SOOO much to tell!!

I KNOW people are disappointed and probably asking "WHY hasnt Kathleen posted ANY pictures from last weekend's festivities and fun?!" (Ahem, DEBBIE!) And I am sooo sorry it has taken me sooo long to post pics and tell everyone how much FUN we had last weekend! The pics are worth the wait though :)
In the mail last Friday, there was a card addressed:

Whitney and Kathleen*B___
(for the baby shower!)
123 Our Road
Our Town, FL 32111

So of course, my first reaction was "what baby shower???" So I asked Eric and he sorta stammered for a second and said "wellll...I guess its a good thing you found out today because I have NO IDEA how I was gonna get you two there tomorrow!"
Turns out, my fabulous sisterinlaw, Crystal and one of my closest, bestest friends, Kathy decided to throw us a "Welcome Whitney" party :) It was at Kathy's house on Saturday, and it was absolutely PERFECT! Great family, great friends, GREAT food, and great memories! Usually, when we go to Kathy's house, I wear sweats or yoga pants and a ratty old clemson shirt or sweatshirt...so Eric was nervous about getting me to head to her house and look presentable :) I was glad to have the heads up so Whitney could be dressed in her finest, too :)
Some pics of our FUN Saturday:
The Whitney blocks sent from my Aunt Gerry in Ohio! (Wish you could have been there, Aunt Ger!!)

Me, my mom, and Whitney...3 generations

Eric, his mom, and Whitney...3 generations (and me!)

Grandma Debbie cuddles :)

Part of the family at the shower....unfortunately we didnt get a pic of the rest of the fam...

I'm looking forward to seeing the pics Kathy has on her camera since my memory card was full after about 3 minutes. :)
What a great surprise and a great way to welcome our Whitterbug! I wish you could have seen the way Kathy decorated the house. (edited to add more pics here...THANkS DALLAS!)
Whitney got some GREAT gifts! And Eric got a fun shirt that says, "D.A.D.D....Dads Against Daughters Dating" :) heehee

Whitney's Aunt Crystal, and one of my favorite people in the world. :) She rocks!! Thanks again, Crystal!!

More Mom, Mom, and Whitney pics

How clever? "Why dont we ALL close our eyes like Whitney?"

Kathy eluded the cameras (grrr!), but had the cutest clothes line in the family room, with cute outfits hanging from it...and of course she had hair bows on each outfit :)

I cant thank you girls enough! I have the BEST family and friends!!!

Saturday night, we got to spend a little time with some friends who were visting from Texas. Janice and David brought their daughter Allison to visit David's parents who are close friends with my parents. (got that? David's parents are BFF with my parents.) While we have spent some fun times with Janice and David when they have been in town in the past, we have only "met" Allison through Janice's fun blog, so it was great to finally meet her in person and let our girls visit. (Ok, so they were both asleep within minutes of their first meeting...but whatever. It was still a good picture opportunity. :)
The girls meet for the first time :)

(Whitney got mad when I took her bow away for a brief moment...afterall, the bow TOTALLY makes her outfit. :))

David, Janice, Allison, Me, Whitney,and Eric

Janice, it was so fun to see you guys! We need to do dinner or go for drinks and let the grandparents watch the girls next time! :)

Then, on Sunday, we had Whitney's dedication at church. It was especially nice since someof our best friends had their daughter dedicated at the same time. A LOT of Eric's family were there, and it REALLY made me proud to fill more than 2 pews with all the people who love and support our Whitney. :) (AND, Whitney slept through the whole sermon, the dedication ceremony, and some of the picture-taking at the end!)
Some pics from the church:
She is certainly the answer to lots and lots of prayer!

Pastor Brad was pretty good at juggling both girls! :)

Us and the Ragans on our girls' dedication day :) We cant WAIT to watch these two girls grow up together....ohhh, the drama they will bring!

The Bass Family, after the ceremony.

Everyone waiting for the dedications to begin...so blessed with lots of family and friends!

Whitney wore the same christening gown worn by me, my brother, my dad, my cousin, and my cousin's daughter. My mom was able to oxi.clean it and add the same pink bows she pinned to it the day I was baptized. :)

After church and lunch, we had some family back to our house for cake. It was nice to chat with everyone and see Whitney smiling and laughing with her cousins and aunts and uncles and grandparents and great-grandparents! Grandma Debbie got some good smiles from Whitney :)
The cake was yummy, but Sam's cake decorators cant seem to figure out how to center 3 intials on a sheetcake. They had to redo this THREE times while we waited. Is it THAT hard? Guess it could've been worse (if you've never taken the time to peek at some funny cakes, go ahead now. you will be hooked. :))

Whitney enjoyed being held by LOTS of family members :)
Her big cousin, Kyle made her smile (and briefly got her to take her hands out of her mouth!)

When Grandma Debbie wasnt soaking up Whitney-time, she got to enjoy some time giggling with Caroline. :)

And proof that I didnt steal Whitney from Memaw EVERY time they got cozy :) (although I'm sure it felt like it!)

Grandma Debbie was a hit with the Whitterbug. :) Now she's even more excited for Thanksgiving!
Smiling and talking....

...continuing to warm up...."this lady has my binky....she better give it back..."

"Ok...so she gave it back...and I didnt even have to fuss about it....this chick is cool..."

"I could get used to this...I'm pretty sure I have Grandma Debbie right where I want her...."

So we had an eventful and exicting weekend here! We couldnt be more blessed....ALL of our prayers have been answered and all of our dreams are coming true everyday. Whitney is the best baby EVER (biased? so what.) and we are so grateful to have family and friends who welcomed her and love her soooo much!
And how cute is she???