Easter Egg Hunt

My good friend Kimmie is always planning great activities that start out with making grandma's and grandpa's happy. This was no different. I hurried and grabbed the kids from school to race out to Scottsdale to a nursing home to deliver Easter wishes to the grandma's and grandpa's there. We were late, but Stella fit in several hugs and inappropriate comments to suffice for our visit.

Then we headed to a nearby park for an Easter egg hunt. Kimmie's Mom's husband dressed up in his homemade neon bunny costume with pink gloves and tennis shoes and happily posed for pictures with the children.

Then once again, I tried to explain to Stella how to "help" the younger kids find Easter eggs without actually picking them up for them. It didn't sink in.

But it was Kimmie activity, so of course it was fun. :)

Baby Shower of the Century

So, I'm having a baby. There's a chance that I'm really going to believe it some day soon. Maybe in the next few weeks when he's actually in my arms and my lips are stuck to his face.

One thing I DO KNOW and if I may brag for the rest of this post . . . I HAVE AMAZING FRIENDS! There is no shortage of FANTASTIC when it comes to my friends. Not because they've been planning this shower for the last 7 years, or that they all cried when I told them I was pregnant, or that they already love my baby and my daughter, and my family, and me . . . they are just good, good people. I've been told several times that this isn't just MY baby, it's the EVERGREEN WARD's baby because they've prayed for him just as much as we have!

Here's the baby shower planning committee: Mollie Montague, Kimmie Curry, me, Mari Ashby, and Emily Campbell . . . I'm totally jealous that I didn't get to go to any of those meetings. I hope someone took minutes.

The baby shower had a camping theme and they were serious about it. Sleeping bags, tents, camping plates, pine cone garland, trees, firewood, marshmallows, firepit, smores, etc.

When my sister Lindsay walked in, she said she really felt like she was in the forest (I'm not sure that it made her want to leave . . . not such a foresty sort of person)

The centerpieces were so cute and I can't wait to read the advice that people were instructed to leave me about raising boys! (also, I need me some more of that honey-butter)

The candy/granola/nut goodie bag table was frequented throughout the party.

OK, so who just has a stash of these tin/metal plates that go perfectly with a camping themed baby shower? My friends. Rolls, pulled pork, potato salad, fresh fruit, fruit dip, and cobbler . . . delicious.

Rebecca Edholm, Cassidy Bills, Stacie Rueger, Yumiko & Balen Anderson

Jamie Spiesman, Pam Knight, Irene Horn, Nyla Flake

Me & Lindz (Zoe Russell is next to us)

Cassidy Bills, Amy Orr, Irene Horn, Corinne Webb . . . (and I also see Shellee & Olivia Mellor back there with Cris Afusipa and Helen Frost)

Jamie Spiesman, Candice Palmer (she does my hair), and Angelica Shuman

Missy Johnston and Yumiko & Balen Anderson

Rebecca Edholm and Denae Hostetler

Mother Dibble, Annie Vincent, Bethany Dibble

Guess the Stain Game: Kimmie will have to help me out on what the stains actually were . . . I couldn't get anyone to lick them for fear that one might actually be poop.

Pup tent bursting with my friend's generosity.

So I've never been known to be a very good gift receiver (refer to Elliot Dibble's wedding present of 1999). Gift receiving is definitely not my love language (not that I don't appreciate it), but I also don't like people watching me. Also, Lindsay had just informed me before I started opening gifts that I had forgotten to put mascara on that morning.

But that's OK because guess what happened when I pulled this mini tie out of the bag?

. . . I STARTED BAWLING! I couldn't stop weeping. I don't know if it was actually the tie that set me off, or the thoughts of raising a missionary (which I'm already doing), or what happened, but I think I just realized at that moment that I was actually finally having another baby! I finally pulled myself together for the rest of the gifts, very nervous that a binki might also result in the same emotion.

Stella was surprisingly not into helping me open any of the presents. She was super busy running around with her friends and cousins.

So many people came to support me and to party for my baby boy! I love them all and I'm so grateful for their generosity and love toward our family! I will always let our son know how highly anticipated his arrival was and how many prayers he was in by our FRIENDS!

Cutest party favor ever, right?

Jeepers

There was a $1 unlimited rides day at Jeepers Indoor Amusement Park in July (if you had the secret code)! Thanks for the call Kimmie . . . seriously, you want to be on her mass text list for all the deals around the valley. We met with Kimmie and her kids Stanton and Noelle, and Lynnae and her kids Tyler, Emma, and Reagan.

Kimmie worked at Jeepers for 3 years a while ago and had to dress up like Trish the Rhino. Click here for Kimmie's full story on TRISH THE RHINO. Pure entertainment.

(P.S. Kimmie and Lynnae, thanks for the pictures. I forgot my camera.)

Cow Appreciation Day

It was Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-fil-A last month and if you dress like a cow from head to toe, you get a free meal! If you need to know about any deals at Chick-fil-A, my friend Kimmie is the person to ask!

THE HERD
Stella (the cow with chicken pox), Noelle, Kimmie, Stanton, Tyler, Emma, Lynnae, Reagan, Joseph, Whitney

While other kids were deathly afraid of this enormous cow, Stella ran up to embrace it!

I think if this is going to become a tradition, we need to invest in some real cow costumes.