receive commissions on affiliate links in articles.

 

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Holden Beach With Kids

Article by Ericka of Little Apple Styles

I am sure that by now you already know how much we love Holden Beach. Growing up in Peru I was a 20 minute bus ride away from the Ocean – with rocks and freezing water, but the ocean none the less.  Maybe this is why the sound of the waves and the sweet smell of sea salt brings me to my happy place.

As of now we had only been able to enjoy things around the beach. Mostly because with a toddler in diapers, who couldn’t miss his mid-afternoon nap, you just can’t do much.  This year was different – the “baby” can use the restroom and isn’t much of a Godzilla if we cut his nap shorter.  Life changing events here – Beach trips with kids are actually fun and RELAXING now!

We arrived to our rental on Saturday and I unpacked/organized the house while Mr. Little Apple fought all the tourists at the grocery store.  I have an ongoing list with items we pack from home – such as linens, paper products, seasonings, and my favorite wooden spoon to name a few.  We learned to shop for fresh fruits at Ludlum’s Produce and any other necessities at the “popular” Food Lion right at the entrance of Holden.  Be ready to fight for milk and wait in long lines if you stop by on a Saturday morning.  Thankfully they re-stock quickly and everything is back to normal by Saturday evening.  We learned there are some services that, for a small fee, would drop your groceries right after you arrive – we are totally trying this next year.

We planned on spending mornings at the beach and afternoons exploring surrounding towns.   The kids were excited to see dolphins – so we joined the Calabash Fishing Fleet for a Dolphin Tour.  SO.MUCH.FUN.  It is a ride of about 30-40 minutes into SC sea waters – where you meet a shrimp boat and can see several dolphins jumping around.  We also saw a huge sea turtle! We learned they like to hang out around the shrimp boats to get some food when the boats lift their nets.  The seven year old was in heaven and the three year old’s highlight of the adventure was getting soaked.  PS – when the captain tells you not to go in the front until you are closer to the shrimp boat – listen to him… He might know what he is talking about *smile*.   The tour lasts approximately 3 hours.  At the end we stopped by the Seafood Shack for an early dinner- delicious fresh seafood made to order.  Dessert is also delish – the littlest loved the grilled pound cake!

The next day we had plans to go to the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher – but we missed the ferry…twice!  Instead we decided to explore Southport.  A cute little town where several movies have been filmed (there is even a tour you can take to explore the locations).  We stopped by the NC Maritime Museum and walked around the small shops in the area.  The kids LOVED The Christmas House, maybe because it houses a large collection of old fashioned candy and toys.  The store has things for everybody and the cutest nautical knick knacks for sure!   We asked locals for the best place to eat and they sent us to the Fishy Fishy Café – glad we listened– the food was amazing.

    On Wednesday we took the kids to Turtle Time, organized by The Holden Beach Turtle Watch – we had so much fun it deserved its own whole post.  You can read more about it here.

For Thursday, we had planned in renting bikes and looking for Holden Beach mailboxes – unfortunately for us, everybody else had the same idea and we could not find any bikes left at the rental places.  My advice is to call ahead and reserve your items if you want to rent any bikes, chairs or umbrellas!  Instead we spend the afternoon at Beaches -N-Cream because…why not?!  The best ice cream we have ever eaten for sure!  Last year the hubby was obsessed with Krispy Kreme Ice Cream, this year Red Velvet was the chosen one.  The kids chose strawberry as their favorite. I do not blame them!

Since we did not want to risk it with the ferry, we decided to try the Museum of Coastal Carolina at Ocean Isle.  It is not as busy as and much smaller than the NC Aquarium.  However, the kids LOVED it.   At the touch tank, they were able to touch sea urchins, horseshoe crabs, start fishes and several other sea creatures.  Their favorite was Sailor, the balloon fish – who they were able to help fish.  A very interactive museum for sure!  Check the event page so you can arrive there close to a tank feeding time.

Last but not least we went to Pirates Voyage in Myrtle Beach.  I was concerned about the drive – but it was so worth it.  The show is GREAT – and the food is actually very, very, decent.  Make sure you arrive early so you get to enjoy the pre-show.  The pirate’s sing along was a great way to start our pirate adventure!  Both kids were in awe.  At the end Eva was grinning ear to ear and whisper to me: “I told you Mermaids were real mommy!”   Keeping her little as long as we can!  It definitely was a great way to end our vacation.

We had a great time at Holden and can’t wait to go back – 324 days left in case you were wondering! In the meantime I get to admire the pictures Becky was able to squeeze right before a rainy evening.  I am glad she talked me into jumping in front of the camera. I just LOVE our family picture.  You can tell how much fun we are having at 33.9135° N, 78.3039° W (of course I got my Holden Beach’s coordinate necklace at my favorite Supply/Holden shop)

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Ericka Jimmerson is a busy mom of two who runs Little Apple Styles, photography + event styling. Contact her at littleapplestyles@gmail.com if you need help making your event picture perfect!

Rebecca Keller is a family photographer featured in People Magazine who spends her time chasing after her two little ones, reading, running, and editing. Contact Rebecca Keller Photography for more information about family photography and travel sessions.

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Choo Choo

Raleigh Train Themed Birthday Photography

We met bright and early one Saturday morning to celebrate this little one turning two. It was unsure when it was going to rain that day but thankfully the forecast ended up being later in the day and we were able to have a great morning at the park. (It even inspired me to take my little ones back a little later, before the rain) This little one was so giggly and adorable and had so much energy running here and there. (See behind the scenes here) Such a fun morning capturing some family portraits of these three!

Styled by Little Apple Styles

What kind of feel did you want for your session, and what made you choose that? The main thing I wanted to capture in this photo session is the fun-spirited and lively personality of our son, Jameson. He’s such a joy to be around – he makes everyone smile! I really think Becky did a great job of providing the perfect setting for him to have fun and be himself. He loves anything with wheels or wings right now, especially trains, so Pullen Park was exactly what I was picturing for his 2-year portraits.

Who are the members of your family and a quick fact about each one!

Jameson – A two-year old who loves planes, trains and automobiles! And shapes, and animals, and colors and Mickey Mouse… and the list goes on:)
Megan – A working mom of an energetic two-year old who loves animals, good food and spending time with her family.
Josh – A wonderful and hard-working husband who loves sports, hanging out with friends and family and bar-b-quing on the weekends.

What were your favorite parts of the session? My favorite part of the session was seeing all of my ideas come to fruition. I knew that I wanted some pictures of Jameson in his custom conductor hat and red suspenders, and the red caboose at the park was the absolute perfect back drop. Jameson loved being on the train, and seeing the trains drive by on the tracks! I also just loved having fun with my husband and son, running around the park and being silly!

What’s your favorite family activity? Going to the airport park with Jameson (he LOVES seeing the airplanes take off and land!), or just hanging out at the house and having impromptu Saturday morning dance parties!

What was the weather like the day of your session? I was worried that it was going to be really hot (it was in July!!), but it wasn’t too terribly hot yet at the time of the shoot. It was also not too sunny, so we had great lighting!

Tell me about the outfits you wore to the session – why you chose them, etc. I got Jameson’s custom conductor hat from Etsy for the train themed pictures, and the suspenders and red Converse sneakers on Amazon. The outfit was inspired by Ericka from Little Apple Styles, as she did something very similar for her son. It was so simple and adorable – exactly what I was looking for! Then I chose some corresponding outfits for Jameson, Josh and me for the non-themed pictures that had my favorite color (turquoise) and whites and blues, to capture a crisp and clean feeling. I think they worked really well together without looking too matchy.

What are some words of wisdom you have for other families preparing for a session? Try to have fun!!! It’s hard not to stress about the weather, outfit mishaps or anything else that might go wrong, but just try to relax and have a good time so that comes through in your photos.

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As Seen in People Magazine + On The Bump | Rebecca Keller is a Raleigh, NC Newborn and Family Photographer

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My Review of the Gizmo Gadget

When I first heard about the Gizmo Gadget, I was super excited to try it out. I wasn’t sure it would be as good as it sounded, but I have totally loved using it when Owen has a babysitter, I use drop in child care, or I’m at the gym and he’s in childcare.

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What is the gizmo gadget? It’s a watch for kids where they can send and receive calls + messages. There is a great app that you put on your phone that syncs to their gadget. You decide the contacts who can call them and who they can call. (I believe it’s nine people) Only the people who you have authorized to have the app can message them. Michael and I are the only ones who message him but he has a list of family that he can call/and they can call him. You also have to sync the phone to the app when downloading so grandparents from out of state would have to be in town when you sync if you want them to be able to message them also. The phone calls have been great when I’ve been driving and need to ask Michael a question, “Owen, call your daddy and ask him…”

Messaging – In the app, you can set up some canned messages that they can pick from. Otherwise, they can send you a voice message (there’s no typing out words on the phone) You can send text messages straight to the phone that they can read. So if Owen’s done playing at the gym, he can pick the “I’m ready to be picked up” message from the list or send me a voice message. He also loves using the emojis they have in the app.

GPS tracking. I love that I can GPS track where he is and I can also set it up to send me updates at certain times or if he leaves a certain location. When Owen stayed at my parents and I was meeting my mom at Southpoint to pick them up, I just tracked on my phone to see when I needed to leave – ha!

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The app also gives you a history of every little thing they do, if they are calling people, etc. (As you can see, he likes to change the volume a lot)

Other features of the app

-It shows you how much battery they have left

-You can set the phone to auto answer your calls

-You can give them a to do list that shows up on their watch

-You can turn off their watch from the app (but you can’t turn it back on)

-You can change the display/sounds. (They can also do this on the watch)

-You can set up step goals – there is fun activity tracking/games on the watch. Owen loves the jumping game.

Is it waterproof?

It is supposed to be waterproof. Owen wore his watch in water for about five seconds before we realized, and so we are on watch number two. So you do have to be careful about taking it off, etc, but Verizon replaced the watch for us.

We don’t use it all the time, mostly when we are going out or he has a babysitter. (I love when he sends me voice messages asking for permission – ha!) I just love if I know we are going to be at a big park, etc, that we can GPS track him. Overall, I’ve loved having it, and he has too. It just tickles him so much when he hears it ringing on my nightstand (where we usually keep it when he’s not wearing it) and it’s one of his grandparents checking in.

Verizon has two watches for kids, and we have the gadget.We bought our gadget mid summer and have love, love, loved it!

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Rebecca Keller Photography | As Seen in People Magazine + On The Bump | Verizon Wireless Gizmo Gadget Review

 

 

 

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A Pop of Color | Raleigh Outdoor Maternity Photos

We had a perfect light filled evening for their maternity mini session. This mama to be was just stunning in her bright blue that really stood out – so pretty. Read all about what she has to say about her maternity portraits + can’t wait to meet their sweet baby soon!

What was your favorite part of the session? My favorite part of the session was when my hubby was told to do a “sneak attack” on me for some photos. It definitely made me laugh hysterically and we got some of our most candid shots then with genuine smiles from both of us.

Were you worried about any parts of the session beforehand? Any advice to others planning for their session? I was most worried about what outfit I would wear! I will definitely be using the style services offered through Becky for my next photo shoot with her, as this will help ease a lot of the anxiety of picking out just the right outfit.

Do you have a theme for your nursery? What has been the most fun part of shopping for your baby? We don’t have a specific theme for our nursery other than a color scheme of light gray and baby blue. I have loved purchasing customized orders from Etsy that are made specifically for my little bun in the oven! It has made each of these items feel special. My husband has loved picking out an excessive amount of really cute and soft stuffed animals for the baby as well.

How would you describe your perfect Saturday as a family? A perfect Saturday would entail having a relaxing and tasty breakfast at one of our favorite breakfast spots, followed by a nice leisurely walk around outside. In the afternoon, I would love playing around simultaneously with our dog, Tux, and the baby to get in some good laughs and ending the day by making a home-made dinner, followed by watching a movie on the couch.

How did you meet, and where was your first date? Rey and I met as freshman in college. Our first date was a casual meet-up in the school rec center to grab a meal together, which consisted of Burger King and purchased by my husband on his meal plan points!

Do you have any pets or other little ones? Tux is our rambunctious but extremely lovable 5-year old Border Collie mix.

What is your favorite TV show you watch together? We really enjoy watching VEEP together for some good laughs.

 

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Rebecca Keller Photography | As Seen in People Magazine + on The Bump | Raleigh Newborn Photographer | Raleigh Outdoor Maternity Photos

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