Corrie Ann, Me, Sarah & baby Brooklyn
Two of my co-workers at DSCS (my school)-- Corrie Ann & Sarah-- and a former co-worker, Suzanne, threw a baby shower for Ryan, Eowyn & I at the school last weekend. Grandpa & Grandma Presley drove over from Abingdon, VA, and Ryan's mom & step-dad drove up from Atlanta, GA in time to be there with us. That made an already encouraging shower extra-special!
A very excited Daddy
Opening gifts
Me 'n' Jenna-- one of my favorite 5-year-olds =D
Race, John, Morgan & Ellie eyeing the chocolate fountain.
The girls did an amazing job with the food, making it all gluten & soy-free (so I could enjoy it all), and super delicious!!
Besides our family, several of my fellow teachers stopped by, and so did my boss, which of course made me behave. =D lol actually it made it really special. A lot of "my" moms from last year came, along with several of my preschoolers from last year (such as Jenna & Ellie) and several of my choir students from last year. It was really fun to see them all, because now that I leave in the middle of the day I just don't see as many of them anymore! I did make it down during lunch last week, just to say hi to 'em and see how they're liking high school. =D My little kiddos growing up so fast!!
We have gotten some really unique & fun gifts, a lot at this particular shower. My personal favorites include a large bib with a washcloth that attaches for easy clean-up; a chewable, washable book mark; ABC wooden blocks (blocks are one of the very few MUST-have toys in my opinion); a security blankie with lots of silky tags all around it; the hand-painted name letters Sina did (see post below); a carseat pillow that looks like a little teddy bear and will keep her neck from giving out on long car trips; and an awesome singing rocking pony. Ryan's favorite is the "techie" gift of a crib-side gizmo that projects underwater scenes on the baby's wall or ceiling. heheh I have a feeling I'll find it on in OUR room.
What made this shower so special, though, wasn't the fun gifts, but rather the way our guests got the chance to "shower" Ryan & I with encouragement & advice. Guests were encouraged to write down 1) parenting advice, 2) memory-making or tradition tips, and/or 3) encouragements as to what character traits they see in us which will help us be better parents. It was really encouraging & convicting to me to hear things that experienced parents know matter, and to be reminded that this is NOT the time to spiritually slack off at all. Even if my circumstances are happier than ever, making it tempting to live very much in the surface-level of this present world (which for me is currently very pleasant), instead of continuing to invest in eternity, and the eternal souls around me. The advice was really good to hear, too. I'm glad they wrote it all down so I can refer to it later!! The memories that the kids picked out to share were fun to hear, too. If anyone's an expert on what is memorable to a child, they are!!
Some advice we received:
- Pray hard.
Ryan caught a couple pictures of me talking (not hard to do).
Besides our family, several of my fellow teachers stopped by, and so did my boss, which of course made me behave. =D lol actually it made it really special. A lot of "my" moms from last year came, along with several of my preschoolers from last year (such as Jenna & Ellie) and several of my choir students from last year. It was really fun to see them all, because now that I leave in the middle of the day I just don't see as many of them anymore! I did make it down during lunch last week, just to say hi to 'em and see how they're liking high school. =D My little kiddos growing up so fast!!
We have gotten some really unique & fun gifts, a lot at this particular shower. My personal favorites include a large bib with a washcloth that attaches for easy clean-up; a chewable, washable book mark; ABC wooden blocks (blocks are one of the very few MUST-have toys in my opinion); a security blankie with lots of silky tags all around it; the hand-painted name letters Sina did (see post below); a carseat pillow that looks like a little teddy bear and will keep her neck from giving out on long car trips; and an awesome singing rocking pony. Ryan's favorite is the "techie" gift of a crib-side gizmo that projects underwater scenes on the baby's wall or ceiling. heheh I have a feeling I'll find it on in OUR room.
What made this shower so special, though, wasn't the fun gifts, but rather the way our guests got the chance to "shower" Ryan & I with encouragement & advice. Guests were encouraged to write down 1) parenting advice, 2) memory-making or tradition tips, and/or 3) encouragements as to what character traits they see in us which will help us be better parents. It was really encouraging & convicting to me to hear things that experienced parents know matter, and to be reminded that this is NOT the time to spiritually slack off at all. Even if my circumstances are happier than ever, making it tempting to live very much in the surface-level of this present world (which for me is currently very pleasant), instead of continuing to invest in eternity, and the eternal souls around me. The advice was really good to hear, too. I'm glad they wrote it all down so I can refer to it later!! The memories that the kids picked out to share were fun to hear, too. If anyone's an expert on what is memorable to a child, they are!!
Some advice we received:
- Pray hard.
- Fix your eyes on JESUS!
- Give yourself grace. It's ok if you don't have a by-the-book baby.
- Treasure every moment & take lots of pictures!
- Rock & hold your baby whenever you want.
- Love & show mercy as you have been Loved & shown Mercy
- Don't take your child's sin & poor choices personally. We're called to teach them faithfully, not to make sure they turn out right.
- When Eowyn's big enough, make sure you teach her how to mattress surf. Take her old mattress & slide down a flight of steps into a bean bag. (OH YES!!! I'll call Tias Nicole & Anna in for this one!)
- Remember Advent.
- Listen twice as much as you speak, especially as they get older.
- Follow grandparents' advice on all things child-related (hmmm... wonder who put THAT one in, lol) =D
THANK YOU, Sarah, Suzanne & Corrie Ann, for such a blessing!
Ryan caught a couple pictures of me talking (not hard to do).
Brooklyn... one of THE cutest babies I know!
i love the advice! Those kinds of things are my favorites to hear!
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