lil' slugger

Just over a week ago, we went to Ponca City so that I could host a baby shower for my sister, Rae!! Rae is pregnant with her second baby and this time she's having a BOY!!!! She already has a daughter, Elia, and very soon baby Noah will be joining the family!! I can't wait to have a nephew!! Casey and Rae asked for a baseball themed shower and so we went all out on the baseball theme. We printed a banner with Noah's first and middle name to hang above the cake table with Noah's name written in baseball equipment shapes and accessories. Noah's cake was a baseball jersey onesie with the logo of Casey's favorite baseball team, the Texas Rangers. We also served lemonade, bottled water and cans of root beer.

The guest tables at the shower were decorated with green table cloths and baseball centerpieces. Each centerpiece was a basket stuffed with green mossy grass and then topped with two baseballs. We used the baseballs as our "guest book". Each guest at the table was asked to sign the baseball at the center of their table with just their name or a short message for baby Noah and his family. It worked out really well! The centerpieces were resting on foam board cut into the shape of home plate. I also asked Rae to give me little "facts" about baby Noah and put one at the center of each table. The facts were really cute and alot of fun to read! Who knew that the one girl in our family who is always FREEZING (aka Rae) is now a burning furnace! Ha! Oh what a baby can do to you!! We placed two different games on the table for guests to play throughout the shower. One was a baseball facts game to test everyone's knowledge of the featured game and there was also a bingo game. We used sunflower seeds as bingo markers!!

One of the funnest things we did was make up these little baseball cards featuring an ultrasound picture of Noah! On the back of each card guests were asked to guess when Noah would be born, what his birth weight would be, what his birth length would be, how long Rae's labor will last and what color of hair Noah will have. At the end of the shower, all the guests turned their cards into Rae. I guess we'll find out who was closest soon enough!!

For the gift table, we decorated with a couple of baseball bats, the initials of Noah's name and a "clothesline" feature done with a raw rope and we clothes pinned to it printed baby baseball onesies and baseball pennants with phrases that said "It's a boy!" and "Opening Day 2/12/12" because that is the day Rae is due!!

For snacks, we set up a baseball field concession stand called "Noah's Nibbles". We served small portions of classic baseball snacks and finger foods including twizzlers, peanuts, bubble gum, hot dogs, cracker jacks, pickles and popcorn!! Mmmmmmm!! What better excuse can you think of to eat salty snacks we remember from a day at the field as a kid then at a baby shower!?!?

Before Rae opened all her gifts, we cut and served the cake! It was DELICIOUS!!!! (But sort of sad to see it all cut up...ha!!)

Such a proud big sister!!

She doesn't look like she's 8 months pregnant does she!?!? Such a beautiful mommy and daughter!! I hope they're ready for a BOY to rock their world!! Ha!!

Rae's doctor doesn't think she's going to make it to her due date so I'm ready to drive back to Ponca City at the drop of a hat as soon as my sister calls and says she's checking into the hospital. We keep joking that I had my "hospital bag" packed before Rae!! Ha!! What can I say!? I'm SUPER excited!!!!