Tripp Preparations...

Yes, I did mean to spell Tripp with two P's.  This past Saturday night, we had a little party at our house to get ready for another little boy cousin who will be joining us soon.  Mommy and Stella decorated the mantle for the big event...

And Stella decorated the entryway all by herself!  Doesn't it look fabulous?  As you can see, Cille was very impressed...

The finished product complete with gifts...

Our yummy chocolate cake...(we did not do this decorating, but whoever did is very talented!)

Cille was so excited she had to shake her booty.  Oh, and did I mention that our party coincided with the first LSU football game of the season?  As the mom of a boy, Sarah took it all in stride.  I'm sure there will be lots more football watching in her future...

Cille was eager to explore the gifts...

We tried to distract her with some food, but that didn't work for very long...

I, of course, forced Sarah to take a picture in front of the decorations and gifts.  You're welcome, Tripp.  Doesn't your mommy look cute with you in her tummy?

Then it was time for presents!  Stella was a wonderful assistant for Aunt Sarah...

This pose cracks me up.  When we were little, one of our favorite aunts always posed this way with her freshly opened gifts...

Cille had a great time playing with the tissue paper.  Who needs toys?

Grandpa really enjoyed his first baby shower ever...

See?

Stella thought the gift of stamps for Sarah's thank you cards was so awesome that she asked if she could have one.  I had to explain to her that those were Aunt Sarah's special stickers...

Opening a razorback hat while watching LSU play...priceless...

Puppy dogs were a recurring theme at this shower.  I wonder why?  This outfit from Mawmaw Shirley even had paw prints on the butt.  I'm sure they won't be the only paw prints on this kid...

The must-have gift for all the kids in our family: the Arkansas Alligator Farm "See Ya Later, Alligator" t-shirt...

The tail end...

Our Arkansas cousins, the Bridges, sent all the fun Alligator Farm items, including this Indian drum rattle...

Stella tested the rattle to make sure it was in working order...

Cille was able to squeeze in some cuddles between gifts...

This was Sarah's best "surprise face" of the evening...

Tripp, prepare to be worn!  Babies: the greatest accessory...

Sarah's best "confused face" of the evening...

She was confused because she thought Mom had given her a dog toy for the baby, but it turned out that it was meant for human children...

My awesome neighbor Katie made these super cute burp cloths for Tripp.  Lilly Pie Creations rocks!

Cille helped out with the big stuff...

Sarah was super excited to get the infant carrier.  Now they'll actually allow her to leave the hospital!  Whoohoo!

The carrier and stroller were a group effort.  We teamed up with Mom, Grandpa, Troyce and Emily, and Damon's parents to get them.  In this one Sarah is reading the card with all the names in it...

She liked the zebra paper since it stuck with her jungle theme...

After all those presents, it was time for cake and ice cream.  Yum!

I think we all had a great time at the party.  It was a very laid-back and relaxed event, which pretty much matches Sarah's philosophy of life.  Anytime you can eat barbeque, cake, and ice cream AND spend time with your family is a good time, in my opinion.  Celebrating my first nephew makes it even better! I would like to say an extra special THANK YOU to everyone who helped out with the shower, from Grandpa and Mom, who drove down in a monsoon, to Troyce and Emily, who couldn't make it but supported anyway, and especially to my in-laws, who have accepted me as their own child and always treated Sarah like family, too. To Sarah, I know that you are going to be one of the funnest moms on the planet, and I think Tripp is a very lucky little boy to be loved by you!

More cousins? We'll take two, please...

Did we mention that our family is expecting a bumper crop of boy cousins soon?  In addition to Tripp, we will soon be meeting our new Kemp cousins, Reid Christopher and Tucker Ryan.  When you're expecting two babies, you need lots of gear, so today we had a shower to help Aunt Lacie and Uncle Ryan get ready for their boys...

My main contribution to the shower was making the guestbook using iPhoto.  I ripped this idea off from Lori's shower, so I'd like to send a special shout out to Halle.  Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right?

Lacie obviously loved the two little booties on top of her cake.  After a few million diaper changes, she might not relish baby booties in quite the same manner...

Doesn't she look great?

The new grandmas and the momma...actually, there are 5 people in this picture...

Behold, Mount Giftmore...

Aunt Alaina helped record all the gifts and givers.  She did not approve this picture for publication, but I think she looks great...

Some of our wonderful cousins that we don't get to spend enough time with.  Family fun fact: Pam and Janet on the right are double first cousins.  Their dads are brothers and their moms are sisters!

I love this picture because it shows off Lacie's bubbly personality...

"We're gonna need HOW MANY diapers?!?!?!"  Haha!  I don't think that's really what Lacie was saying but from the look on her face it sounds logical...

Sarah and Mrs. Terry were excellent gift organizers...

The glow of motherhood...

Precious...

Alaina and her almost mother-in-law...

Cheek to cheek...

Everyone was excited to see this precious little girl...

If the picture is too small to see, the onesie says "Daddy's Little Hero"...

Once again, since I was responsible for the book, I had to take a picture sampling the finished product...

The mom, the grandmas, and the hostesses.  Someone is missing, but I have no idea who it is.  We had a great time at the shower!  Now if we can just help Lacie put all those gifts away in time for the babies to arrive!

Congratulations, Reid and Tucker.  You're two very lucky little boys!