Gender Reveal!

The wonderful Wilson family will soon be a party of five, plus one in Heaven!
...I'm realizing even as I write this that the above sentence now holds true for three of my favorite families on earth, which makes me feel even more grateful for the ironclad reality of Heaven.  For those who choose Christ, our "firm and secure hope" lies in knowing that everything that is broken, partial, and incomplete here will be healed, whole, and complete there.  Seriously, what a gift!

Anyway, tonight was the Baby Wilson GENDER REVEAL Party!!  How cute is this cookiecake by Karli Marie!?

...I don't like incomplete story loops, so for the record, I found out Karli was pregnant back on August 9th when she was too sick to join us for this hangout at H-Tea-O and Woodland Hills!  They found out the week they finished their foster parenting classes and got their home study approval with DHS, so that timing was entertaining and ironic!  Karli has dealt with more fatigue and morning sickness this time around - it's finally beginning to lift a little.  Chettles is training for a marathon and was pretty sore and exhausted after running 20 miles this morning.   Right now, they are serving as respite foster care support, which means low-sleep weekends caring for a newborn as they prepare for their own baby due late March or early April AND continue to parent their children well and serve regularly at their church and help out at the kids' schools and process grief and hold onto hope and train for a marathon and attend/lead weekly Bible studies and support their family and friends well and handle ongoing work and life responsibilities and plan and host multiple big events!   They are truly exceptional and deeply-loved and valued people, so please join me in praying for extra grace, good health, and renewed strength for all of them in this demanding season!!

From learning Karli was pregnant during the summer 2017 Mercantile trip to now, today is the first time anyone has known the gender before the birth of their children.  Chet and Karli did not find out early with Tate or Parker, and the wait was rough on me and Melissa and Teresa. lol  Chet loves a good surprise as much as I love being the first to know something.  I very kindly offered to go pick up the cake today, and he said, "Girl, I don't trust you (not to look)."  I will say he was not wrong, but I wouldn't have ruined it for anyone else. lol  All that to say, I'm very thrilled that they decided to find out ahead of time with this baby!  They've had the envelope containing the gender from their doctor since our Los Cabos hangout on September 27th, but Bill and Melissa were on a cruise through most of October, and Chet and Karli were in no big rush about planning this event, in spite of Melissa and I thoughtfully offering multiple date options for them. lol

Today was FINALLY the big day.  And when I realized that they were mourning a miscarriage two years ago, this really felt like God's perfect timing to give them something joyful and redemptive to counterbalance that painful grief anniversary!! ❤  With my own circumstances, my heart feels every bit of this more this year, but there is so much joy to be found in life, and I would sincerely rather my emotions be heightened than numb.

Before they cut the cake, we all went around the circle with every person guessing/voting the gender they expected.  A classic Chettles move...

Predictably, Tate wanted a boy and Parker wanted a girl, and the other kids at the party mostly voted for their own gender.  Chet was hoping for a girl, but they had convinced themselves it was likely to be a boy.  Sarah and Melissa both guessed boy, as well.  I said girl, just as I did when we all voted on the chalkboard at the Farmhouse back in 2017.  I was obviously wrong back then, but I got it right this time!  They used two knives to cut this cake together, revealing the pink icing for a beautiful baby sister for Tate and Parker!! ❤

The cake was a Laurannae bride's cake, so yay for that!  (It wasn't quite as good as their cupcakes I have loved, but still highly preferable to earl grey and lavender.  lol)  They told Chet this size would serve 8 people, which was quite the understatement!  Also, since Chet vetoed me grabbing the cake for them, I came over around 4:30 to help Karli decorate, and my job was tying the pink, blue, and silver streamers for the backdrop behind them here, so I just felt compelled to point out my hard work there!  ;-)

Gracious, I love this group, and love this group pic taken with Kristin Renee's phone!!  Note to self: Find out what type of phone she has and get it next time I upgrade... look how crisp and clear the photo quality is here - umm, yes, please!

We had Chick-fil-A nuggets and wraps + CFA tea + Honest juice boxes for the kids + fries + salad and fruit salad, along with cake and cookiecake - thanks, Wilson fam!!  Top middle pic = the actual envelope from their doctor.  Top right is Evan and Jon moving a recliner downstairs.  Bottom row = a cake closeup and Chet and Karli hanging the banner!

The Wilsons are the most fun!!  They have permanent LED lights outside where they can use an app to change the color for different holidays/events.  They set it to blue and pink before this party, then changed them to all pink after cutting the cake - FUN!!

Speaking of quick changes, I went from Halloween fun to Christmas queen in less than 24 hours! #bringonChristmas  (Right pic = me texting Rach to ask which headband to wear with my new sweatshirt, which felt like a perfect choice to ring in November. lol)

We stayed and chatted longer than I'd expected, which means I'm up late and back-dating these three blogs now! lol  This = one final pic with the Wilsons and Fultons as we were leaving!

I was already feeling this. lol  Not loving how early it will get dark now, but this meme made me laugh! =)

Okaaaay, I had a lot to say today, but I can promise you I won't write three posts a day moving forward. lol  

Hold on to hope and joy today, friends!  The God of all hope and comfort is with you and for you, working everything out for your good and for His glory.  Heaven is real, redemption is real, and the best things we experience here on earth are just a sneak preview of all the wonderful things God has in store for us when we get there!

I love you and believe in you, and Jesus does too!
Enjoy the extra hour of sleep!!
See you tomorrow!

❤ ❤ ❤