gender reveal party.

i whipped up this little invite today for a gender reveal party we're throwing for our family and close friends next week after our "revealing" sonogram for baby rains. :)

i'm really excited about how it turned out... i think it's super cute and fun. cheery. :)

***UPDATE: at our little gender reveal party, we announced to our friends & family that we are having another BABY GIRL! :) her name is rylie elizabeth, and she should be joining our family around june 23rd of 2010. we cannot wait to meet her!***

***YET ANOTHER UPDATE: due to a LOT of interest in this invitation over the last 2 years, i am now selling customized digital versions of the invite, which you may print on your own, or share digitally. if you are interested, please email me at sara.beth.rains@gmail.com. if you want printed invitations shipped to you, or an invitation created for another event, i'd love to chat about that, too! thanks! (oh! and our sweet rylie is about to be TWO!!!... my how time flies...)***

christmas card.

this is our family's 2009 christmas card.

because i was SO busy this year with the end of my degree and all, i designed it at vistaprint.com and think it turned out really great - especially for what it is! the colors on the actual card are SO much more vivid and festive... the scanner didn't do it justice. :)

...and i love this picture for 2 reasons:

1) emma's smile is simply irresistable! it is definitely kiss-worthy... and we laugh, because she totally looks like she came right from an episode of "toddlers and tiaras!" don't you think? :)

2) this is our very first picture as a family of four! our friends, the stewarts, snapped this photo at a trip to the big orange pumpkin farm in october - right after we'd found out about the little bean growing inside of me. so fun!

do you remember my christmas card post from last year? i wistfully wondered if i would maybe be printing "another baby announcement in the next two years..." i love that on december 27, 2008 i wished we'd have another baby to announce in two years... and that on june 22, 2010, hopefully that little baby will be here - and we'll be announcing his/her arrival! :) i guess christmas wishes DO come true! :)