Everly is going to be a big sister! If you follow along through social media this isn't really news to you. And if you've noticed my absence from blogging you probably guessed before I even announced. Aaron and I are thrilled to be expecting our second child. Everly is excited, though she doesn't completely understand. She thinks the baby is in her belly, just like mama. It's adorable.

I'm about 12 weeks along now and it's been a hard one. I had hyperemesis with Everly and it's reared it's ugly head again. If you've never had it... there's just no way to explain. I've lost quite a bit of weight along the way but I'm surviving. Everly and I weaned her from nursing last week. It was heartbreaking because I wasn't ready and I'm not sure she was either. I had to think of my health and the health of this new baby and though I wasn't ready, I know it was best. Everly's taken it all in stride though. She really is the sweetest, happiest, brightest little lady I know. I can't call her a baby!

We are SO excited for this new little soul to be added to our family. 

A few weeks ago I wrote about the Sacred Pregnancy Retreat in Toronto that I was able to attend. To make it even better I was able to attend it back-to-back with a Sacred Doula Retreat. All I can really say to that is WOW. It was an honor to attend two retreats together, to photograph both retreats, and to share the experience with some amazing women.

Sacred Doula is a one-of-a-kind training for doulas. Lorie McCoy is a brilliant teacher, infusing modern day doula techniques and knowledge with the beauty and reverence of Sacred Pregnancy. She brings to life the meaning of living the Beauty Way. We trained in practical, hands-on techniques for assisting our clients during labor and learned from our very experienced doula guru! Having been to two previous doula trainings (through different programs) and practicing as a doula for over a year, I wondered how much I would really learn at Sacred Doula. I was very happily surprised! I received so many valuable tools and techniques. This training is so well rounded and comprehensive and gave me a confidence in my doula skills that I didn't have before. And after four days spent living, learning, laughing, and even crying with these women, I walked away with a new circle of sisters who love and support me even from far away. If Sacred Doula calls to you GO! It's truly a life changing experience. 

The first pic was July's. The second was in August, right before I left for Canada for 10 days. It feels like another lifetime. The last photo was September, we went to a high school football game. Everly thought it was the most fun ever. 

August was crazy. My intention was to get through the month with my sanity and we almost didn't make it. September we fell into recovery mode and near then end I came out of it with more than just survival instincts. Life happens, right? But this month I've set intentions for myself again and it feels so good. And can you believe it? We've had 9 months of family photos. Yes, they're almost all iPhone photos, but still. Pictures. Of all three of us.

I've started a new online training course that has ignited a fire within me. As part of the course I've been tracking the moon across the sky and it's led to a place of curiosity and a desire to learn more. I'm so excited for the blood moon this week! I don't care that I have to be awake at an undesirable hour to see it and photograph it. I'm just ready to do it. Life has been intense and scary, but it's getting better. And I'm so grateful for this little family that I get to go through it all with! 

October Intentions. I will...

• Track a full moon cycle, observing my ebbs and flows and understanding a tiny piece of the universe just a little bit better.
• Make our family's Halloween costumes. I started this tradition last year with our lions. This year is going to be even more fun. I love the idea of a group costume and until Everly is old enough to revolt, I'm going to make our costumes and have a great time doing so!
• Complete my rebrand of my business. I finished my all-encompasing professional website a few months ago. I created my photography website. Now I'm working on my professional doula website. I've wanted to rebrand for a while. I've renamed by business Sacred Feathered Nest and I'm working with Amira to create a fantastic logo for it! I love it already, and I'm not even finished. This month I'm going to have that website beautiful and thriving. 
• Attend a small business training. I need this for myself. I have big ideas, beautiful plans, I just need the support of a mentoring group and a training to take the big jump to the next new thing! I'm going through Sacred Biz and I'm very excited for this.

I'm also going to create some projects with my sister, but that's more for fun than an intention. Hopefully they'll turn out great and then I can share them with you! I'm also going to watch my lady turn 20 months *sob* and try not to make a big deal about it. It's such a gift to watch her grow. She's learning new words and she talks all the time. But it's so bittersweet. She's amazing, she's brilliant, and she's growing so quickly. And last (but definitely not least), my lover is turning the big 2-9 this month. That's right friends, Aaron is entering the last year of his 20's and he's doing it handsomely. He's like great wine and cheese, only getting better with age! I am really looking forward to October.

There are no words to truly describe a Sacred Pregnancy retreat. It's a magical place. In August I had the honor of photographing a Sacred Pregnancy (and Sacred Doula) retreat in Toronto. It was so much fun to capture these moments forever. I've been working with Anni Daulter and Sacred Pregnancy for over a year now and I am so thankful for that. It has been a huge blessing in my life. I truly can't imagine life without it. This beautiful book guided me through my pregnancy with Everly and the Sacred Living Movement has grown leaps and bounds since that time (PS a second edition of the book with updated photos is being released in 2015 and one of my photos is being featured!).

Sacred Pregnancy is for any pregnant woman who want to connect more with herself and her baby during the pregnancy. Because pregnancy is such a small amount of time (really, 9 months is so short compared to the years you'll be a mother), Anni has created pregnancy practices to help center you during your pregnancy and really bring beauty and awareness to this special time in life. Sacred Pregnancy retreats are for any woman who wants to teach these classes in their community, though really I could say the retreats are for any woman. You do not have to be pregnant to attend a retreat, you just need a desire to open yourself up and connect with your sisterhood.

When you step through the doors to a Sacred Pregnancy retreat you're stepping into a new world. Hearing about it and experiencing it are two completely different things. Anni adds so many tiny details to the retreat to make it beautiful. She truly shows you the meaning of The Beauty Way of living. The circle where you gather is beyond beautiful and so inviting, you immediately want to sit down inside of it. You begin the morning with a check in and start to get acquainted with the other women in the circle. By the time you leave on the fourth day you're calling these women sisters. Anni guides you through eight lessons of self discovery, awareness, love, gratitude, and beauty. Each piece of the program is designed to push you, to stretch you, and to bring you to a better place. You share with your sisters, create art with them, laugh with them, cry with them, and hold space for them while they grow. You honor each other with massage, bathing, henna, and hair braiding. You release fears, accept love, and claim your power as a woman. On the final day you celebrate your transformation with an explosion of color and hugs! If you're feeling drawn to Sacred Pregnancy in any way don't hesitate, just do it. Your entire life will be better for it. I am a better wife, a better mother, a better person because of my experiences with Anni and Sacred Pregnancy.