JESSIKA REED

Hip & Simple Creativity

Aldridge Gardens, Birmingham, AL – Toddler Pictures

My husband had surgery last week and so I took off this week to take care of him as well as the kids. Stephen is the Stay at Home Farter and part of his recovery wouldn’t allow him to lift more than 5 lbs so that meant he couldn’t do his STAF duties without help. It’s actually been really nice to be able to take care of my family in this way. One of the things I did to get the kids out of the house and give Stephen some peace and quiet so he could rest was taking the kids to one of our favorite spots, Aldridge Gardens, in Birmingham, AL and take some pictures of our sweet toddlers.

Aldridge Gardens is such a beautiful place. On our first visit, shortly after we moved to Alabama, there was some nursery, plant sale going on and lots of people were there. We had the pleasure of speaking with the former owner of the property and he told us about it. It used to be his residence but the acreage of gardens was just too much to keep up with so he donated it and still participates in the events and loves to see people come and enjoy it. They have a dock where you can go out and feed fish, turtles, ducks, etc. There are trails that go around a large pond area. They have some statues and beautiful trees. It’s just a really beautiful and peaceful place. There are always weddings going on and I’m sure it’s an amazing setting for such events.

While I was still pregnant with my daughter, (who is now 3!) I took my son to Aldridge Gardens to play and took some pictures of him. He was only 18-months old and he’ll be 5 in a couple of months and just started preschool yesterday! The saying, “the days seem long, but the years are short” is completely holding true for our little family.

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3 Year Old Picture Ideas

Happy Birthday to my dear sweet little Libby. I can’t believe how fast this parenthood thing is flying, am I right? In honor of this girl, I’ve got some 3 year old picture ideas to share with you. Be prepared, this is picture and cuteness overload today!

I’m actually not even in the same state as her today! My mom was going to be a few hours away for a work conference and I couldn’t miss the opportunity to see her. She will be busy [Read more…]

Tips for Travelling with Toddlers

With our families on either side of the country, we travel a little to see our loved ones. Most of it has been driving a few hours here or there but we’ve taken a couple of flights as well. It’s interesting how each phase of parenting brings about new challenges and is different enough that it feels like a new experience. That’s how flying with the kids has been for us. Maybe if we did it more frequently it would become a more natural habit. But with this last trip I picked up some tips for travelling with toddlers that I’m sharing today.

Stephen’s maternal grandmother’s side of the family has a reunion every five years or so. He went growing [Read more…]

DIY USA Love Knows No Distance Wood Sign with Free Cut Files

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MakeHerMothersDay #CollectiveBias

I have a lot of wonderful women in my life and various types of moms who have helped raise me. I love this time of year when we get to celebrate them and all that they do for us. Mother’s Day led me to design this new DIY USA Love Knows No Distance Wood Sign with free cut files that I’m sharing with you today.

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Happy Spring – Spring Family Pictures

It’s been a little while since I’ve taken pictures of my kids. They are growing so fast and changing in ways that I don’t notice when I see them daily. I got them all dressed up and ready for some spring family pictures. 

I know that I am absolutely biased but these kids are freaking adorable. [Read more…]

Installing a Stair Runner

We recently bought a house! YAY! That, along with a promotion at work to be doing graphic design all day (my heart is happy!) has been keeping me super busy. We had to give a 60 day notice at our apartment to get out of our lease so with that, we had 15 days between closing and when we had to be out of our apartment. I decided I was going to fix up the house before we moved in. It was in good shape, bones and most finishes-wise but the previous owner decorated very heavily so there were a lot of holes in the walls and it was in need of fresh paint, things like that. I also do not have the same style as she did. Anyway, long story long, I did some really awesome stuff and then we moved just before the new year. AND THEN I started school. So it’s craziness but all good. I have some great ideas to share, it’s just a matter of getting it into a pretty format to share! But be on the look out.One of the easier things I did was installing a stair runner on our wood floors.

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