S is for Shower

I am so blessed to have so many wonderful women who not only love me, but love Judah already as well.  In February, I had my very first baby shower, and definitely felt the love.  Here are a few of my favorite shots that one of the hostesses and photographer extraordinaire Amanda Causey took--she is a super talented baby, family, couple, and wedding photographer who so generously snapped some shots of the special day with her extra fancy camera--thank you so much!

The first thing I saw when I walked in was the sign that said "The Glorious Future of Judah."  I know I didn't share it here, but before we knew the sex, I had a hunch it was a boy--our Judah in fact.  Basically, every time I opened my Bible during that period, for about 3 or 4 times straight, whatever passage I read in whatever book I was in--there was the name Judah.  In fact, the time when I was so certain I was carrying our Judah was when I was flipping over from one book in the Bible to the next and the book of Joel fell open.  I laughed to myself thinking, "how funny--my husband's name."  Then when I looked at what page it was--I teared up.  It was open to the last chapter in the book of Joel (ESV), which reads "The Glorious Future of Judah."  It was a moment I'll always remember.  A reminder that not only is the Lord my shepherd but he is Judah's shepherd as well--glorious future indeed.  :)

Then I saw the invites that Val designed--I'm still so in love with them and the meaning that was behind them.  Val contacted Joel before my shower to get him to write the top portion of the invite as if he were reporting about the upcoming shower and birth and he even included a special statement from the dad-to-be.  When I received it in the mail, the tears could not be stopped, especially when I saw that it was reported and written by Dante, haha.

They also had these prayer cards set up for guest to write on.  This was so fun reading after the shower--we have some really funny, encouraging, and thoughtful friends.  I've even taken a few an hung them in his nursery as a reminder that he has people praying for him and his future. 

 The food was amazing!! They had basically taken all the things that I was currently craving and turned it into a feast.  For instance, I eat lots of fruit, so they had the most amazing mini fruit pizzas; I also eat popcorn, which was a new development, so they had chocolate covered popcorn; we also eat pancakes often, so Kendra made pancake-inspired cupcakes that were chocolate chip, blueberry, and banana--all of my favorite toppings!  

The thought that went into this shower left me speechless.

 

 

 

 The decorations were so me too.  They basically made little flashcards with a little boy silouette and hung them everywhere along with newspaper cut outs that they made into garland.  As someone who loves simplicity and typed text, it was perfect.  Val also could be a florist if she wanted and had the most beautiful arrangements scattered throughout.  The girls even called my aunt to see what colors she had in her house, so they could coordinate it in all the decor.  I seriously LOVED everything about it--even down to the napkins.

I think all people who have a shower for them have that moment of panic thinking, "No one is going to show up."  Knowing how much thought went into every detail, for some reason, I was sweating thinking that because it was a busy weekend, people might opt out to spend some time with their families.  I couldn't have been more wrong.  I've never felt more loved or cared for than I did while opening presents and looking around the room--I actually began to feel bad for Nan who had the task of recording every present and name. :) It took a good hour and a half to get through every item, but with each present I realized just how lucky we are to be in the community we are in and have the families we have.  I honestly couldn't be more thankful.

 

 

All the little boy clothes were adorable!  Judah is definitely set for the next year.  I know girls usually get the oohs and ahhhs, but all the little pant sets, mini suit, and collared shirts had me loving that I was having a boy.

I still can't get over how many handmade items I received from closet sewers, crafters, and monogrammers.  This is a grocery cart cover that was a sweet friend's first sewing project! The detail is fantastic--I can't wait to use it.
 

 

 

This was a special gift from my mom--she wrote in it explaining that this was one of my favorite books when I was little and that she wanted me to have it to read to Judah. So great.

One of the hostesses couldn't be there because she now lives in Nashville, but she was definitely there in spirit and skype for a bit. Her hilarious mom brought this cut-out and surprised us all!
  

These are the lovely ladies that put it all on--my hostesses!

 

They are such a wonderful group of women and represent so many different stages in my life.  Some gave me some of the best childhood-high school memories a girl could want, while others helped me navigate my college years, and then there are those that were constant sources of encouragement, wisdom, and have just been there for me since I've been married.  I'm so thankful that whatever season in my life that I met them in, they are all still very much involved and a part of my life today.  I love you ladies!!

These last pics are not from Amanda, but from my camera that I got Sarah to take since Amanda had present picture taking duty.  :)

 [flat kate making her rounds]

[my nana, mom, aunt linda, and aunt carla]

[my mom again and beautiful sister-in-law, mal]

And last but not least--the after picture once we unwrapped and got everything ready to go in it's proper place.

I'm embarrassed to say that I'm still writing thank you notes, so hopefully they'll make it out before Judah comes, but if you haven't received yours yet, thank you so much for helping us prepare in the best way for our little boy's arrival.  :)  We love you all!