Well, I have spent the week recovering from my weekend. My weekend was amazing. So amazing that no amount of words is going to do it justice. It was my family baby shower. I was surrounded by so many amazing women. Let me preface this by saying this family is amazing because of this matriarch….

Gramma Kerrigan

This is my dad’s mother. We called her Gramma Kerrigan. She passed away last May, and her presence is missed every single day. My gramma married my dad’s dad, Bob, and they had five children, (including my dad), and then at the age of 36, my dad’s dad passed away from a heart attack. A bit later, my gramma remarried a man, named Jim Kerrigan, who was a widow with TEN children. They were now the parents of 15 children, and then together they had THREE more! They are affectionately called “the little girls.” So, as you can see, I have a BIG family. And the best part, is we are a close knit family, that likes to celebrate together. Our weddings are epic, and our showers are gigantic.

With all of these aunts and uncles, you can imagine, I have so many cousins. As we’ve gotten older, our age differences have seemed smaller, and we all hang out together at events. When we were younger, and age differences were a bit more obvious, I was in a middle age group. There was a group of cousins 4-5 years older than me, and a group of cousins 3-5 years younger than me. So, my choice was always to hang out with my aunts. I LOVED hanging out with my aunts. They are all so funny, and beautiful, and fun to be around. They never made me feel like I Was annoying them, they just let me hang out with them. From each of them, I have learned to appreciate different things, and I truly believe my personality and who I am today is a melding of all of them. There is something I love and admire in each and every one of them.

Well, this past weekend, my dad’s sister’s Carol and “Aunt B” (as I nicknamed her when I was little), threw this most amazing shower for me. They did so with the help of so many of my cousins, aunts, and second cousins. I know because I witnessed this amazing feat being put together. My Aunt Carol lives in the most beautiful house in Bath, Ohio and hosted the shower at her home. My mom, myself, and Ava went up Saturday night for the “pre=party” or food preparation part of the shower. Many of my aunts, cousins, and second cousins came for the party and helped until late in the evening.

The next morning, I was to stay upstairs in my room until the downstairs was ready, so that I could walk down and be surprised. And, surprised I was. Overwhelmed. I thought my heart was going to burst…
My aunts and cousins had put so much LOVE, THOUGHT, EFFORT, and HEART into the shower.

My nursery is a Very Hungry Caterpillar theme, and they took this theme and did amazing things with it. It started with me coming down the steps, and seeing my aunts with butterfly wings on….

You can see I am holding a picture made my cousin’s daughter, Maya. She is 4, and made it for the nursery. I just LOVE it.

They set up the food so that it was what the caterpillar ate each day in the book by Eric Carle!! And I will let th pictures speak for themselves!

And then these amazing homemade gifts….

And also, this adorable handmade caterpillar outfit. I have looked at these on Etsy a million times, and have wanted to buy one so badly, but they are so expensive. WELP, my COUSIN, Amy, made it for me. I just LOVE it. I cant wait to get the newborn pictures in it!!!

The last gift I opened was extra special. It was from my Aunt Angie, who is one of the “little girls,” and actually the youngest of the 18 siblings. She gave me one of those recordable books from Hallmark where you record your voice, but instead of her voice it was my Gramma Kerrigan’s voice. It is amazing, and I love listening to it. It will be a very special gift for Baby Allman.

I am so grateful for this weekend, and I can not thank my aunts enough for their generosity and love and thoughtfulness. I loved every single minute of this weekend!!!

ooxoxoxoxo,
Beth WA