The twins are coming and this auntie is losing her shit.
More than a month ago, Mom and I tossed together a fun little shower to celebrate my cousin – a new mommy-to-be. Let’s ignore the fact that it’s taken no fewer than 40-something days to pull together a post about it. I’ve been excited since May when I ran into Holly at our doctor’s office and she spilled the beans. It was a rough secret to keep but, little did I know, there was an even bigger story no one was telling me – there are two babies, not one.
The surprises have just kept coming, including realizing that the Twinkies already have us all wrapped around their tiny little fingers. I don’t bake – but apparently a three-tier cake, 5 dozen sugar cookies and 18 cups of buttercream frosting are no big deal for these kids. It could have just been the sugar high, but even mom didn’t seem to mind the mass chaos that ensued in her kitchen that weekend.
Her house is a rustic brick Ranch that sits among a sea of rural Kansas corn fields which, this time of year, are dirt. There’s a huge old tree in the the front yard and a few smaller ones that dot the precision-cut green around it – all of which should be taken in from the bay window that looks out over the hefty wood pillars of the front porch. Having already escaped the city, it seemed appropriate to embrace the serenity and push it a little further.
With the holidays on the horizon, it wasn’t hard to con mom into setting up her 8 Christmas trees a week earlier than usual so that we could create the perfect indoor forest for a woodland critter-themed party. We strung homemade fabric bunting anywhere it would fit, mismatched the patio’s wicker chairs with a dozen other folding chairs and baked with reckless abandon to pull everything together just hours before the party started.
Sticking with the cozy and casual feel, we set up a table of games for guests to play if and when they wanted. Each was invited to write funny sayings on diapers or cut a string to fit mom’s belly – both of which ended up being a lot of fun when we revealed the results later. We also kicked off the shower with stories from mommy-to-be’s toddlerhood – noting that she’s earned every bit of public embarrassment she may have coming. The result was a laid back, relaxed afternoon with friends and family – celebrating two highly anticipated little bundles.
This post is now at home on Prettyography.
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