Sunday February 8, 2009

We had SUCH a fun time at the shower yesterday for Ashley, Noah, & Hannah! Here are some pictures as concrete evidence. 🙂

The garlands hanging here say “Handsome Baby Boy” and “Precious Baby Girl” — I made them for Ashley for Christmas. And the “Noah” and “Hannah” name signs were made by Colin & Ashley for their nursery. We just borrowed them for decorations. 🙂

Everything was half pink and half blue — as much as possible! Here we had pink and blue jelly beans; then two kinds (plain or mint) of Double Stuffed (haha — pun definitely intended) Oreos, dipped in colored chocolate.

We also have onesie-shaped cookies (decorated girly & pink or boyish & blue), Twin pretzel bites (two bite-sized pretzels stuck together with pink and blue chocolate), a coconut flavored cake in which the batter was pink & blue swirled (and obviously decorated super duper cute in pink & blue by Grandmama), Twins in a Blanket (a bend on the common Pigs in a Blanket snack of bread-wrapped li’l smokies), and Twins in a Wrap (two Asian-marinated water chestnuts wrapped in bacon and brown sugar). Yummmmm! Also: coffe and punch (cherry limade punch with a fruit ring).

Yay for the happy Mommy and Daddy!!

Here’s my mom with Ashley & her cake.

Here’s the table set-up before ladies arrived. See that huge, amazing diaper cake? My mama made that! Wowza! 225 newborn sized disposable diapers, with dozens of little baby items to decorate it: socks, onesies, pacifiers, wash cloths, headbands, hats… I don’t even know what else. 🙂

And here’s another angle — judging from the pile of gifts, this was definitely taken after people arrived. 🙂

Here, I was orchestrating the Dirty Diaper game. I love watching people get queasy about looking at diapers with melted candy (we used Baby Ruth, peanut butter cups, Raisinets, Snickers, and 100 Grand) in them. Too funny. We also played a word scramble (twin themed!), and Sweet Baby Concentration which I half made up and half found online (my new favorite shower game).

L to R: Auntie Melissa and Cousin Gabriel, Grandmama Bennett, Mommy Ashley & the Twins, Grammie Schmidt, Aunt Whittney.

Still on doctors orders to lie low and keep her feet up… but she was allowed to come to the shower, hurray! So she kept her feet up even while opening presents. What a trooper. 🙂 Maybe bedrest isn’t so bad, after all. 😉

I gave her the thumbs-up for something… Hm. And Gabriel enjoyed sitting between me and our friend Mrs. Peterson. He loves to sit like a big kid.

Here’s my mister handsome!!

The musical mobile that matches her bedding sets — from Great Grandma.

Gabriel was enamored with this gift — it was from us (two Bumbo seats, one pink & one blue!) so he had been playing with it the evening before and again during the shower. He was playing it like a drum, as well as crinkling the wrapping in his hands over & over & over… 🙂

NOAH

Rest, Comfort, Peace

Genesis 5:29 – This one will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands.

Genesis 6:8 – Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

Genesis 6:9 – Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.

Genesis 6:22 – Noah did all that God commanded him.

Genesis 9:1 – God blessed Noah, making him fruitful and multiplying him.

Genesis 9:9 – God said He established His covenant with Noah and with all his descendants.

Hebrews 11:7 – by faith Noah moved with godly fear and became an heir of righteousness.

2 Peter 2:5 – God saved only eight people, including Noah, who was a preacher of righteousness.

 

COLIN

Young creature/cub; people of victory; dove; virile (characterized by a vigorous, masculine spirit)

 

HANNAH

Gracious; favored; grace of God; favor; grace

The Lord visited Hannah – 1 Samuel 2:21

Hannah was a woman of prayer – 1 Samuel 1:13

She pours out her soul to the Lord – 1 Samuel 1:15

The Lord remembers Hannah – 1 Samuel 1:19

The Lord grants her the desires of her heart – 1 Samuel 1:20

Hannah realizes that her son belongs to the Lord – 1 Samuel 1:22

Hannah is prayerful and poetic – 1 Samuel 2:1-10

 

LADONNA

Lady of the home; lady

 

BENNETT

From the medieval name Benedict, originating from the Latin “benedictus” meaning “blessed.”

 

 

Prayer:

 

Ashley, I have a word of blessing for you today.

“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb” (Luke 1:42).

Genesis 49:25—may the Almighty God bless you from heaven above, from earth beneath, and from your womb.

 

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord”—we see this throughout Scripture—2 Samuel 6:18, Psalm 118:26, Matthew 21:9, Mark 11:9, Luke 19:38, John 12:13.

 

As children of Christian parents—Colin and Ashley—these children are coming in the name of the Lord. These children are covenant children and God’s blessing is to them. And to their children. And to their children’s children. By giving birth to these little babies, Ashley is spreading forth the Gospel not only to one more generation, but to generation upon generation. Ashley, may your children rise up and call you blessed (Proverbs 31:28). And may God have mercy upon these babies, for they are His (Mark 10:14, Luke 18:16).

 

Now, let us come with humble hearts before our Lord and pray for Ashley and her babies.

 

Father God, we come to you in the name of Your Son Jesus Christ. Bless us, Lord, today as we fellowship and seek to bless the Bennett household. Send Your Spirit and hear our prayers. Be quick to answer and faithfully grant our requests in Christ’s name.

We enter Your courts with thanksgiving and praise today (Psalm 100:4), for these babies—Noah and Hannah Bennett—and their mother Ashley. We thank You for giving us this time of celebration, the means to shower them with gifts, and for safely bringing each woman to this celebration today. Bless our efforts, Lord, and provide for some of the Bennetts’ physical needs and also for joy & encouragement for Ashley today.

Give grace and strength to Ashley as she continues to hold these babies in her womb. Give her patience to lie low, give her courage to give birth, give her joy in motherhood, give her rest in weariness. Grow her faith.

 

Grow also, good God our Father, the faith of Noah and Hannah. These are Your children: do not leave them or forsake them (Deuteronomy 21:6, 8). Even as You have fearfully and wonderfully made this little girl and this little boy, knitting them together in the days You have recorded (Psalm 139:13-16), be their Lord even today and reveal Yourself to them in the womb (Psalm 22:9-10). You are God and You alone are able (2 Corinthians 9:8). From the mouths of Noah and Hannah, Lord, proclaim Your strength and power (Psalm 8:2). Teach them to honor their father and their mother (Deuteronomy 5, Ephesians 6), and to love their neighbor as themselves (Luke 10:27).

 

For Noah, Father, we beg of You to make him into a righteous man of Christlike character. Even like his biblical namesake, O God, find favor with this boy (Genesis 6:8). May he walk with You all of his days, following Your commandments (Genesis 6:9, 22). Make him a fruitful man, multiplying him, and continuing Your covenant through his faithful line of descendants (Genesis 9:1, 9). Make Noah Colin Bennett a faithful man, faithful Christian, faithful son, faithful grandson, faithful husband and father and friend: fill him with fear of his God and King, making him an heir of righteousness and proclaimer of Truth (Hebrews 11:7, 2 Peter 2:5).

 

For Hannah, Lord, we likewise beg Your mercy. Visit this little girl with Your grace and favor. Pour out Your Spirit upon her (Isaiah 44:3). Make her a woman of patience and prosperity. Bless the work of her hands and the toil of her loins. Mold Hannah into the likeness of a corner pillar in a palace (Psalm 144); strong and faithful while graceful and beautiful. Remember Hannah, O God, and grant her the desires of her heart (1 Samuel 1:19-20). Give her a poetic tongue and an ever-prayerful heart (1 Samuel 1:13, 15; 1 Samuel 2:1-10). Cause Hannah LaDonna Bennett to be a submissive daughter and wife; a diligent woman of prayer and service; a faithful woman, Christian, daughter, granddaughter, a faithful wife and mother and friend. Give her joy in being a weak vessel (1 Peter 3:7), and teach her to gain strength from Your Spirit (Ephesians 3:16).

 

In all of these things, O Lord our God, hear us and fulfill Your will through our petitions. Keep Your hand upon the Bennett family, giving extra portions of grace and patience to each member. Provide through Colin’s diligent labors, nurture through Ashley’s loving service, and bring joy beyond measure through these little babies.

 

By the power of the Holy Spirit and clothed in the blood of Christ, we pray. Amen.

3 Replies to “Sunday February 8, 2009”

  1. I haven’t been to a baby shower in years but I do remember playing the game where
    the candy bars are melted in the diapers. It never did gross me out much though =P
    But I love baby showers and they entail…
    I love how everything was twin themed! It looks like you all had a fun day together, celebrating Noah and Hannah and their upcoming arrival.
    Thanks for sharing the special occasion with us. 🙂

    And They have names! 🙂
    And beautiful, precious names at that!
    I love how you put the meanings as well as the Scripture verses; it makes it so much more special.
    Did you read/pray that at Ashley’s shower? That is probably the most special thing you could give them… so precious and lovely and true.
    I have tears in my eyes after reading that special blessing you prepared for them…
    I pray that Ashley’s pregnancy goes well until His timing for them to arrive. And I pray that Ashley will have an easy delivery and the babies with both be delieverd healthy and well. All 4 of them are in my thoughts and prayers; may God Bless them all!
    (and thank you for sharing that lovely prayer/blessing with us; it’s so precious!)
    I think it’s really important for parents to pray for their children; even before they are born… it’s something I plan on doing someday should God so bless me with that opportunity. (He has already shown me how important it is to pray for my future husband here and now even though I have no idea where he is, who he is etc..)
    Blessings,
    Samantha

    P.S, I hope they stay inside mommy a little while longer… Ashley doesn’t actually look THAT big yet! My mom had my sister and me, 10 or 12 days early I think. So not too bad at all though she was on bed rest of course.
    *Hugs* for Ashley! Just one more month- she’s almost there!

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