Makeyawannavomit Grand Prize Germ Winners!

Second Runner up.

spenceandcass said...

Ava has been doing something really strange lately. If you didn't already know.... most 3 year olds pick their boogers and eat them...it's just a fact of life and I have finally learned to accept it. So lately when I have noticed her sniffing her fingers and then licking them, I really didn't think too much of it. Well one day last week I noticed her digging in her pants...scratching inside her bum....and then ....yep...you guessed it....she sniffed her fingers and licked them off! I said, "Ava! What are you doing?" She said, "Mooooom!, I'm just cleaning off my fingers!" So Jessica, get ready because this is definitely not the last nasty thing Max will ever do. I am sure of it!

Cassie, you win these!

High quality stuffed microbe toys for you and Ava to play with - the ailment collection! ***

You know if this is Second Runner Up, the rest are going to be BAD. Props to Yoga Cassie, because she shared one about her own offspring. That's why I gave her so many "sickness" dolls. They're like extra rewards.

If the next two stories ARE about their kids, they were too ashamed to admit it. I do not blame them.

First Runner Up:

sheena said...
"I really didn't want to tell this story....but now you're forcing me to. Luckily, it was not my son....I would've ran away. Or died.

My sis's friends 4yr old went in to the (public) bathroom stall by himself and came out with a tampon aplicator.....IN HIS MOUTH.

I'm sorry."

So am I Sheena. That's why I am giving you these:

a stuffed Hepatitus C *** (spread through body fluids you know)

and

The MRSA staph infection doll. Complete with cute vampire like cape.***

GRAND FIRST PRIZE WINNER:

I'm not going to lie, it was reeeeal tough choosing between Christy and Sheena, but this one got lots of votes, and she shared this story without even being asked. I hope you have a puke bowl handy.

christy said...
"Just so you won't feel so bad about the bird:

My friend Tami was with her son at the park when she noticed that he had something "stringy-ish" hanging out of his mouth. Upon further inspection, it was . . .

A DEAD MOUSE!

Yep, you read that right. That 'something "stringy-ish"' was of course the mouse's tail, which means the entire rotting corpse was in the toddler's mouth. Gotta love the age of putting things in your mouth.So the bird could have been worse! :o)"

Christy, I don't feel bad about the bird anymore. Not even a little. I also did not even bat an eyelash when Max ate a goldfish cracker off the floor at the Wilkinson center - BYU. 

You Win!!!!!!!!

The "menageries" set; namely Rabies, Mange and Heartworm ***

And the oh so coveted

EBOLA VIRUS***

Thus concluding the GERM series.

I promise.

Thank you.

***all prized were won and given in the virtual sense. no actual, physical  microbe dolls will be sent to winners. if you must have these babies for yourself, they are available at  www.giantmicrobes.com***

disgusting-er

{my nephew Cody. he's a gross one too.}

Well, my spirits are lifted. I thought my kid was gross until I read all the sick things all my friends children did. I feel much better about both my child's potential to make it to his second year and myself as a mother. I love all of you who stepped up to share your sickening stories with me. I loved it!  Thanks guys for all the support during this trying and emotional time. I am taking  time to heal and regroup. Max somehow seems utterly unaffected by it all. 

The funniest thing is that my germ post received more comments (27) than any other post ever! haha! I had to share some of the sickest ones for your reading pleasure. 

kristin bishop said...
oh-another quick one. SORRY! at christmas....we were all snackin on choc. covered raisins...my favorite. Jarom changed jaxsons diaper...announced that his poop were little pebbles and we may need to give him juice. Hours later...while we are playing cards and my dad is laying on teh family room floor stretched out in front of the fire...her finds a "CHOC. covered raisin" and raises it to his lips...when he stops and realized this is in fact...a piece of jaxson's POOP. can you believe it????

see your not alone!

hahahahaha


cassie said...
oh don't you worry. Asher picked up a bird last fall at a park, with his bare hands. i FREAKED.

he's never touched poo though... that's just sick... i can't even imagine. i would have died!


anonymous (my Aunt Laura) said...
jess, just imagine annika and her cute thumb sucking habit, and all the disgusting stuff she sucks off. eewww.. but - when bj and becca were little, playing at the mcdonalds playland, I pulled becca out to see if she needed to go potty... noticed really squishy legs on her pants. (no diaper because she was trained, right?). Yep - that foamy kind of diahrea ALL over the inside of playland's slides. There was nothing I could do. She'd been in the ball pit, scooted down each and every knook and cranny of the play toy. And there were no paper towels in the bathroom!! (only airjet dryer for your convenience. hellooo!) There was no where I could hide. I rinsed her off in the sink in the bathroom, jet dryed her hiney and asked for the janitor to go check out the toy. We slinked off to our car and sped away. I feel so dirty just thinking about it. I vowed to never show our faces there as long as we lived.

Oh yeah, and once our cat caught and rat, bit it's head off, drug it in to lay it at our feet just as I was laying the baby down on the floor next to it. The world couldn't have invented enough lysol that day to appease my dry heaves and contant shivers of revoltion. SICK!

Aunt Laura's sage advice and wisdom - never visit McDonald's playland no matter how tempting the airconditioned toys beckon you. NEVER!!!


sarah said...
The life of a mother, isn't it horrible at times. I think dog poo is worse that kid poo. (Ashley, of course) Those stories made me laugh. Kids always find stuff to gross you out. Ashley came inside from playing outside chewing on something- a snail!! I was so grossed out.

THIS ONE'S THE KICKER

christy said...
Just so you won't feel so bad about the bird:

My friend Tami was with her son at the park when she noticed that he had something "stringy-ish" hanging out of his mouth. Upon further inspection, it was . . .





A DEAD MOUSE!

Yep, you read that right. That 'something "stringy-ish"' was of course the mouse's tail, which means the entire rotting corpse was in the toddler's mouth. Gotta love the age of putting things in your mouth.So the bird could have been worse! :o)

And I can totally feel for you on the nursery and toilet stuff. YUCK!

If any of you would like to contribute to this list, or possibly try to BEAT one of these submissions, you win. WHat? I don't know. I will surely thing of something. Have at it people!

p.s. honorable mention to Chelsea, who suggested I leave Max in a warm bath for a week (better make it hot, warm just makes all the bacteria multiply), Lindsey, who says this is why she no longer has children (although she never had children??), and Sabrina, who vomited in her mouth (that was the whole idea, so you're welcome). Love you.

Germs.

don't touch that.

You know, germs are a funny thing. We all have them, fear them, sanitize to prevent spreading them, yet we cannot see them or really know where they are coming from. Toys have them, I suppose. So do shoes, lollypops dropped on the floor, or anything that comes out of (or even near) the garbage can. If it falls out of or was ever inside one's nose, it has germs. If you cough on it, germs. But really, no matter how many times you wash your hands, they're everywhere, and you can never really be sure how your kids get them. 

Here are 3 occurrences this week in which Max has definitely, definitely, DEFINITELY been exposed to germs.

The first, and arguably worst offense:

On Monday while taking pictures of all our wild kids with Laci and Chelsea, I set max down in front of a cute brown door on an old brick building. there was grass dirt, little puddles and other miscellaneous clutter laying around. Which must explain why I didn't see it.

There I was, snapping away at my smiling round cheeked boy, watching as he leaned over and reached his little hand down so he could crawl away. My eyes followed his fingers, down past his new blue shirt, past his jeans, over some rocks and onto A DECOMPOSING BLACK BIRD. 

{cue gagging noises and dry heaves. in fact, feel free to throw up fully now.} 

How I didn't see it, I don't know, but I didn't.  None of us did. I guess it just blended in with the dark dirt. Anyhow. I saw it and gasped just as he set his chubby hand on that filthy germ infested piece of rot. Immediately I scooped him up and yelled to my friends 

"MAX JUST TOUCHED A DEAD BIRD!" 

I am sure this was followed by all other sorts of expletives and other such unrepeatables. I don't really remember, as I am still trying to blot the whole experience from my memory. Thankfully, my friends came to the rescue, offering a plethora of baby wipes and reassurance. I think the most comforting thing was Chelsea, who said, "Really Jessica, its okay if you want to cry right now. Because I probably would." The best part was that she was serious. I didn't cry (though I considered it), but after a few minutes, I did scream. I had to. 

Second offense. Of course, it happened at church, and of course it happened in the NURSERY. 

Danny and I BOTH work in the nursery at chuch. Why? I don't really know, but we do. We had it worked out so that during the winter flu, cough, cold, snot, GERM season, one of us would go to nursery and the other would watch Max. ELSEWHERE. But, spring is here, and we decided it was time for a fresh start. We both stayed in nursery with Max this week. Big mistake. He survived the madness, was tough when he got clobbered by a big kid (twice. on purpose) while he sat innocently catching the bubbles, he didn't cry when all the other kids did, he didn't even get upset when the other kids took his snacks. Success, we thought. Wrong. 

We were getting all of the toys put away, waiting for the last few stragglers to come pick up their kids. Max was holding a mini etch-a-sketch, the last toy to go into the basket. When I took it away, he freaked. Ooooooh he was mad at me. He wanted that etch-a-sketch. I bent over to pick him  up and noticed he was still clutching something tightly in his hand. I peeled open his clenched fist and saw a little brown clump of something. 

No. It can't be. 

I smelled. 

It is. 

He was holding a little piece of poo. I checked his diaper. Nothing. The poo did not belong to Max. Max's diaper was clean. I had just changed it myself. MY KID WAS CRUISING AROUND THE NURSERY WITH A HANDFUL OF SOME OTHER DISGUSTING GERM INFESTED NURSERY KID'S POO. 

Again, I announced it. Again, pandemonium. Check the other kids diapers. Nope. Dig through the toys? Desperately search for the hand sanitizer. 

The only thing I could think of was the smell. We had noticed it earlier in the day, but couldn't find our culprit. The smelly kid must have reached down for a scratch, then touched the etch-a-sketch. Can't think of any alternate scenarios. Don't really want to.

Last, but not least in terms of germ exposure.

Found Max splashing in the toilet bowl again this morning. 

Was planning on cleaning it later today. 

Awesome.

in which max throws his food. a photographic series.

what a stinker.

by the way, anyone have any tips on keeping the food either in his mouth or on the tray of the high chair?

iChat introduction

(photo courtesy of Tim Johnson! Who actually got to visit him. No fair.)

Well I must say I have been very jealous of all our friends in CA who have gotten to meet Joe and Brittany's new baby Owen. Joe and Britt are some of our very closest friends, so I feel pretty ripped off! Although I don't know when I will make it out to Orange County next, I am very thankful for my imac today, because I got to meet baby Owen via iChat! He is so cute and teeny (6 lbs. 14 oz. to be exact). And I can't wait to meet him in person! Congratulations Joe and Brittany, you will be great parents, and I can already tell Owen is going to be an adorable little boy!

just the two of us

Yesterday Max and I went to Ogden to play with two of our favorite friends, Laci and Chelsea and their kids! We had fun walking around and snapping a few pictures. These girls were nice enough to offer to take a few of ME AND MAX!! Wow! It was so nice of them and I love having a few of Max and I together (for once!!). These were my favorite. Thanks Laci, you did such a great job! I love them. Although I must say, it was weird photoshopping pictures of myself!

I feel so lucky that Max is still a MAJOR snuggler!

nope, I'm not pregnant, but my coat makes me look like I am in this picture!

by the way, this is my new do

practicing walking! this adorable little belt was Danny's when he was little, and my brother Jordan got him the shirt (which I'm in love with) for his birthday!

Somebody must really love me,

because it was in the 60's today during my fun photo shoot today in Ogden! Can't you just feel the sun in this picture? I didn't even wear a jacket. Also, I found the most fabulous children's boutique on 25th st. afterward. A kindred spirit from Orange County in the owner. Amazing clothing with a splash of decor. Plus, she is interested in displaying some of my photos in her store! Lucky me! Check out Little Cherry Blossoms next time you're in the neighborhood. It won't disappoint! Hopefully more to come in the future on this fabulous little shop!

Easter

This Easter, I really didn't take many pictures. Sorry to disappoint, but I really felt like I needed a break! Sometimes I just need to put the camera DOWN. Especially when I have been as busy as I have lately! In fact, I have been thinking of taking a one week photo strike (except for professional use).  Sometimes I feel as though since I have taken up photography, my blog is bombarded with images. I think the "strike" would force me to go back to my roots (as if it was so long ago.. ha!) and write. I know they say a picture speaks 1000 words, but sometimes, you just need a string of letters to get your point across. I haven't decided about the strike for sure, but this weekend it was nice to enjoy the moment, and just observe.

 

Max was given a small, chartreuse easter bucket. The easter bunny filled  it with bouncy balls, a very loud, very obnoxious chirping yellow chick, and a turquoise plastic egg, which was empty, since he is too young for candy and likely would enjoy throwing the egg more than eating a treat inside it anyway. 

We spent the morning at church, where we listened for maybe five minutes during Grandpa Dan's talk in ward conference. The rest of the time, we were busy. Very busy. Because Max and his cousins were having a great time at church, which means moms were busy corraling  children in the back row.  

a few sacrament meeting highlights:

 - Cody climbing under the pews, from our row (the very back) all the way to the front. After the first two rows, he popped up to see our reaction. Thinking (stupidly) that if we didn't react that he would come back, we gave him a little waive and looked away. He then proceeded to crawl all the way the front (popping up again every few rows or so as we watched helplessly), where he stood on the pew, and began climbing OVER the pews all the way back to us. Thankfully someone from each row helped him over each time! I thought I was going to die it was so funny. 

- Tyson and Max cramming their faces with cheerios and goldfish the whoooole tiiiiiime. 

- Lilly singing the last hymn with me and learning the word "alleluia." Which came out sounding pretty much like "_ _ _ _ luu YAAAAA!!!" I loved it! Especially since we were the only two members of the family singing. 

-Ivie just chillin. Moving from lap to lap.

-Cody standing up during the closing hymn to say to grandpa (who was sitting on the stand) "Grandpa. GRANDPA! GOODBYE! I LOVE YOU! Grandpa? GRANDPA!" Keep in mind we were in the last row. 

- Lil and I tracing letters on each others back and guessing what the letter was. My little niece is so grown up, and so smart! She's in kindergarten now, which makes her quite an important person. 

-Ivie and Lillie playing "WHERE'S JESUS?!" by folding the program (which had a picture of Christ on the cover) inside out and hiding, then revealing Jesus. Classic. 

I love my nieces and nephews! They are the cutest, funniest most adorable kids on the planet. Of course, I may be just the littlest bit partial. 

After church, we hurried home and had the most delicious turkey dinner. Yum. Everything was perfection to a T.  I only ate two rolls, for the record. I have been known to eat, well, significantly more rolls than two, lets just say. We were lucky enough to have my cousin Rachel, Chad, and their new baby (also Lily) over as well. I love seeing them! Too bad for me, they are moving to San Diego for grad school. At least I will have another excuse to visit! We had a blast during our quick trip to Rexburg, but we are glad to be home again. In case anyone was wondering, YES. There was three feet of snow in my inlaw's front yard. Insane.

I know I said no pictures, but here's just one exception. My carrot cake. It was a slam dunk, I must say. 

If anyone is interested, the recipe is by Ina Garten (aka the Barefoot Contessa). I did everything she said, with the following changes:  I skipped the raisins (sick!). Didn't bother lining the cake tins with parchment paper, I used butter and it was just fine.  I improvised a little on the cream cheese frosting and used canned crushed pineapple instead of fresh cubed. I didn't think I would like the chunks.  DIY and get the recipe here.

on my mind

one. I saw Dan in Real Life for the first time last night, and I'm pretty sure it has become my new obsession. I love everything about it, the house, the beautiful Rhode Island scenery, the filmography is amazing. Some of the shots are seriously genius. I love when a movie inspiring emotionally as well as visually. Steve Carell is of course rediculously good (as always), but I must say the best part of the movie was the tomatoe red mercedes station wagon. I kid you not, I have been looking online for one non stop. I am in love with that car, the way I have never loved car before (except for you, Rav4. My first car in High School, whose trunk housed many a student sneaking off campus for luch ...Sabrina!!). I must must must find one. So friends, be on the lookout. I would be willing to repaint the exterior, but gotta have the tan interior. For those of you laughing, this is no joke. I will find it.

two. celebs are clearly stalking my blog. First, Trista and Ryan name their little boy Maxwell. Then, Miss Aguilera's baby Max. And now, JLo and (shudder) Marc??@! Not not not not not cool. So, I am praying that this new slew of child star Maxes does not turn my sweet Max's name into the name du jour. Say it isn't so. So JLo, if you're reading this, quit copying me. And your twins are funny looking. Take that.

three. Tonight I made carrot cake from scratch for Easter dessert tomorrow. I have never done it before, so I hope it turnes out well!

four. Can not stop thinking about painting my house. Can. Not. I just can't seem to commit! There are of course a jillion different ideas I entertain involving my house at any given time. Why, why, why must I be cursed with the most eclectic taste, aka decorator's schitzophrenia.

five. I would give it all up to move to the pink brick turn of the century house from this week's mini sessions. Which went fabulous! Such darling kids. Pictures coming! Promise.

six. I have got to get my act together. No more skipping spinning and just going to yoga (which I must say, I am so crazy about). And after tomorrow, no more eating crap. It's gross, and bathing suit season is right around the corner.

Which brings me to seven. Spring. Would you please come to stay? I am anxiously awaiting your warm rays on my back. Sunglasses. Open toe shoes. Taking Max to the playground without shoes on. Flowers. No more snow. Evenings outside. So many things, so don't take your time. I'll be ready.

stayed up late

(as usual) to finish these up and post three giant posts on the photoblog, so that this weekend, I can focus on the weddings!! I am still editing Emily's, and after that, maybe I'll takle a few of the pictures from Sheena's wedding (I was her second shooter and she was mine. so fun). 

Check out the CHINOS, MARKS, SMITHS and NYCAMPS *who's pictures are ALL DONE AND BEING SENT TODAY.* 

I  hereby vow to never again book as many sessions as I did this month. Never. I am at the point where I can hardly spell my own name this week! haha! Six family/newborn sessions, one wedding as the main shooter, two weddings as the second shooter, a return to the SLC temple with Emily and Jon (we got rained, or rather STORMED out on her wedding day) and tomorrow's set of mini sessions for Easter. Insanity! At least my camera will be paid off...

as of late

Wow, I feel like I have been so busy lately! I think we have been on the go for the last month straight.  I have had a lot of fun taking lots of pics, traveling, and watching my crazy boy. Here are a few highlights from the weekend.

Saturday:

Max got to play with Asher! My cousin Scott, his wife Cassie and adorable little boy Asher came up from Orem. We haven't seen these guys in a while and we had so much fun hanging out with them! We are so excited to have our boys grow up so near each other and close in age. As you can see they love each other already!

It was also a very productive day: I took some pictures of their little family

And I got a little of THIS action!

Cassie, hairdresser extraordinaire, cut and colored my hair. Yaaaay! I was looking pretty sad there for a while. So maybe I am not quite as glamerous as Miss Holmes-Cruise, but it's the look we were going for bangs and all! Cassie seriously did a fantastic job, for once I really really love how my hair looks (seems like that never happens! I either like my cut, OR my color, this time I totally love both!). I will post a pic soon, but before I can do that, I would have to be on the other side of the camera. huh. If anyone needs a new stylist, try Cassie down in Orem, she is fantastic (and I'm picky)! Check her out here:

Family blog

Enizio blog

Sunday was so sunny, we decided to take Max on a walk with our neighbors! He and Heather had a swell time in the little red wagon. How cute are they? I think its love. Particularly on Max's part.  

Max the trouble maker. 

Lately, Max is into E V E R Y T H I N G. And I mean everything. If it can be opened, is wet or messy, has removable items (thing drawers of clothing), or could pinch his fingers or fall on him, Max is all about it. 

Perfect example would be...

I have heard boys will eat you out of house and home, but come on, he's only 13 months!

Particularly troubling is the fact that Max discovered the toilet this week. He always plays in the bathroom while I shower and get ready. On Monday he was up to the usual; opening all the drawers and cabinets and dumping out my basket of nail polish. All the sudden, I heard a SPLASHING sound. I turned around, and there was my baby, having an amazing time making waves in the bowl. 

Luckily, the toilets were scrubbed that morning, and I had lots of soap and hand sanitizer on hand. Shudder.

I made these yummy cupcakes on Sunday night and after the first bite, I swear it was like I was back in California! Brittany gave me the SPRINKLES cupcake mix from Williams-Sonoma, and it was almost as good as driving to Newport and getting one from the actual shop. THey were so yummy and came with the best cream cheese frosting recipe ever! Thanks Britt!

On Monday night, we had dinner with Nick and Kesha to celebrate St. Patty's AND Easter! We wore green (see our little leprechauns?) while dying eggs. Ha! We had a great time. The food was great and the company was unbeatable! I love watching Boss and Max together, they're going to be trouble in just another year or so, just wait! I was pretty impressed with some of the creative egg coloring too! Nick can make one mean easter egg. =)

So thats us lately. By the way, I do apologize for neglecting the photoblog lately! I have so many sessions to post its overwhelming! I have weddings, families, babies, sisters... the list goes on. Hopefully tomorrow I can get caught up! Ahhh!

oh and p.s. this was my favorite egg. =)

this EASTER skip kiddie kandids

And come see me on Friday! 

A few people have asked about wanting pictures of their kids in their Easter garb, so after a little thought, I decided to try something new. I will be holding an  Easter Mini Session here in Farmington (utah, duh). You will have the chance to get your little one's picture in front of a black or white backdrop, or outdoors in the grass or in front of the most DARLING LITTLE PINK and WHITE brick house I found (don't worry boys, you can stand in front of the white or the old gray rock. Or you can sit on the steps in a very manly fashion).   

The session Fee is $35 dollars and includes your favorite image in an 8x10. For $50, pick your top 3 and receive an 8x10 and two 5x7's. Additional prints of the images you choose are of course available! 

8x10's- $5.50, 

5x7's- $3.00, 

4x6's $1.50  

8 Wallets $4.50

e-mail me for times (morning or later in the afternoon available), group discounts, or if you have any questions. Hope to see you there!   jesslkettle@yahoo.com

this face

this beautiful face

sees me first thing every morning, and last before bed each night.

brings me joy

gives me purpose

is the center of our world

makes me laugh.

in it I see 

Danny,

 myself.

our family.

 

eyes that melt me

framed by the sweetest little lashes

my everything.

but this face, 

this

face

puts me right

                         over

                                       the edge.

This is Max's new "funny face!" He makes his eyes as squinty as he can and usually keeps them just barely open, wrinkles his nose, tilts his head back, and gives you a big fat faker smile. He does it all the time. We couldn't figure out the timing for the longest time! He does it when he's happy, sad, tired, you name it. He even does it on cue sometimes- if we say "Funny Face!" and mimic the expression, he will usually do it back!

I have noticed lately that he does it when he is trying to show you (or himself) that he's ok. For example, yesterday he was crawling over a big pillow on the floor. He got a little ahead of himself and bumped his head on the floor.  I immediately picked him up, he cried and snuggled into my shoulder. After a second, he pushed away, looked right at me, and did "funny face." I about died! He has done it in a few other similar situations too! Like after he finishes whining about something, like if he's thirsty and I give him a drink, boom. He also does it with lots of other people around, and he gets a big reaction. He put on a great show at the baby shower and for my family, pulling the face over and over again. Same thing yesterday at the neighbor's house, he probably did it eight times in one minute. We love our silly little boy and we especially love this new crazy face of his. Maybe I'm just a leeeetle biased, but I am pretty sure I have the most adorable baby on the planet. 

what a goober. 

Seattle: Whilst Downtown

the two of us at Pike Place

She SPOILS him: Nana feeding Max ICECREAM in the RAIN. 

everyone but me!

Max loooooves his aunt Mackenzie! She can always get him to laugh! Is she a beautiful girl or what???

they love eachother.

random ally, cool lighting in the evening.

this is probably my favorie pic from the trip. Max snuggling up to Mackenzie on our way back to the car in the evening. The two of them are precious and the city is a perfect setting for anything!

Seattle: A shower for Whitney and Tagg

The main excuse for our getaway to Seattle was to throw this shower for Whitney and Baby Tagg with my mom. We had so much fun! Thanks to our friends who helped and congrats Whitney on your beautiful baby! We love you both!

the theme: Baby bird/eggs in a nest


We originally talked about making these with those little colored chocolate cadbury eggs that are so conveniently in stores for Easter. However, my mom found these delicious belgian chocolate eggs with the bird charms at a chocolaterie in Telluride. Good find mom! They were perfect.

finished favor

the yummy desserts! cupcakes, cookies, chocolate cake, and "egg" treats- cadbury colored eggs (we picked out the blue, white and yellow ones) and almonds dipped in chocolate and rolled in cocoa. mmmmm. 

eggs in a nest mini cupcakes, baked by a friend, decorated by Mackenzie (my little sis). They are vanilla with cream cheese frosting and toasted coconut shavings for the "nest" and little chocolate crunchy candies for the "eggs." 

Karen Chambers made this insanely delicious chocolate cake with chocolate ganache (sp?) frosting and nuts. We added a nest made out of spun sugar and the eggs were extra chocolates from the favors.  I will be sure to share the cake recipe as soon as I get it~ it was seriously decadent. 

the food- salads, cheeses, stuffed mushrooms (amazing by Nan!), and shrimp skewers  

My mom is amazing at Brie. I looooove it! This is an easy one, it's scraped, covered in honey, nuts, sliced pears, baked, and then covered with raspberries. I'm telling you, mom can do no wrong in the kitchen!

beverages- sparkling blueberry juice (Britt introduced this stuff to me in CA and I am in love with it!) and Jones Soda (berry lemonaide). 

So here's the part where I lost my mind. I took like two random pics of guests,  put the camera down, got the shower going, and didn't take another picture until it was all over! No pics of Whitney, Tagg, the party planners, nada. So presents, nothing. Duh! I did however take a pic of this so far beyond amazing quilt Mari (W's mom) made for Tagg. She also made the most gorgeous couch sized one for my mom  week before! I was totally coveting my moms- it was the most amazing colors, fabrics everything. I literally slept with it every night. 

Then, after the shower was over, Mari pulled out THIS!!!!!!!!

The most fabulous beautiful quilt I have ever seen! Her quilts are art. She pics out fabric that is so amazing, but surprizing. Combinations I would never think of, but that are GORGEOUS! On the back, she made a little Tag with a picture of my mom and Max as a little chub, and below it she wrote, "For Max: a traveling quilt to visit his Nana." I was so excited I could have cried. My mom did cry. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU Mari!!!!! We love it and we take it everywhere. Max sleeps with it every night too!

Since I am crazy and didn't take any good pics at the shower, here is a little sneak peak at some of the pics from my session with Whitney and Tagg. Have you ever seen more a more beautiful pair?