A SURPRISE Baby Shower...

It is really hard to surprise me, really hard.  Ask Lucas or my parents, anytime around my birthday or Christmas the snooping and the questions start.  There are two ways I find out what people are getting me, I either find out with my snooping, or I question them to death that they finally give in and tell me what they got me.  Hahaha.  I know its not one of my greatest qualities, but I can't help it; I need to know what is going on!  That is what surprised me most about this surprise baby shower; I was actually SURPRISED!  

Even though I have only been with my hula halau for just under a year, they really know what the term "hula sister' means.  From the first practice they have taken me in like I have been there for years.  This whole surprise shower started off with me thinking that my hula sister Nani wanted to have Lucas and I over for lunch to meet their newest dog and to see their new lanai that they built.  Looking back on it now, I should have known that something was up when Lucas shaved that morning and said that I should try to look "presentable" for this lunch.  

When we got there I was surprised to tears and had a wonderful afternoon eating, playing games and decorating onesies.  The star of the show wasn't a game, present or an activity; it was the chocolate fountain!  We all huddled around the machine dipping everything from strawberry to lady fingers in the chocolate.  Halfway through the shower they added a little kahlua to "start the party," which is where I got cut off from the fun.  We were blessed with more presents for the baby and were overwhelmed by all the love and support from my hula sisters!

My Baby Shower!!!

I am blessed with some amazing friends and family!  First off, my baby shower could not have happened without one of my closest friends, Jill Weglarz.  One of the first things she said to me when she found out that I was pregnant was, "Can I throw you a baby shower?"  She was so unbelievably thoughtful to host the beautiful brunch we had at Shanghai Reds.  Everything from the invitations, that were designed by another close friend Cristina Hasbun, to the favors and food was perfect.  You could probably tell by how much food we all ate and by everyone stealing each other's favors that everyone was  a happy camper.

The event started off by everyone writing notes to the baby and I on one of my baby book pages.  The first game we played was everyone gave me, the mommy-to-be, some advice for when the baby comes.  Everything from "sleep when the baby sleeps" to "don't forget about your husband" was written down.  My favorite advice was from Kasey Stinson that said, "take a picture of the baby everyday."  I forget sometimes that the baby will only be small for a short time and pictures are the only way to capture them at that moment.  The next game was match the celebrity to their baby name.  Needless to say, I rocked at that game and was one of the winners.  I guess all that time reading celebrity news paid off.  The last game we played was gift bingo which involved everyone writing down different gifts they thought I would receive in little boxes and when I opened that gift, they got that square.  We had a few winners, but the real winners were Lucas and I for receiving so many wonderful gifts.

I do want to send another special shout out to my mom and my Aunt Lisa for flying in from Hawaii and Minnesota just to celebrate my baby shower with me!

Maternity Photos

If there was one thing my family is known for, it would be pictures.  Just the sheer volume of pictures my parents have of our family and my brother and I growing up is astonishing.  So one of the first things Lucas and I knew when we found out we were pregnant is that this baby would have a well-documented life.  We decided why wait till the baby came, why not start before when the baby was still in me!

We are so excited to work with Janel Conlan. She is also the person aka genius that took our engagement photos and all the beautiful photos at our wedding.  If that wasn't reason enough to work with her again, the fact that she is also pregnant made this process all the more fun.  I can't wait for our little ones to squirm, crawl and run around with each other.  These are a few of our favorites!