A Blue Elephant Baby Shower

Two weekends ago, my friend Jessica and I co-hosted a baby shower for our friend Becca who is due in just a few weeks! We DIYed the food and decor, which made for a fun and simple celebration.

Menu

Cheeses + Fruit

Veggies + Hummus and Dip

Everything Seed Rolls

Strawberry Cake Pops

Mini Oreo Cheesecakes

We downloaded these elephant tags to make cupcake toppers.

Jessica's mom has a cake pop maker so we tried our hand and making and decorating cake pops! They may not look picture-perfect, but they were delicious.

And since fruit tea is kind of a Nashville thing, we tried this recipe. It was a big hit!

Straws from Hobby Lobby (because they're fun!), as well as the paper plates and napkins above.

The banner was made using scrapbook paper (alphabet and elephant templates found here). And we painted a wooden H and mounted it on a framed piece of scrap piece of fabric for the gift table.

You can't go wrong with chocolate dipped pretzels for favors :). 

Do you enjoy hosting parties and/or showers? 

What tips do you have for keeping things simple?

+, Lauren Aiken

Silly String Gender Reveal

On Friday afternoon we had our 20 week ultrasound. As far as everyone can tell, Baby A #2 appears to be healthy and right on track, and a little ovarian cyst I had early on is no longer there. We are rejoicing!! Just like with Nora, we had the technician write down the gender in a card -- but this time we weren't the ones to open it. My bestie offered to throw a party for us in our backyard so she picked up the card Saturday morning and ran to the store to buy many many cans of silly string. 

Some close friends gathered with us Saturday evening for hotdogs (it was one of the first true Spring days here!) and helped us make wonderful memories. Finding out in front of friends (and family on facetime) made it even more exciting! Here are some photos from the party, taken by my best friend Heidi of Inspired by Grace Photography.

Heidi is expecting a little boy just three weeks before my due date, and our girls are only three months apart.

I was shocked to see PINK!!!

 We are overjoyed that Nora is going to have a little sister and cannot wait to welcome another sweet girl into our family! Nora just wasn't thrilled about being sprayed with smelly pink sticky stuff ;).

To see Nora's gender reveal party from 2012, read here.

+, Lauren Aiken

Showered in Indiana

This past Saturday my sisters hosted a shower for Baby A in Indiana. I was super blessed with so many family and friends who came, many who traveled from states away, and showered us with generosity. My sisters made the shower extra special with DIY elements, handpicked flowers, and sweet little birds incorporated throughout the decor. Here are some pictures from the day. 

{Thanks to Victoria and Jodi for snapping some great shots!}

My first dress and shoes, and a dahlia (my favorite flower).

DIY bird details and gorgeous flowers picked fresh from a farm. Oh, and the girls made all of the food too!

Pretty touches of pink.

A blessing we read together, written by a dear family friend.

We played a few games. Everyone had to take a piece of yarn and cut it to guess the circumference of my tummy. There were a couple really close ones! Later that night, Matt guessed right on. 

I wish this picture didn't turn out blurry! 

Look at all those gifts! We are so blessed by so many people. We received a ton of baby clothes, baby necessities, several hand sewn or knitted blankets, many crocheted/knitted hats and booties, a swing, a baby food maker, Baby Bjorn, and more! I was overwhelmed by how much Baby A is loved, and she isn't even here yet.

Eloise (left) and Victoria (right) did an amazing job organizing everything and making the shower absolutely perfect! They are two excited aunties :).

I haven't posted many pictures of Matt and I together while I've been pregnant because he's always taking photos of me. 

It was so great to be home and hang with the family one last time before Baby A makes her debut. 

We're just about 4 1/2 weeks out from holding our little girl for the first time!! 

You can find pictures from my first shower in Seattle here.

+, Lauren Aiken