I wasn't sure if I wanted to do a maternity photoshoot. Life just gets busy and I didn't know if I wanted to go through the stress of coordinating a shoot, getting outfits together, deciding on a photographer... you know all the fun stuff. Normally I would jump at the opportunity to get photos, but pregnancy slowed me down so it seemed more like a chore! Well, we had a Woodmansee family vacation in Island Park and the family wanted to get family pictures. Since we were already coordinating outfits, I decided it would be the perfect time to get them done.

 A perk of it being so early was the fog on the lake! It's one of my favorite affects from this shoot! I'm seriously in love with how these turned out! 

We woke up waaaay too early...6am (funny how now that Lincoln is here 6am doesn't sound so early anymore haha). As we waited for the rest of the family, Zack's sister took some maternity photos for us and let's just say I am beyond happy with them! 

I'm so glad we took the time to take these photos. It will remind me of my pregnancy journey. The good, the stressful, the weird ha. As my due date got closer and now that baby is here, I have done a lot of reflecting on my pregnancy. Every pregnancy really is different. What I have experienced may be similar to others, but ultimately very personal. There have been exciting moments, like finding out our baby is a boy or feeling him for the first time! There have also been hard moments, like an achy back, or tweaking my neck because of soft ligaments and having shooting pain down my neck and back ha.

Overall I have had a mild pregnancy... not counting his low amniotic fluid the last few weeks that ultimately led to an induction and early delivery! I had morning sickness (afternoon sickness more like) but never threw up. I was able to stay active throughout! I definitely slowed down, but I still did yoga until delivery day! I never had crazy weird cravings, but did have to fight the need for sugar all the time! I thought that would go away after delivery... no. It did not and I still want sugar! 

 I think it's tradition for Zack and I to get a dramatic/model wannabe photo ha. This one is a new favorite of mine!

It's kinda crazy to think that shortly after this trip Zack and I had our baby boy! I tried to prepare myself for this. I tried to visualize my labor and delivery experience along with being a mother and caring for an infant. I was never fully prepared but I'm trying my best. Luckily I have Zack by my side to help. He is an amazing father so at least baby has that going for him ha. We will see if his mom can keep up! 

 Zack is a great Instagram husband and took these of me! He's a pro!

So here's to the end of pregnancy! These maternity photos will help remind me of the last 9 months and the exciting journey of pregnancy. To be honest, I didn't always love it, but I am so grateful to have experienced it. 

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Every other year the Woodmansee gang gets together for a family vacation. We are scattered all over these days so it's nice having a designated year where we all come together and party for a week. This year we decided to go to Island Park, ID. I had never been but always heard good things about it so I was pretty excited to check it out!

This picture can't even do it justice. The morning mist was breathtaking 

It did not disappoint! The place we rented sat right on the lake with a beautiful backyard, perfect for playing lawn games and hanging out. It even had its own dock! The family now has babies in the picture so this was the perfect set up because we never had to trek our toys in and out. Everything was right there! The babies could take naps while being close enough for parents to watch them without missing out on too much fun.

I was 4 weeks away from my due date so I was a little nervous that I would go into labor. The closest hospital was back in Rexburg...about an hour away, so I was just praying that I wouldn't go early! I was cleared by my midwife so I wasn't too worried, but you never know! Good news is that I didn't go into labor and the week took my mind off of the final countdown for baby's arrival!

Here's a quick itenerary of the things we did that week.

Monday: drove up (5 hour drive with no stops. I had to make many stops... the life of a pregnant woman who needs to pee all the time) and got settled. Zack and I went kayaking.

Tuesday: Woke up at 6am for family photos! It was early... but it was worth it. We made this day a lake day. We swam, kayaked, played badminton, Kanjam, Slamo (like Spikeball just a different name), and in the evening we played family games.

 Not a bad looking group!

 We love our baby friends! 

Wednesday: This was a full day of Yellowstone! We saw Old Faithful, the Grand Prismatic Spring, and Upper Yellowstone Falls.

 Photobombed 

 Zack's always there to entertain

Thursday: Baby Grover had his baby blessing and Blake got ordained and given the Melchizedek Priesthood. We also had another lake day! The water in the reservoir was a little cold but once you got in, it felt so nice! To mix things up a bit we rented a jet ski. The only downside was that I didn't really ride because of pregnancy. I wasn't going to risk inducing labor when like I said before, I still have a month until the due date and I was an hour from the nearest hospital! It wasn't worth the risk. I will say though that at the end of the day when we had to return the jet ski, Zack took me out to return it to the boat launch. No one was on the water so it was nice and calm. We also drove super slow.. a nice joy ride for about 2 minutes ha. There were no bumps, so that was good!

Friday: We drove to Mesa Falls in the morning. I've been to this waterfall before but it's been years! The waterfall is gorgeous and massive and totally worth the 30min drive from the lake house! That afternoon we played in the lake again and that night we took some time to celebrate Zack's 30th bday with fam! His birthday wasn't for another week, but since everyone was already together I thought we would take advantage! True to form, we had Woodmansee cake, but with a twist... Gluten free for Zack! Celiac may have forced us to change a few things, but we have managed to work around them!

He's such a good uncle! A baby whisperer you could say

The Birthday Boy! 

The week with family was so much fun! I made a little video montage of our week and it pretty much sums up our fun, so watch it if you want!

It was great to have almost everyone together (sorry Drew and Jazzmine) and just relax by the lake. If you are ever looking for a great family destination, consider Island Park because we truly loved it!

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