Wedding Showers

Kirkley and I snuck away for a night and headed to a wedding shower 

for my sister and her soon to be groom, Seth!

It was a special girls trip and a fun night away with my big girl!

Kirkley was a little helper at the shower, careful to hand out presents but not open them.

She's so excited to be their flower girl and had the best time trying on dresses.

She twirled, danced, and sang all around the bridal store.

Then a few weeks ago, I went to a shower for Katelyn and got to meet up with some of my D-Group girls!

I met with these girls almost every week while I was in college for Bible study

while they were in seventh through tenth grades. 

Jordan, Katelyn, Jenna, and Laurel

We're missing several precious faces!

So fun to see them grown up.

And as it turns out, Katelyn is marring the uncle of William from Kirkley's preschool class.

When I ask Kirkley who she played with at school each day, she says,

"William," and blushes!?

I have to brag on Aunt Laurel for a shower she did for her friend Alice Anne.

At my stage in life, we've gotten a little lax with showers.

Like let's meet at a restaurant, eat, and open presents.

We do bring a cake at least.  And sometimes flowers.

This was no such shower -- the girls went all out with Monograms and Mimosas! 

I was excited to be the photographer...

Laurel's boyfriend John helped with the yummy food, and Laurel made cute cute shower favors.

She did peppermint shower scrub in tiny jars: 

"from Alice Anne's shower to yours"

We're still using and loving ours!

All of this wedding talk got us thinking about some of our favorite marriage books.  One of the first ones we did was The 5 Love Languages.  This was revolutionary for Alex and I and the way we communicated with each other.  The quick test is here but the book gives great explanations.  Another one we liked was Love & Respect.  This one again solidified the fact that men and women communicate so differently.

Power of a Praying Husband and Wife could be read again and again.  The mini books are a great follow up to keep in your car, purse, office, etc. to pray anytime (husband/wife).  I've also loved this list, this chart, and this email prayer reminder.  I need all of the reminders I can get to be praying!  They give great targeted, scriptural ways to pray.  (Yes, there is a parent version too along with the little book of prayers.)

Any favorite marriage books/resources you have?

 ²² Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. ²³For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. ²⁴Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.
 ²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, ²⁶that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, ²⁷so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. ²⁸In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, ³⁰because we are members of his body. ³¹ "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." ³²This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. ³³However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Ephesians 5:22-33