a gender reveal party...

was something i had only read about on other people's blogs, heard about from friends, and only considered pinning those cute ideas on my pinterest boards, BUT last night i got to have one of these fun parties to announce the gender of our new little bundle of joy.

for my sake i am going to give the back story on how we got to the decision to find out the gender and do the party, but please feel free to skip all of my ramblings and check out the pictures from our fun affair.  :)
we (well, i) LOVE surprises!  and to me the best surprise ever is finding out you are pregnant and next to that is finding our the gender of your little one.  when we were pregnant with our first child, mark and i decided that we did not want to find out the gender.  there is nothing we could do to change it, and we were just thrilled to be expecting our little one.  it was such a FUN decision.  on our delivery day, it felt like the BEST christmas morning ever.  we would have been overjoyed to welcome either a boy or a girl, but on november 8, 2005, the doctor announced, "it's a girl!"  we were shocked!!  i will never forget that moment.   then we were blessed to become pregnant for a second time in 2007.  this time i had a little girl who was 2 years old and although excited to meet this new little baby, did not adjust easily to new situations.  i couldn't imagine how she was going to respond to a new sibling, PLUS i kinda wanted to know the gender this time, so when our 20 week sonogram rolled around we found out that we were expecting a boy.  that was a really great experience too!  for the next 18 weeks we were able to buy a few blue things, discuss names, and really prepare olivia for her new baby brother.  soooo, that brings us to this pregnancy.  i already have a girl and a boy, and mark and i had decided that we thought it would be fun to not find out again.  well, we told our kids about the pregnancy and they immediately wanted to know if they would be having a baby brother or sister.  we explained that we didn't know yet.  they REALLY wanted to know, so the more i thought about it, i came to the conclusion that a gender reveal party was the perfect way to go.  the kids would get there wish to know the gender early, and mark and i would get the element of surprise that we wanted.   well, in all my thinking about this party i could have never imaged the joy i felt last night.  it was wonderful!

after we left the doctor's office yesterday full of smiles and relief that our little one was healthy, i drove immediately to party city to pass off the envelope to the teenage girl working the balloon counter.  i explained to her that i wanted her to look in the envelope at what the doctor had written, fill the box with either pink or blue balloons, seal it up, and reminded her NOT to tell me what is in the box- it was going to be a surprise for everyone!

then i headed over to the bowlin's house a put up a few decorations...

everyone arrived dressed in their prediction.

there was team blue...

chrissie, nana, abby, and jack

and team pink...

pop, me, mark, b, rara, olivia, kk, and christman

** you might notice my dad and brother are missing from these pictures.  dad DOES NOT want to know what the gender is until "birth" day.  silly, but true.  and brother had to work since it was his first week back after taking 2 months off.  we missed them. **

and then the moment we were all waiting for...

our little family, so excited to open the box!!

PINK!!!!

IT'S A GIRL!!!!!!

i only wished that i would have had a camera in my hand to capture our families reaction.  imagine:  smiles, laughter, and cheering.  it was so much fun!!

i know this will be a memory that i will cherish for a lifetime.  i am so incredibly blessed to have shared this special moment standing right next to my little family and being surrounded by my BIG family.  now we are all praying for this sweet little girl to arrive safely in our arms in january 2013.  we already love her so much and can't wait!!

the evening ended with this beautiful rainbow...

a visible reminder of god's promises.  we are so undeserving, yet he loves us so much.

my heart is so full!  what a happy day! :)

the first day of first grade...

i honestly can't believe that i have an almost 7 year old who is in the FIRST GRADE!!  we had a great morning and she was all smiles and full of excitement starting a new school year.  i know she is going to have a fantastic year.

she looks so grown up and didn't even want a backpack.  check out the messenger bag.  :)  

sweet olivia.

this is how she felt about starting school.  so excited!!!

posing in front of her school.  if they would only trim that tree a bit.  :)

olivia and her teacher, mrs. graham.

her desk.

and her fun classroom.

i read this on a friend's blog and i think it speaks perfectly to how i feel and what i desire right now.  i have adopted it and prayed this everyday...

Dear Lord,

Thank you for the gift of motherhood and for entrusting us to raise these little girls in your name.  As they begin a new school year, we pray that their lives would be grounded in you.  May they live for you, reflect your love to others, and call on your name in times of joy and times of sadness.  May they grow in wisdom and make memories that will stay with them for a lifetime.  Jesus we pray patience for all teaching and joy in all friendships.  Help us as mothers to walk along them in this journey, pointing out their strengths and helping them grow.  In both good times and stressful moments, let our parenting words glorify You so that we may nurture their academic experience and enhance their faith.

Amen.

summer 2012...

was full of fun in the pool and time with our cousins...

we were able to spend lots of time with sweet friends.

we really loved our trip to the ranch with the herridges and the brischkes.  

and our time with the rogers and haynes was so much fun!!

and probably the best moment of the summer was finding out that we are expecting a baby in january 2013...

the next baby bowlin, around 8 weeks in this picture (6/20/12).  i know you can barely see it, but believe me there is a baby with a little beating heart there.  :)

it has been a great summer.  i am so thankful for the memories that we have made, the exciting news of a new baby,  and the time i have had to spend with my kids, friends, and family.  we are truly blessed.

school, routine, new friends, soccer, baylor football season, and more are just around the corner.  :)