The story behind the box.

It could be the coolest thing anyone's asked me to do.

Some friends of mine are expecting a baby. The mommy-to-be wanted to do a gender reveal photoshoot, and she sent me an idea on what to do.

It involved me decorating a box with gender appropriate decorations. We hung the box from a tree. When they opened the box, the decorations fell out, which told them what they were having.

That sounds like fun. Sign me up!

A week ago, they handed me a sealed envelope. In it was a sonogram photo that said the sex of their baby.

I ripped open the envelope in my car, but I decided not to read the results. I wanted to read the results in my house, because I wanted to have that memory in a house I (finally) own.

I got home, sat on my kitchen table, then opened the envelope.

I screamed.

I mean, I screamed!

I had dreams it was a boy. I knew it was a boy. I knew!

Sidenote: I don't know anything. Don't ever listen to me.

Next, I went shopping. I bought all kinds of stuff, including rose petals, glittery tulle, ribbon, and streamers. This was the best part. People kept asking me if I was planning a birthday party.

I didn't know what to say. Um, I'm kind of sort of planning something, but not really.

The mommy-to-be swore me to secrecy on the project. I couldn't tell people what I was doing and break that promise!

So with my armload of pink stuff, I went home and got to work.

It's tricky, box building. The bottom was supposed to have a trap door, but I couldn't figure it out.

When I tested my trap door, everything just fell out.

Well...shoot.

And when you're working on a top secret gender reveal project, you can't exactly call someone and ask for back up, you know?

I decided the daddy-to-be was tall enough to cut the bottom of the box with a box cutter instead of having a trap door.

It wasn't perfect, but it worked.

I ran out of tape that night I was making the box, so I went to my mom and dad's house to get some. They knew what I was making.

My dad looked at me.

"It's a boy, isn't it?"

I looked away and didn't look him in the eyes.

"I knew it! You can't lie. I'm telling your mom it's a boy!"

(Well, I thought, you can tell her, but you're going to be wrong. I later got a compliment on how good my lying skills are. Um, thanks?)

The next night, I took the decorated box to a park in town. It was the same park I took their engagement photos in, which is nice.

Before they joined me, I drove around the park a few times, got out, and looked around for a good tree.

I found the perfect tree in the perfect spot. With their help, we got the box hung up and ready to go. There was beautiful light that night, and I loved all of the leaves on the ground.

It was perfect.

Testing to check the light. Beautiful!

Pink!

Well, everyone knows what the outcome was now.

I had a blast doing this.

They're going to be great parents.