Cortney's Babyshower

As many of you know, my younger sister Cortney is pregnant with her first child, a baby boy. It seems like just yesterday her and David were tying the knot. You may remember this POST when they got married two years ago. She is due 9/26/14, and our family could not be more excited for Cort and David! This will be Pat and I's first time to be "Aunt and Uncle", this is also the first grandchild for my parents and first great-grandchild for my grandparents. I CANNOT wait to meet this little one, oh did I mention it is a BOY?!?! Yes- Wyatt James Richmond. Our family has pretty much zero boys, so this also brings everything to a whole new excitement:) We are just overjoyed and can't wait to meet the little guy in only a few short weeks. I cannot wait to see Cortney as a Mom, I have always thought she'd be the best Mom (she is one of the most caring, laid back, and patient people) and it makes me smile just thinking about her and David raising a family. I think Cort will have him early, my guess is September 13th, we'll see how close I am!

This past weekend my Mom, Paige, and I threw Cortney her a baby shower. The guest list was quite hefty, so we had it at St. Francis Church in one of their halls. It worked out perfect. We had an awesome turnout and Cortney and David are now pretty set for Mr. Wyatt's arrival!

My friend Tessa designed the invites (check her out over at Royalscript.blogspot.com)
The whole shower was based around a Nautical Theme

We made the cake table the focus table and then food on each side. My younger sister Paige made the Wyatt banner, my Dad made the fence, and I found the onesies to hang at Old Navy.

We added nets and sea shells to all of the tables to go along with the theme. I also had some lanterns at home that I incorporated.

My Mom and I found this cute boat for $10 at a craft fair, how cute is it?! We added some baby's breath in mason jars, sea shells, and a net on top.

I absolutely loved the cake and thought it turned out perfect! It tasted as good as it looked too:)

I found this cute anchor at TJ Maxx and then borrowed the chalkboard signs and crate from a friend.

I found these cute free nautical printables online. Printed and punched them out and glued to toothpicks for sandwich toppers.

These fruit kabobs were a hit! So easy- take skewers and add sliced strawberries, blackberries, and donut holes, then drizzle with caramel sauce. Easy and delish! 

Welcome table. I ordered this buoy off of amazing that says "Welcome Aboard." We then had all guests sign the buoy as they arrived for a keepsake.

Made a photo collage of a mixture of baby pictures of both Cortney and David

Momma-to-be

My amazing Mom, Momma to be, little sister Paige

What a crowd! My Mom also made diaper cakes for all the tables which will now be great for Cort to use.

The quilt my Mom made for Wyatt, it turned out so great!

And we're done! What an exhausting and HOT day! Now the fun begins:)

Auntie Amber can't wait to meet you Wyatt! I pray for a healthy delivery for Momma and you. I pray for you as you enter this crazy world we live in and that you will be loved, are healthy and kept safe, and that you grow up to be a wonderful young man some day. We can't wait to be a part of your life!

Costa Rica

Where do I start? Patty and I boy recently got back from one amazing vacation-- Costa Rica! We had been planning this trip for almost a year and there was a lot of anticipation leading up to it, mainly because this was going to be much different than any trip we'd ever been on. Pat and I have traveled quite a bit since we've been married- Aruba, Curacao, Dominican Republic, St. Thomas, St. Martin, Grand Turk, Bahamas, but these were all the types of trips to "lay on the beach and relax." This trip was going to be exploring, spontaneous, adventurous...all of the things this girl is not. But marriage is about compromise right?! Don't get me wrong, I was SO excited to have the opportunity to explore this absolutely beautiful country but I was having major anxiety about all of the exciting scary things I would be doing. BUT it was a success, we came back alive, and I overcame some major fears, and checked a few things off the bucket list. Will I ever zip line again? Heck no, but I can say I did it:)

Tamarindo - A small beach town south of Papagayo where we first stayed.
Amazing beach, amazing food, and amazing weather!

Tamarindo Beach

Dinner first night at resort- Hilton Papagayo

Food was AMAZING!

Coffee love! It is true coffee is MUCH better/fresher in Costa Rica, as to why I came home with 10 bags:)

Hilton Papagayo- beautiful!

Massage on the beach = a must for everyone. SO PEACEFUL!

Private beach at the resort we stumbled upon

The next  stop was in La Fortuna. We made the drive down from Papagayo and rented this cute little villa on a huge horse ranch. By far each of our favorites! (Our friend Henrietta:))

Amazing bedroom

Ahhhh this is the life!

Lava Lounge - our fav restaurant of the trip in La Fortuna

ATV excursion

We took the ATV's to these awesome hot springs. Walking down to the hot springs.

The hot springs were right in the middle of the jungle, so awesome!

Heading to dinner

Time for zip lining

A few of the zip lines we went across, the view of the waterfall was breathtaking!

Here I come!

Such a champ!

Almost 3 years with this guy, each year just gets better and better. Love him!

Cheers!

 

Arenal Volcano Hike

Hiking through the jungle with no guide...a little scary.

La Fortuna Waterfall, my favorite part of the entire trip.

Just gorgeous

Pool time at the villa

It rained most mornings/nights, the most peaceful rain.

View at our villa, ahhhhhh

I will forever remember this trip and the special memories Pat and I created! Despite the crazy roads, even crazier drivers, and all of the panic attacks I about had- it was the trip of a lifetime and I wouldn't have wanted to share it with anyone else!