June 2024 (All Phrom the Phone)

Nearly the only pictures on my camera for the month are Piper's birthday night and the day of Annika's shower, and I didn't take most of those. All the rest are ones I found on my phone, and some of those I certainly did not take. According to pictures, June involved roses, wild berries, sleeping children, at least one visit from the avuncular Joel, and some family feasts, thanks to John.  Because Millie was gone, Zeke took up the bread-making baton and went on a bread and breadstick-making spree. Mallory learned to stand up. I wanted to take a cute picture of Aidan looking handsome to send to Grandma Owen, and he shut me down. I made dozens of pretty, little petit-fours for a wedding shower. Aidan stole my coffee, and we worked in the gardens. I guess that's it?

Catching up for this month will be messy, just like it was in real life. Have at it!

Mallory learns to stand up. She's a fitness champ!!! This needs to be a gif, but I don't have time right now.

Baby Shower for a Little Tiger-fish (June 2024)

 

A couple of weeks after Mildred and Henry's wedding, we had a baby shower for Annika. Annika's due date was in mid-July, which left limited time for travel, so that was that! 

Basically, the first half of June went something like this:

1. CELEBRATE PIPER'S SWEET 16 BIRTHDAY!

2. TRY TO PUT AWAY A DOZEN BINS FULL OF WEDDING PARAPHERNALIA BECAUSE THEY'RE FILLING THE DOWNSTAIRS!

subsequently followed by

3. AKKKK!!!!   HURRY AND PLANT THE GARDEN BEFORE ANNIKA'S SHOWER!!!

rapidly followed by

4. NO, REALLY, AAAKKK!!!!!!!   MAKE DECORATIONS AND FOOD FOR ANNIKA'S SHOWER THAT'S IN TWO DAYS!!!!!

Even though we threw most of the wedding bins in the basement before the girls and our sons-in-law arrived, they still trudged through piles of stuff to get to us. Unfortunately, two friends from church who chauffeured their wives to the shower *also* trudged through piles of stuff to get to the living room to hang out with John and the guys.  (If I have a shred of pride left by the time I die, it's not for lack of humbling opportunities.)

Because the shower came so closely on the heels of the wedding, there was no way I was going to ask anyone to bring anything, because everyone was exhausted from helping us host a wedding, which left quite a large pile of food to make in a short amount of time. (I give this long-winded introduction to explain certain, um, unusual aspects to the shower. You'll understand if you make it that far. I understand if you've already skipped to the next post.)

Henry and Mildred arrived the morning of the shower, and Corynn did, too! She and Annika made the cucumber tea sandwiches while I finished packaging cookies. 

I don't know who took these pictures. Maybe Mildred? Everything's a blank.

I don't know how we finished the food, but we did! I'm so thankful for skilled and long-suffering older  daughters who help me make it through the crazy to the other side.

If you're confused by the desserts, you should try to make food wth the theme of "Tiger-fish," and then you'll get it.  😂

As soon as I saw it, I may have stolen some of the candy Rebecca sent with Corynn.

Here's the worst part of the day. While we were setting up the food and decorating, I realized the tablecloths we needed weren't in the shower decoration bins. I sent three girls up to the house three separate times to look through all the wedding bins-- the wedding bins that we'd just piled in the basement the week before.   Then the guests arrived, with their seating tables unset! I finally went up myself and searched for 20 minutes, because I'm a compulsive, stupid person who didn't realize it'd be better to start the shower on time with no tablecloths than to have a very late shower with tablecloths on the tables. 

We ended up having neither because I didn't find the tablecloths until a month later. 😂

While I was gone hunting for tablecloths, Millie (I'm guessing) took pictures of our guests folding napkins and arranging flowers before they sat down. I felt so terrible loading these pictures and was experiencing residual panic. A wise daughter piped up, "At least we invited the right kind of people!"

Yup. 

I'm so thankful for skilled and long-suffering guests who help me make it through the crazy to the other side. ;)

Just look at these amazing people, will you?!  <3

Corynn is cute.

Zoom up on the crazy lady with a pimple in the background. 

"Where, oh, wheeeeeere are the tablecloths?"

Maybe, just maybe, I would have had more time that week to make sure the tablecloths were in the right bin if I hadn't been painting and decorating mini-clothespins in a tiger pattern.  I think I'll always struggle with rightly ordering priorites.

One benefit to a shower starting late is that Annika got more time to catch up with the cousins! 

 

And the little cousins had more time to play in their matching dresses from Grandma O.!

After Annika moved, Millie took over Annika's job nannying these two cuties, and then she moved, so it was fun for both the girls to see them again.

I bought some alstroemeria, but, thanks to June being rose season, Titi arranged these gorgeous bouquets mostly from what we had growing in our yard. 

Zoom up on this dork still weeping over the missing tablecloths.

"But the taaaabbblllecloooths."

Grandma had to leave early because it was a tiring day, but we were so thankful she could make it!

It was a tiring day because people gave Tiger-fish SO MANY GIFTS.

Grandma Owen brought a mountain of gifts, and she stuffed gifts inside of gifts, the sneaky lady. 

Sonia made this cheerful quilt for Tiger-fish. 

Grandma Johnson made this cheerful quilt for Tiger-fish.  Do you suppose Annika still loves bright colors?  

And maybe elephants?!

We were so happy to celebrate this beautiful girl and her beautiful baby. 

Even though I missed quite a few pictures with those who came, the best way to end the post is with lots of hugs from people she loves. 

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