I wanted to blog today about the baby shower I had for Sadie and Mary Kate. If you follow me, you know they are due within two weeks of each other. Of course, we know that could mean closer or further apart depending on those two sweet babies decision to join us, but in any case, it will be close. My granddaughters, Bella and Aslyn, are six weeks apart and it’s been the sweetest watching them grow up together. 

As a family, we decided to have a shower for both of them at the same time. I had a comment on my social saying the girls should have had separate showers. Hummmm….first of all, it really isn’t anyone’s business when and who we have a shower for, but that is beside the point. I want to say, I love it that the girls wanted to celebrate together. I love that they are confident enough in who they are that the spotlight could be shared. Our family is so big that everyone is used to sharing the spotlight and I, for one, think that’s a good thing. We seem to have a little too much of the “shine the light on me” mentality going on today, so I’m quite happy to promote sharing of any kind. 

So, now that I have said all of that, let me share with you some of the fun treats I decided to do to make the shower more personal and fun for both of the honorees. 

1. The theme. I decided to go with the “everything is pink” theme. As a backdrop for the table I used several of the dresses I had made over the years for “babies” who are now in their 30’s or 40’s. Yikes! Yes, it took a little work to repair a few, soak and clean a few, and iron them all, but it was worth it. They made a precious backdrop and I can’t wait to see our new babies wearing them. 
2. The flowers. It was February and we had just lived through a snow and ice storm, so fresh flowers were nowhere to be found. I found some beautiful silk pink roses and white babies breathe at Hobby Lobby and made some simple arrangements for the tables. The day of the event, I made two stops hoping for fresh, but it wasn’t happening. I think the Hobby Lobby flowers looked pretty sweet. 
3. The decorating. I found some pink tulle in a birthday decorating package for a one year old at Hobby Lobby and used the tulle from it to make a fluffy skirt for a bassinet. Two dolls from WalMart were dressed in some of my handmade dresses and put in the bassinet. That served as my center for the gift-opening area, in front of the fireplace. The girls sat on either side of the bassinet. This gave the guests coming to the party a way to easily see where they should add their gift. The rest of the fireplace was decorated in everything girlie and pink. 
4. The games. I had four games the party guest could play if they choose to participate and since we had some teenagers, it was an entertaining way to get them involved. I used Starbucks gift cards and a box of diapers as the prizes, telling the winners they could donate their diapers to a worthy mom if they wanted to and, of course, they did. After the shower had been going on for about an hour, I gave out the prizes to the winners. It was a great way to keep everyone involved. 
5. The opening. I began the shower with the reading of a poem that I had used in a book I wrote when Sadie was little, then my sister prayed over both of the girls at the same time. Of course, we were both crying! After that, we welcomed the guests to eat and play games and visit while the girls opened their gifts. 
6. The gifts. For one of my gift display tables, I used the vases I had received with flowers when I was in the hospital after having Korie. It was a cute, plus, nostalgic display that everyone loved. We actually displayed their gifts in two different rooms so the organizing and getting them home was simplified. I assigned two of the hostesses the job of getting the gifts to the appropriate area. One was assigned to Sadie and on to Mary Kate. 
7. The food. I had some amazing hostesses (my mom and six of Sadie’s aunts) who helped provide the most amazing party foods. For punch, I simply used an orange-strawberry Sunny D from WalMart. I wanted a pink punch and that one did the trick. I served it in crystal pitchers so everyone could serve themselves. I also had pink-colored La Croix cans and water with strawberry slices floating in it. I ordered the cutest cookies ever. Cookies like this are often more expensive and can add to the cost, but if you share the cost with the other hostesses, it doable. Lisa, one of Sadie’s aunts, couldn’t attend the shower, so she was the perfect person to help supply the “cute” cookies. One more thing, you don’t have to order one per guest as they are expensive. They are just there as part of the decorations. So adorable!!

Well, that’s the essentials. What a blessing to be able to host a shower for my great-grandbabies! Who would have thought?? I loved every minute of the 4011 trips I made to Hobby Lobby while getting it all together!! Lol. Okay, not that many, but close. I can’t wait to hold, snuggle, sing to, rock, pray over and love on these little girls.