Morgan's bridal shower!

[After another super long blog silence, I'm finally getting back into the swing of things...  I'm unconscionably late with this post, so I'm backdating it a few weeks.  Stay tuned for more catch-up posts to come!]

Another McMillan cousin got married this summer!  Seeing as how we've already been to her wedding, it's probably about time for me to post about her bridal shower earlier this summer...  :)

Morgan had a really lovely shower back in early June, hosted by her bridesmaids and friends of hers from church, out in Perkasie, PA.  Which, it turns out, requires you to take a number of back roads to get to from central Jersey...  I don't think I've ever been so thankful for GPS.  It was a really pretty drive, though, with a beautiful home and fun party at the end of it!

Morgan was as beautiful and happy as ever. :)


Tons of gorgeous and delicious food:






And so much fun was had by all!








So glad I could be there to celebrate this wonderful time in your life, Morgan!  [And hopefully I'll get your wedding blogged sometime this week while we're on vacation!  :)]

A surprise shower for Aime!

[Yep, it's another Keddiebears blog burst... I'm just going to have to make my peace with the fact that I can't blog more regularly about our wild and crazy lives.  Thanks for bearing with us!  :)]

A couple weeks ago, on February 19, we had a *successful* surprise shower for our dear friend Aime!  I feel like it's rare that surprise parties actually end up being surprises -- especially when the guest of honor is as wily and smart as Aime.  :)  But our lovely hostesses Andréa and Hilary managed to pull it off... And did so very beautifully!

Aime and Greg are expecting a daughter in early April -- and this baby has been eagerly anticipated by so many, for so many years.  They've chosen the name Eliana, which means "God has answered," which is incredibly fitting for this baby who is the answer to so many prayers.  We just can't wait to meet her, and this surprise shower was a wonderful way of showing Aime just how excited we all are for her and her family!

Just a few of the lovely details (girly jungle theme inspired by the bedding the parents-to-be have chosen), including a homemade cake baked and decorated by Carrie, and a beautiful diaper cake made by Mary:




The arrival of the guest of honor -- I still can't believe she was actually surprised!


And then a ton of fun and games! There was the always, um, appetizing melted candy bar dirty diaper game...


And then one really fun "feed the baby" race.  Where both the baby and the feeder are blindfolded -- because, you know, feeding a baby really is that messy and difficult.  :)  And much hilarity ensued:






Poor Andréa is wearing sunglasses here because she'd had a pretty nasty corneal laceration, at the unwitting and excitable hands of her 13-month-old... She'd had Caleb on her lap to read him a book, and he flailed his arms, somehow managing to scratch her eye.  Thankfully, there was no permanent damage, but she was functionally blind on the day of the shower.  So she did what anyone else would do in her position -- she kept planning the shower and doing the non-lab work of her PhD program and caring for her family and just generally being Superwoman...  :)  But even Superwoman can't write if she's blind, so Bonnie filled out her guesses for her in Aime's baby pool.


Aime is such a radiantly beautiful woman just in general, and pregnancy certainly suits her.  :)




Aime with the two hostesses, and then with her college friend Annie, who is also expecting a little girl in early April!



Aime, we love you!  And we're all so incredibly excited to meet Eliana!!

A bridal shower for Rachel!

The Sunday before Thanksgiving, I got to go up to Queens for the bridal shower of one of my old college roommates!!  Rachel is working in the State Department these days, and is currently posted in Prague (after having been posted in Tel Aviv), so it's rare that she's in the States.  So you better believe I made the time to make the trek all the way out to her parents' house for this beautiful bridal shower brunch!

Rachel and Shay are such a cute couple -- they're really perfect for each other, and it's so beautiful to see that.  And it was so much fun getting to celebrate Rachel with other dear friends!  We had quite the roommate mini-reunion -- it was SO good getting to see all of these girls.


Princeton girls!  Karen, Diana, Yashih, Rachel, Shauna and me
The shower itself was lovely.  Hosted by Rachel's mom and sister, there were so many sweet little touches -- including a surprise guest at the very beginning!  Rachel was given a little gift to open, and then was told to guess who from her past had come to celebrate with us at the shower -- it was a favorite teacher from grade school, who had apparently made a huge impact on Rachel's life.  Which says something sweet and nerdy about our dear Rachel.  :)


The clue: a little flamingo figurine


Surprise!
We played silly games, ate delicious food, showered Rach with gifts, and had a wonderful time together.









Rachel, you're so beautiful -- can't wait to see you on your wedding day!  Much love to you and Shay!

Miriam's bridal shower!

Our wedding-filled weekend was capped on Sunday (6/27), with a bridal shower for Miriam!  Miriam was a freshman my senior year, so I got to know her a bit then, but we've really gotten closer more recently as she's been in one of the small groups David and I lead.  She and her then-boyfriend Andrew started coming to our small group a couple years ago, and we've had the joy of watching their relationship grow.  They're getting married on 10/10/10, and we're so incredibly excited for them!

The bridal shower was such an elegant affair -- an afternoon tea party, complete with dainty tea sandwiches, scrumptious scones, and beautiful desserts, and individual china teapots for every guest.  :)  We also got to hear some of the backstory of Andrew's proposal, and played a number of silly shower games that were actually a lot of fun.

And of course, I took a ton of photos.  :)


The beautiful bride-to-be

Individual teapots, and tower of delicious treats

Heidi, fellow small grouper, pouring herself some tea

Sisters!!  Naomi, Miriam's younger sister, is her maid of honor

Katie B., age 9 (I think?) and Miriam, both having fun with the food displays

Miriam and her lovely bridesmaids

It really was such a lovely shower.  I had to leave a bit early, since I had to get back home in time to feed our little guy, so I'm sorry I missed the end... We all had such a fun time, though!

Many blessings on you both, Miriam and Andrew, as you prepare for marriage!  We love you!

Catch-up post: A shower for baby B!

About a week and a half ago (Friday, 5/14), we threw a shower to celebrate Hilary and the impending birth of baby boy B!  Hilary is due at the end of June, and we couldn't be more thrilled for her and Steven.  :)

The shower was such a fun commingling of two of Hilary's Princeton "worlds" -- our small groups, and the psych department.  Everyone there was united in their love for Hilary and their excitement about this precious baby boy -- and it helps that there was a ton of good food, some silly shower games, and a bunch of adorable little kids to play with!

Among the decorations at the shower: baby-themed name tags (gotta love free internet clipart!), a beautiful diaper cake on the gifts table, and Joshua's old newborn-sized clothing, which he's lending to his friend-to-be.  :)



Silly shower games!  Close your eyes and draw a picture of Hilary's family; estimate how much yarn it takes to get around Hilary's belly.



Babies, babies everywhere! Joshua and Caleb, the littlest guys; Jemina and Ishaan, the toddlers (and Ishaan took his very first steps at this shower!); and Aliina, one of the happiest babies I've ever met!




And just some of my favorite shots of the beautiful mother-to-be, opening gifts and with her labmate Ann Marie (also a recent new mom!):



Hilary and Steven, we are so beyond excited for your family! Can't wait to meet baby boy B!!