Guess who’s the cover girl for the September issue of WNC Parent? She also happens to be the birthday girl, as she’ll be turning ONE this weekend!

Oh, it’s such a good thing to sleep…

…unencumbered by worries or cares, and able to stretch your feet out as you please. (It’s an amazing thing how much room there is outside the womb!)

Miss Ava was all of 15 days old when I hung out with her and her parents for a little while on Sunday afternoon…

…and as perfect as you please the whole time. I’m certain she’s grown already in both sweetness and stature!

Taken this morning…

I was so excited to see baby Victoria again! I hadn’t seen her since January, though I think I just might have recognized those blue eyes anywhere! And the curls – oh my!

Seriously. Adorable.

After a few formal portraits (which weren’t really that formal at all, considering we were hanging out on the deck!) we decided to relax and crawl around…and eat flowers…and chase cats. I have to say, Victoria’s world is quite enjoyable!

Hanging out with dad…

…and graciously accepting a few smooches from mom & dad. Thank you, Victoria, for being the best, best, best baby ever!

The following is an excerpt from an article by Good Housekeeping entitled, “9 Things Teachers Wish Parents Knew.”

Raise a good reader.
Even if your child isn’t a natural-born bookworm, you can encourage him to love literature. Keep reading together, even if your kid can breeze through a book on his own. Reading aloud can expand his vocabulary, and your chats about the book will help him understand and enjoy more. But you might want to shelve books that seem way over his head. It’s tempting to push literary limits, but the goal is understanding and enjoyment.

Use audiobooks as a tool to inspire love of reading. They aren’t “cheating;” they’re a terrific way to engage kids in a good yarn. Check out bookadventure.com for more with books kids will enjoy.

I thought the entire article was worth reading, but I especially loved the part about raising a good reader. It’s so, so important (fundamental, really) for our kids to know how to read. I also liked the suggestion for audio books – books on tape or books on CD are great for kids who aren’t reading yet but can follow along with each page. In addition, YouTube has tons of videos featuring children’s books, many of which seem to me like modern versions of one of my favorite childhood shows, “Reading Rainbow.” Simply do a search for some of your favorite titles and you’ll see what I mean!

Read, read, read to your kids. Not only is it important to read to them, but it’s important to show them that we love books, too, and that reading is a daily part of our lives. Pass your passion on to your kids and you’ll be benefiting their lives forever.

Emily & Dan chose to have a first look before their wedding to settle nerves and get portraits out of the way. We were so happy to see that the rain avoided their lovely wedding day, while the overcast skies provided for beautiful light prior to the ceremony. Here’s Dan seeing Emily for the first time – I love the expression on his face!

They’re such a sweet couple – we were so happy to be a part of their wedding day!

Check out Emily’s shoes – adorable & fun!

Love these!

The mountains always make for such a beautiful backdrop! The sun started to pop out just a bit in time for family portraits, which was nice!

The ceremony took place inside Assembly Inn at Montreat. The blues & greens that Emily used for her color choices worked so well!

Directly after the ceremony the couple walked outside and were greeted by a bag piper! This was a total surprise to Dan – I love both Dan’s and Emily’s expressions in this picture!

Emily & Dan’s reception took place at Welch Field in Montreat, so the bride, groom, and guests simply walked to their reception location while the sounds of bag pipes drifted through the mountains.

There were games set up in the field for the guests to play, as well as standing-height tables lit by mason jar candles outside the tent to lure people outside as the sun set.

Hors d’oeuvres were served before dinner and guests were encouraged to find their seats according to a chalkboard seating chart and names painted on pieces of slate.

I loved this idea! Weddings guests wrote messages to the bride & groom on pieces of smooth river rock.

Here are just a few more of the details that added to the rustic charm of the reception, which was handled by Jennifer King from Verge Events and catered by The Colorful Palate.

The cake is by Candace over at The World’s Best Carrot Cake.

After the toasts & dinner there was plenty of dancing and fun…

…accompanied by vibrant music from the talented Sons of Ralph.