erika's baby shower

oh i love these pictures. that belly, that hair, that shy smile. i love it ALL. and i love this girl. and i love those babies. i still can't believe a baby boy and a baby girl will soon join our club.

so last weekend, we finally got to celebrate erika and these precious babies who are due to arrive in april. it was such a lovely, colorful, fun party... and the baked goods were...just.oh.my.goodness.good.

cecilia won the first two games we played (she said she goes to a lot of baby showers!), so i conned her in to being my partner for the diaper game, where we had to team up to diaper the teddy, while each holding a phone to our ear and a glass of wine in one hand. and we won! i never win anything so i was pretty tickled.

all the little onesies, little diapers, little everything brought me back to finn's first days. and i feel so lucky that i will get to hold and love on these babies soon enough. having my own growing babe has made me so much more appreciative of those early, wrinkly baby days.

i just can't wait.

halloweeeeeeeen!

it started early. because we like to get as much out of this holiday as possible. costume number one:

this little cow (costume thanks to mimi and pops!) got all bundled up for an early morning walk to starbucks.

mommy and daddy cow got pumpkin spice lattes and pumpkin scones. i am not going to lie. it was a bit much. but i suppose that is part of the spirit of the holiday, right?

after learning that we should have been reading to finn from day one (oops!), i read him his first book. appropriately, the very busy spider.

finn decided on halloween that he would begin expressing joy during bathtime, rather than sporting a blank, comatose-like stare. it is much more fun now. for all.

our little family got all dressed up. two farmers and the little peapod, the organic peapod, they grew. i wish you could see my cowboy boots. they were pretty rockin'. and i will never tire of seeing my mister in those overalls. equally handsome and hilarious. i decided to call him "manly", as in almanzo wilder. my very own farmer boy.

we headed to tante cory's for a halloween bash! there was even an outdoor bed to lounge on, music and a big outdoor fire. october magic.

her house looked so spooky! i love spooky.

finn the pea pod made the rounds and spotted all these loving faces...

agent ever stole my heart. as always. and made me laugh. a lot. as always.

homemade carnitas with slaw. black beans. spaghetti squash. pumpkin pie. popcorn. guacamole. brie and chutney. and my tante's famous cake. i wish i could do it all over again today.

finn's first halloween was a real scream. it started early. and ended late...

with a whole lot of happy in between.

baby shower no. 3

my third and final baby shower...i can't begin to express how grateful (or excited-as evidenced by my wide grin!) i was for this day. a day to spend surrounded by the women in my family, both sides, my in-laws, and my two besties. i know i say it a lot in this space, but what a lucky girl...


the scenery, decor and backdrops were breathtaking! wood chairs, countless bouquets of hydrangeas, polka dotted tablecloths, green napkins fastened with vintage diaper pins...these ladies, my two aunts, speak my language. or actually, i think i should say i speak theirs. either way, once again, i was shocked to walk through the door and see all these sights before me...



if the decor were like a cool, calming, and colorful feast for the eyes, the eats and drinks were like a party for my mouth...devine. my aunt lee's caesar salad dressing is the best i have ever had (no joke, friends) and my tante cory's gazpacho (topped with creme fraiche)...well, lets just say, i have been thinking about it ever since.




i just don't know how to say it other than, i love these faces. and our baby berry will too. its simply unavoidable.




i was, once again, shocked by every one's generous, clever, meaningful, fun, adorable and priceless gifts...




so many generations of rodrigo, abernethy, ringsmith and craig ladies...all in one place.




and then there was dessert. and iced coffee. in mason jars. kill me. it was too much. as in, too perfect.




it was another heavenly day. what a way to cap off the tail end of this part of baby's little life in utero...



i wish i could bottle all the cuteness and love that day was full of. thank you tante cory and aunt lee, and everyone who helped. i will remember it always.

baby shower no. 2

much like baby shower no. 1, this day completely knocked my socks off. from the second i pulled up, the cuteness hit me like tornado of love. i was blown away by all that my sisters had done! the welcome banner was almost too much...



when i walked through the door to emily's house, it just continued. i am pretty sure that i uttered, "oh my goodness" each time i turned to see something new and adorable - which was about 852 times. i loved all the sweet phrases spelled out in tiles, the old baby shoes and the clothes that me and my sisters wore as babes...carefully saved by my mom.



the flowers were all homegrown by my mom and grandma and lovingly arranged by cindy and katie!! i felt like i was gazing at my wedding flowers all over again...so beautiful.



seeing our old wooden toys, the farm set, and that little suitcase scattered about made for instant nostalgia.



the girls created this little guessing station for everyone to leave their guesses for boy or girl, birth date and size. the guesses were equally split between boy and girl (fun!) and the sizes....sheesh. everyone thinks this baby is going to arrive toddler size. SCARY.



and outside, the beauty only escalated....it was such a perfect sunny day and the yard was like paradise. i love banners...



the beverages were so yummy! party punch with vodka (heard it was great), wine, and my favority fave: lemonade. these girls know me. and those darling little cones contained animal crackers, goldfish and popcorn - clever, clever!

could you just die over the straws? i did.

real tables, with real chairs and real linens. so stunning. and more white flowers! ahhhhh!

pretty sure that "baby mama" sign was the decoration that garnered the biggest laugh. i had to steal it to hang in my house.

soon it was time to eat...happy time. my sisters really outdid themselves and convinced me that they should be professional party planners.

the food was simply stellar. green salad, fruit salad (thank you Amanda!), bread, and the pasta...oh the pasta. alfredo penne pasta with roasted vegetables...a recipe rachel just...oh, i dunno......CREATED. she is unbelievable to me and the pasta was all the rage. i have been enjoying leftovers ever since.



lunch al fresco...and do you spy those darling little party favor cookies my mom whipped up??! too darling. and delicious!



the dessert table!! woo hoo! so much fun color and so much SUGAR! baby berry was thrilled. so was baby mama. chocolate cupcakes and coconut cupcakes-made by the girls, lemon bars and boterkoek (our favorite dutch treat) made by mama, and fudge from erika! i was in heaven...




it wouldn't have been a shower without all these people who i simply love and adore...so many made the trek from sacramento (and two all the way from monterey!) and i felt so special. all these ladies (and one man) have either been a part of my life since i was a wee one or have helped my make my teen and young adult years a real hoot...they all have really made my life so colorful.










and the gifts...we were so spoiled yet again. spoiled with practical, spoiled with heirlooms, spoiled with hand made, spoiled with luxury, spoiled with necessity, spoiled with cuteness - i was so overwhelmed and so, so very grateful.




my sisters threw me quite a bash. i knew all along it would be fabulous, but i had so idea how BEAUTIFUL and how oh-so fun it would be...they made me feel like the luckiest baby mama this side of the atlantic. its not too often in life when you get so many people you love in one room. i treasure days like this. and all day, i felt lucky not just because they gave me such an incredible day to remember, but also lucky because i have them. forever.



baby berry has the coolest tantes.

i am so thankful to everyone that helped make it a perfect day. and girls, from the bottom of my heart...thank you.

xoxo


p.s. rachel made the dress she is wearing. hard to believe, right?

baby shower no. 1

saturday. the day of my first baby shower, hosted by ryan's mom. a.k.a. mimi. and what a perfect day. the sun was shining so bright. and i was so excited.

mimi made that perfect diaper wreath that greeted us at the front door. i couldn't believe it's cuteness! and i can't wait to hang that wreath from our front door after our baby makes his or her grand entrance into the world...

the decoration cuteness only grew exponentially after we stepped through the door...

we ate on the kelly's lakeside patio - it was all so darling!! i felt like such a lucky mama-to-be.

ryan's old toys decorated bookshelves and mantles and his old baby clothes hung on an indoor clothesline - i was particularly fond of the red overalls!

baby shoes decorated what would otherwise be ordinary doorknobs. such clever cuteness.


and that baby balloon makes me laugh everytime i see it.


mimi has such amazing friends. they are fun, as in F.U.N. ladies. they make me belly laugh. and i am pretty sure those two ladies in the top righhand picture are about to redefine the term "you look too young to be a grandma". and those two great-grandma's in the bottom right picture are just too hot to handle. they both had me in stitches all day. two grandmas and two great-grandmas. there is a lot of wisdom in those heads. what a lucky baby! and what a lucky mama ;)


the food was INCREDIBLE! fruit salad (with lots of strawberries!), sandwiches, turkey wraps, veggies, potato salad, and a green salad that makes my mouth water just thinking of it.

and then there was cake! lemon chiffon and chocolate...this mama-to-be was one happy lady.


after our lunch on the patio, i came inside to see that everyone had decorated onesies for baby berry! i laughed and laughed and admired everyone's craftiness. i was in charge of picking a winner and the one that made me laugh the most read, "whatever happens at mimi's, stays at mimi's". i just can't wait to see baby berry in all these onesies...


i was truly showered with the most generous, thougtful and amazing gifts. and although the collage below is a little "lauren overkill", i thought that my faces better explained my glee than words would.

there were gifts that made me cry. gifts that made me laugh. gifts that made my heart burst with sentimental overload. and gifts that shocked me with their adorableness.

i cried reading david and marsha's card. i was shocked to receive handmade clothes that were made for ryan. i laughed at the little rocking lamb that baby can ride on and the miniature sunglasses. i cried (a lot) when my mom gave me my baby ring and bracelet, baby cup and bowl. and i was thrilled to receive our stoller and carseat from the hostess herself!


it was such a relaxing day. and was made all the better by the sun and amazing company who came out to shower me with love and gifts. i felt so happy all day long. and i am pretty sure baby feels completely spoiled.

my sisters are like the loyal bridesmaids that never quit. always by my side for these major events in my life to help and guide me. emily took every single amazing picture that you see (except the few that she appears in). the girl knows i love the detail and food pics. and rachel handed me my gifts and took dilligent notes recording all my gifts. she even got me more salad at lunch.

and marsha. mimi. what a gal. she has completely made me a part of her loving circle of family and friends and went over and above to make sure that my first baby shower was truly an unforgettable day for me. i will never forget it. especially that wreath, baby balloon and diaper cake :).

i am so lucky. and baby berry has no idea all the love that is waiting for him or her.

thank you, mimi!!