go to party

on Friday night we attended the wedding reception of a cousin and his beautiful new bride. We told the girls we were going to a special party. So they got to put on special party clothes and get dressed up. We got to the reception and Butterfly squealed when she saw the "princess". When I took her over to say hi, she squirmed away shyly and acted coy. Then we put together little plates of snacks from the dessert table and chocolate fountain. But the best part of the night was the dancing. There was a dance with an open dance floor and neon lights that scattered and bounced around the room. The girls went nuts chasing the spots of color and dancing like crazy people. The found another little girl to dance with and the three of them ran and played and danced with enough energy for everyone in the room. The baby got to meet some family she hasn't seen yet. So she got plenty of cuddles and compliments. And she must have enjoyed the party as well because we tucked her into her carseat to go home and she slept a new record of seven hours!

On Saturday we attended another party with a different part of the family. It was a baby shower for one of our cousins, followed by cake and ice cream for Gram's 88th birthday (go Gram!). The baby shower was wonderful! The food was fantastic and the party itself was so incredible and unique. Each guest was asked to bring a bead which was then strung onto a necklace for the new mom, along with words of sediment and advice. It was a great idea that made the party so sweet and thoughtful. The sediment sharing got rather emotional and it made it feel so intimate and meaningful. After the food and bead experience, the new mom opened her gifts and it was fun and exciting to see that she got some really great stuff! We opted for something that has become our favorite gift to give which is our "bag of little essentials". I picked out a swaddleme blanket (I joke that I'm the swaddle nazi because I so strongly believe in its power. When used consistency, it will become magic and helping a baby settle down and develop healthy sleep habits), a set of zip-up sleepers, a tube of aquaphor (for treating rashes), a set of links (perfect thing for attaching toys to the carseat or stroller) and a binky leash. When I can find them, I also like to put in a mesh laundry bag (perfect for keeping little socks from getting lost in the washer), a board book and a rattle toy (something easy to hold, with knobs of different texture and is bright and colorful. each of our girls had a favorite toy like this. we were never sure what kind of animal the rattle was supposed to be but it was always the favorite.) It's kind of our way of giving unsolicited advice.

Daddy and the girls played downstairs during the baby shower. But towards the end they were happy to come bounding upstairs to show off with their silly antics and dive into the food and desserts. Then even more fun was getting to talk to Gram and sing Happy Birthday to her.

What a great weekend to get to spend time with family and celebrate such wonderful occasions. Today was spent relaxing and recovering from our fun filled weekend. After church we had some lunch and then everyone laid down for a nap. Our family nap lasted until 6:00! Even the baby was worn out from a fussy morning and has slept late. Daddy had to hurry to grab a bite to eat and head out for his meetings while me and the babies get to play.