Come One, Come All!

In June I flew to Twin Falls to host my best friend Niki's, baby shower. She happened to be coming home to go camping with her family and Anne also happened to be visiting from Oregon, so it was perfect timing. After much deliberation and finding out she is having a boy, we decided to go with a circus shower theme. After months of planning and preparing, it finally all came together.

Anne drove 9 hours from Oregon that day and even picked me up at the Boise airport on her way through to Twin Falls.

Baby shower invitations. I found the most adorable templates on Etsy. After purchasing the templates, I printed the invitations out myself and dressed them up with a few things from Michaels Craft Store.

 

Thanks to my mom, Anne, and Livi for helping me with some last minute prep work!

 

My friend Mary Kay also let me borrow her cotton candy machine. I even flew it to Twin Falls in its own checked bag thanks to Southwest's two checked bag policy. Livi loved watching me make the cotton candy.

Diaper cakes

These cupcakes were made to look like ice cream cones. The frosting was my mother's idea and was brilliant because it was a mixture of pudding mix, milk, and whipped cream. Unlike a regular buttercream, it's light and fluffy and totally addictive!

I also have to give my mom credit for suggesting Costco's Chicago Mix  for the popcorn boxes. Initially the thought of cheese and caramel popcorn together sounded unpalatable, but after trying it, I went home and bought a bag myself.

Thanks to Niki's sister Jill, I was able to borrow about 20 mason jars for lemonade. They were so much fun!

 

Niki and I.
The Menu: melon balls (juggling balls), mini corn dogs and pigs in a blanket, candy, nachos, pinwheels, popcorn, ice cream cone cupcakes, animal cookies, cotton candy, circus peanuts, lemonade and water

 

Party favors: homemade animal circus cookies...

...and peanuts in the shell

Niki made these adorable boxes with her Silhouette paper cutter. I filled them with chocolates and gave them to everyone who didn't win a shower prize.

Niki opening her shower gifts

Niki's Sister Jill, Anne, and Jill's daughter Maddie

Aside from the shower, I was also excited to spend time with my family. Everyone but Jade was there. 

Collin is obsessed with the minions of Despicable Me. Every hour or so, he begs my dad (Bapa) to watch the minions (minnies).  I lost track of how many times we watched the Banana Song and Despicable Me 2.

Livi singing the Froze theme song with the movie.
I have to say, I pretty much hate this song, unless she is singing it.

Livi and I also went to Hannah's dance recital. She did such a great job and looked so adorable!

Livi fell in love with Hanah



I saw them giggling at the ice cream shop and just had to take this picture.

The day after the baby shower, Jacob flew into SLC and drove to Twin Falls. That weekend we went to Island Park with Jacob's family and stayed at Kurtis' family cabin.

The views were absolutely breathtaking. As beautiful as Minnesota is, we don't have mountain views like this where we live.

The weather was a bit cold and rainy so instead of boating we went four wheeling on the trails and up the mountain.

Nyla, Porter, Scott

Jacob and I in the side-by-side

Mickelsen Ranch and Cabin with horses. This was one of my favorite moments.

We went to West Yellowstone to visit the Playmill Theater and see the play Les Miserables. I was skeptical as the whether or not the play would be that good, but I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. The play, sets, costumes, acting, and singing were phenomenal!

On Sunday we all somehow ended up by the lake having a rock throwing contest. The object was to see who could throw their rocks into a bucket that was partway in the water or see who could throw their rocks the farthest into the lake. When it came to distance, Scott ended up creaming everyone. Afterward, Jacob and I took the canoe out on the lake for a short ride. The views on the lake were gorgeous and totally unforgettable.

Jayden and Caleb