A couple of weeks ago I met with Kirstin, Pat, and Ella at their home in the Western Suburbs. Kirstin wanted a family picture in front of their house for this year’s holiday card. Once I pulled up, I thought to myself, “We can definitely work with this!” (I mean, just look at that curb appeal!)

You wouldn’t know it, but the weather that day was less than ideal. It had rained all morning and was still drizzling a bit when I got there. It’s hard to tell, because Ella’s bright smile makes it seem like it was a sunny, Fall day. Photographing Ella with her parents came so naturally. They really are three peas in a pod!

The rain might have thrown a wrench in some of our plans for outdoor pictures, but it gave us the opportunity to head inside for some sweet nursery photos!

In addition to sharing their pictures, Kirstin and Pat agreed to share some of their story. They were so kind in allowing me to ask them some personal questions for my blog about Ella, their lovely home, and life as a family of three.

Tell me about you, your husband, and about your little girl!

Pat and I have been together since college. We did the whole long distance thing for 5 years before marrying in 2014! We love to golf, ski, go out to dinner, and do our TV shows together (there’s so much good TV these days). But most importantly, we are obsessed with our daughter Ella Christine (named after my grandma and Pat’s Mom). She made her debut almost a year ago in a hurry. She’s the sweetest, most loving, and easy going baby ever.

What does your ideal Saturday look like?

An ideal Saturday for us is doing a workout class, house work, some lounge time and a fun dinner out. We have a list of restaurants, both city and suburb, that we’re working down.

What is Ella’s favorite thing in life right now?

Puppies and babies. And looking at pictures of herself...

You have a stunning home - both inside and out! What do you and Pat love most about it?

Haha "stunning".. you're so kind. Pat and I house hunted for a long time (we had champagne taste on a beer budget) but when we saw ours, we put an offer in minutes later. We love it's charm, it's location, and it's where we already have the best memories! Our dream is to keep expanding our home with our growing family and live here the rest of our lives.

What has been the best moment so far about becoming parents?

Oh man that actually makes me tear up. I can't believe how much we love this little human… we'd do anything to make her smile. Pat and I both feel we did something right in God's eyes to be Ella's parents.