Baby Showers

The last day of work before I went on maternity leave was Friday, January 27th.  I flew from Los Angeles to Pasco and my Dad picked me up.  My mom and cousin/friend, Lindsay, planned a baby shower for me.  We made it to Moses Lake in time to catch a lot of my extended family at the church.  My niece, Dillon, was getting baptized.  It was so fun to catch a lot of them all together.  My Uncle Doug and Aunt Connie were there.  They had just returned from serving as MTC president in Spain.  This was the first time I had seen them in two years.  I love them so much!  I was so excited to get to see them.  That night Mark and Anette Poth stopped by to catch up and bring me a baby gift.  Mark and Anette were our neighbors for years and I truly consider them like family.  It was so fun to sit back and chat.  We were laughing out loud.

Saturday morning was my baby shower. It was perfect. I'm a simple girl so I don't love those baby showers with a bunch of corny games. Lindsay passed out a card that said on the top A Wish for Alysha. Then it had My Advice for Alysha. Underneath were the headings: my favorite thing about motherhood, things I wish I wouldn't have worried about, what I wish I knew about parenting when I was a new parent, ways to handle stress, favorite books, and must-have products. How fun is that?! Seriously, I feel like people have so much insight. If any of you weren't at my shower but have some good input I would love to hear what advice you have for me. I have also found that at a lot of showers there are many side conversations going on but as things got rolling everyone was asking me questions and I was able to answer them for everyone. Lindsay also took the time to ask Brandon some questions. Then she asked me the same ones to see how closely we would answer. I'd say my husband knows me pretty well. We answered a lot of them the same. For example when she asked if I had any cravings he said something to the effect of "not really, maybe ice cream and dove chocolate." I answered that I haven't had any cravings but that I always like having ice cream. We had the most delicious food including: yogurt parfaits, orange rolls, fruit, and hot chocolate. I received the most thoughtful and generous gifts. My guests included: Grandma Earl, Aunt Becky, Aunt Connie, Grandma Jones, Alina Luna, Allie Earl (love her...my cousin Mike really scored), Katrina Baker, Shelly Nelson, Jeanne Brown, Cynthia Hardy, Julie and Kaitlin Waites, Lindsay Bates (of course...she planned it), and Keri Perez. It is so much fun to be in a room full of people who have known you your whole life and to share with them the excitement over having your first baby. I even received a few gifts from others that couldn't make it. I am so grateful for all the effort that went into making this shower so special for me.

That afternoon we headed over to my grandma's house.  Doug and Connie were having an open house.  There were a lot of old familiar faces.  There are a lot of great people in Moses Lake.  I feel blessed to have grown up there.  I mostly hung out with Mike, Allie, Lindsay and Jared.  While we were there my Uncle David said that the Moses Lake drill team was hosting a regional competition and that they were about to perform.  He told us that if we left right away we would be able to catch the performance.  He was right.  We walked in just in time to see the performance which was awesome.  It always makes me miss dancing.

Saturday night all the extended family around got together for dinner at Jeff and Becky's house.  They nailed it, of course!  It was delicious.  We had a great time talking and laughing.  My immediate and extended family are truly my favorite people. 

Sunday Doug and Connie reported their mission at church.  Love it!!  They showed pictures of different Sisters and Elders that they worked with and told really inspiring stories.  The Church is true.  I was able to hitch a ride back to the airport with Jared and Lindsay.  It was nice having that time to just sit and talk with them.  If I remember right, there may have been some crying involved on my part (sorry Jared and Lindsay...in my defense, I was very pregnant.) 

The next weekend Myca and a friend of ours from the ward, Natalia Solmon, threw a shower for me in Boise.  It was really sweet of them to offer.  I told Myca that I didn't know if it was a good idea because I wasn't convinced that anyone would show up.  Because I am gone so much for work, I don't feel like a lot of people from the ward know me.  The fact that people did show up is a testament to their friendship with Myca...they love her enough to be supportive of me.  The decorations were so cute.  The food was yummy.  We played one game with candy bars which was quick and fun.  I received some great gifts.  The Frogley group showed up (Becky, September, Crystal, Heidi, Jenny, and Jennifer Dilgard.)  There were a number of girls from he ward including: Amber Schmidt, Amy Leberman, Cynthia Molis, Gina Olsen, Christy Beal, Kristi Davis, Shana Wright.  Nena, Hendrix, and Myca were there too.  It was a great success.  Thanks for all the hard work putting it together!  And a special thanks to everyone that came.