A Baptism & a Graduation Party! (BIG post ahead!)
August 05, 2013
My apologies that I've been away so long, but we've been quite busy here - settling into the house, relishing our babymoon, and preparing for a very special day in our family ... a day on which Little Bear received the Sacrament of Holy Baptism! A day on which we celebrated not just this one very blessed event, but also, Bookworm's graduation from (homeschool) high school and his college acceptance!
So on Saturday, after the ceremony at our parish church, we hosted a "double party" back at our new home - and I'd love to share some pictures with you all, but there are a LOT of them, so I'll (try to) keep my comments (somewhat) brief.
:)
First off, here we are just before the ceremony with Little Bear's godparents ~ his big brother Bookworm and my dear cousin Kate.
I love this photo - a random shot of all our family milling about, waiting for the ceremony to begin. Such an exciting day!
Bill's brother Greg was able to make it out from Chicago - it was so good to see him! Here he is with our Crackerjack. (Who turns 14 next week!)
The Baptismal Font ...
Little Bear was baptized by Father Tom, a wonderful new priest to our parish ...
And I must tell you all that LB barely made a peep! He didn't even cry when the holy water was poured - three shells-full, mind you - over his head. He just gave Father Tom a sharp glance and that "furrowed little brow" he's become famous for.
I didn't get any close up shots of Little Bear in his Baptism outfit, so here it is laid out back at home:
LB is a bit bigger than his brothers were at their Baptism so we ordered a new outfit for his special day. This is a lovely short romper with matching bonnet, a soft cable knit blanket and a tiny pair of socks embroidered with a white cross. The wooden rosary bracelet was a gift from a dear family friend.
(Truth be told, LB scoffed at the bonnet so to keep the peace, we left it off ... and the socks, while darling, turned his legs blue so off they came as well.)
Back at home we had the house set up for a big celebration! Below is the cake and coffee table arranged in the living room ...
We had two cakes ~ one decorated in blue and white for Little Bear and one frosted in maroon and gold for Bookworm. :)
Beneath the front window we had a table set up for punch and appetizers - the deep windowsill held presents and cards.
We had four balloon colors: blue, white, maroon and gold ...
(The balloons were eventually dispersed throughout the house and all around outside.)
The table in the breakfast nook held more food and a vase full of flowers from our yard, artfully arranged by my mother.
These gorgeous hydrangeas are also from our yard and they look so pretty in this copper pot! (Also my mother's doing!)
This is yet another table in our dining room that would be filled up with even more food (we were expecting 50 people!).
Entertaining tip: we used wide-mouth mason jars for holding the flatware.
Canopies kept the sunny patio in comfortable shade ...
My brother's bocce ball set was a big hit with kids of all ages!
My cousin Kara and brother Matt - love the enthusiasm!
Some more photos of friends and family ...
And lastly, me and my Little Bear ...
How I love this little guy!
Well my friends, I hope you all have a lovely week, though honestly - how can it be August already?! This summer is flying by ... now that our party has come and gone, I will be concentrating on organizing Bookworm's college supplies and writing up my education plans for the new year (and the new town). Also, setting up the new learning room and getting myself back on the "organized" track - new routine, new file folders, new planner, new desk!
So we've got lots to talk about, and I'll be back again soon to get around to just that!
*❤*