A Ride to Remember

A Hot Air Balloon Baby Shower

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As we drove deeper and deeper into rural Pennsylvania, I started to lose my way—does Google Maps even come out this far? Steven and I wondered as we kept on driving. Then, I saw it—a perfect little one room schoolhouse, smack dab in the middle of a field, with balloons fluttering in the crisp fall air.

“Oh my gosh! Is my Baby Shower here!? I exclaimed.  Steven grinned as we pulled in and I excitedly jumped out of the car. I knew it was going to be an unforgettable celebration with some of the most amazing women I know!

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The women in my family have quite the flair when it comes to throwing parties. We all dive in head-first. While I can’t take any credit for this baby shower, we boast a pretty fantastic portfolio of baby and bridal showers between all of us. Remember my Tea Party Bridal Shower? Or my sister’s You are my Sunshine baby shower? Or how about my sister in law’s British Tea Party bridal shower!? There’s nothing we love more than throwing a shower for those we love and all the creativity and time that comes along with it. Without further ado, I’d love to show off all the hard work that the ladies in my family put into this amazing Hot Air Balloon Baby Shower.

First off, a detail that just about melts my heart into two…thanks for getting me all choked up ladies!

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Most of these images are courtesy of Sara Bittner photography, if you’re in the Lancaster, PA area and in need of a wedding or family photographer, be sure to check her out—she’s amazing!

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I fell in LOVE with the centerpieces—paper lanterns—how creative and I adored the little paper clouds scattered about! I can’t wait to show you how I reused these in the nursery.

The Food

Every good party has the best food—am I right?! These delicious cupcakes were made by my sister in law, and yes, they are as good as they look!

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And these sweet little cookies? Yep, it was the SIL again! She’s pretty much the most amazing baker I know…she really needs to officially go pro!

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There weren’t only sweets, we had an entire table filled with glorious food: vegetable cups, chicken salad crackers (gluten free for me, of course!), apples and caramel, hot cider…the list goes on and on.

Baby Shower Games & Activities

If you remember from my sister’s baby shower, we aren’t huge fans of the traditional baby shower games. We would rather do activities that include everyone and don’t put the spotlight on us too much.

When you first walked in, you had to grab one of these adorable washcloth babies—the cuteness factor was unreal! Whoever ended up with the most babies at the end of the shower won a prize. So, we all guarded our babies by sticking them in shirts, under bellies (I had NO pockets!), or under our arms. It was a fun game to have going on throughout the shower!

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You’ll remember this from my sister’s shower; we loved painting onesies so much that we thought we’d do it again! This is a great activity for a creative crowd. We even had stencils for the less confidently creative crowd.

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The Gift Table

Hot air balloons lend themselves to so many creative ideas! I can’t wait to show you all that I did in our hot air balloon-themed nursery (the big reveal is coming soon!). Look at this fabulous table, complete with a hot air balloon for books!

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Opening gifts is always fun at a baby shower—I have some incredibly creative and talented people in my life, so not every gift was on my registry—I loved the surprises that came my way!

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My brother designed my invitations and even made an art print for the nursery! I will treasure it forever!

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A Balloon Ride to Remember

What a beautiful day—I am so thankful for all the women (and men) in my life that cared enough to celebrate Steven, me, and our precious daughter in the most beautiful of ways. I can’t wait to officially welcome this sweet little girl into our home and into the family and friends that so deeply love her already.

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