Home is Where the Army Sends Us: The Bragg Edition: A Surprise for Baby Alaina

While in North Carolina, Mom, Karen, and I threw a surprise baby shower for Meredith and Harry to welcome Baby Alaina. I hope it was a surprise :) Madison couldn't contain her excitement, so there's no telling if Mer really knew. She acted surprised, but I know Madison.

On the day of the shower (Saturday) we kicked Mer and Harry out (Harry was helping out by getting Mer out of the house).

I'm posing with the babies.

Mer, just prior to leaving the house

Once Mer and Harry left, we went into full swing. We did it over lunchtime, and I made the food. Mom is at the sink washing strawberries to make chocolate covered strawberries. The boys were SO good and sat like this most of the time we cooked. Dad took Madison and Luke to the park, which helped a lot too.

Karen picked up a plain cake at Harris Teeter, and then she went to work creating a cake. Madison watched in awe, hoping for small tastes of frosting.

Karen made this diaper cake. I helped only by helping to pick out stuff to go on it and putting a couple of pacifiers on it. She did a great job for her first diaper cake.

The table spread...lunch was a Southwest theme since I live in the Southwest with a bean dip, taco ring, and then with chocolate covered strawberries and a cake.

Madison, with an outfit change, was delighted to show Mer the table. Madison has been SO excited about this shower ever since we started talking about it. She sees me going to baby showers all the time, and she was delighted she could attend her first shower. She even told me while in Tennessee that you have to bring a present to a shower, so she picked one out (although I had to buy it!).

After lunch, Mer opened presents. Madison's gift was the first up...a very sweet picture frame with a Bible verse on it. Madison picked it out herself...actually, we were at Food City in Kodak, and she saw it on the floral department display, and she said that Baby Alaina HAD to have that for her room.

Luke had no clue what was going on except that he wanted to help open presents.

Mer's Ohio friend, Barb, sent this beautiful blanket.

She also sent these cute clothes.

Mom got Mer her bedding set, a bunny theme.

One of the things we got Mer was a pink bunny. If you don't know, Mer is obsessed with bunnies, and as a kid, she had a ton of them. This is from the same company that makes the kitty cats my kids have (and love). I hope Alaina gets many hours of peaceful sleep with her bunny pal. Mer, I think the bunny should have some great Southwestern name since that's where we got her :)