She Wore a Veil

This little lady had her 1st Communion today.

They learned a song to sing for after the service.  Molly is far left. There is just something about children singing that makes me tear up e.v.e.r.y.t.i.m.e!

There were lots of veils this year.

Molly is wearing the same dress and veil that I wore...so we'll call it retro...those pleats are coming back I just know it!

There was a lot of waiting.  Lots of time to get nervous.  Lots of time to think..put the kneeler up,  fold my hands, bow as I approach, right hand on the bottom, say, "amen", use right hand to put host into mouth, make sign of the cross, walk back to pew with hands folded...don't chew..don't chew...don't chew.  Put kneeler back down...phew...made it!

During the homily Father Greg asked, "What is your first communion?"
Then he prompted the kids to reply, "It's cool."

He then went on to use C.O.O.L as an acronym for Center Of Our Lives.
The Eucharist is the Center Of Our Lives.
It was a pretty cool homily!

She did great!

And afterwards, there was a group shot with the papparrazi of parents snapping pictures.

Family was invited back to the house for lunch....and more pictures!

Lucky girl got some gifts too.

And no celebration would be complete without cake!

Spring Break: Day Five

Empty drawers means today is a stay-home and do laundry day...yippee *insert sarcasm*

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The American Girl dolls in this house really enjoyed today.  They got to hear a good book.

 And they got to sit down and watch the Brewer game. *jealous*

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We baked some cupcakes.

They counted to sixty two times while I used the mixer.

After they were done baking the girls poked holes.

We poured cherry jello over them and stuck them in the fridge until dinner.

Topped them with cool-whip and they were delish!

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We crafted the Easter headbands today...a sneek peek at our color scheme.

Day five done...wish my to-do list was...*sigh*

Spring Break: Day Four

Today we went to every 9, 8, 5, and 4 year old's dream.....a recycling center! 

We even got to dress up...for safety.

 Not exactly our usual sparkle...but it does photo fancy!

First, we got a presentation and then it was time to see the good stuff.

120 tons of recycling enter and only 6 tons go back out as garbage...impressive!

This guy is a paper guy..so he pulls the paper that has gotten though other check-points..see the pile underneath?  That pile will be swept up at the end of the night and sent through again.

Very big piles of cardboard.

We met Grandma Dar for lunch at M-N-M's, a local coffee/diner owned by Michelle, Nicole, and Melissa.  I babysat for Nicole and Melissa....I'm sooooo old!  Very cute place.

We ordered a round of grilled cheeses and strawberry-banana smoothies..yum!

We squeezed in a round of battleship too!

Day four finished with the first day of toy sort.... 4 times a year I sort through all the toys and put them back in the rooms they are supposed to be and rotate books and toys that were in storage...it's not fun but oh so satisfying when it's done!

Spring Break: Day Three

A trip to the dentist today.  We left with an ortho referral...oh boy!

Then we went to burn off some steam at the village park...beautiful!

Throwing rocks into the creek quickly became a treat.

Tossing from the bank soon was not challenging enough...bigger splashes from the bridge!

Then an assembly line was formed to pass off the rocks and deliver them to the 'tosser'.

Had a morning meeting with a long-time family friend...great to re-connect!

Terrorized Grandma Dar's workplace for a bit.

Had lunch with a friend that will be a friend for many years to come.

In the afternoon, we hit the books again and baked some banana bread.

Can't wait for breakfast tomorrow!

Day three done.



Spring Break: Day Two

Today was a fieldtrip day.  We headed to WPPI~our energy provider~to learn about electricity and environmentally sound practices.

A mini-version of a generator...a wire coil that spins and spins to make electricity.

We saw floors made out of used tires, countertops made of compressed newspaper, and decorative wall designs made of broken glass. 

This picture doesn't do it justice, but these light tubes were really neat. 
They were very elegant looking and the natural light was awesome!

Taylor got to show us how the dimmer could be used to open or close the tubes.  Architectually they did really cool things with natural light bouncing off of walls.

Outside, we talked about solar energy.  This giant panel turns toward the light in order to capture the most...unfortunately, we are not really known as the sunshine state.

After the fieldtrip, we ran some errands.

Then it was time to sit down and do some 'table' work...can't let those brains get too rusty over spring break!

Two little ladies went with me to vote today.

After dinner, we played some games.

Day Two done.



Spring Break: Day One

Spring Break!

First project was cleaning...*moan*

The living room will be toy-free until Easter...*wa-hoo*

Then we were off to get reading material for the week and a quick pic with the

  O'Keefe inspired cow.

Back in the car everyone dives into the book bag....love that!

On our drive to the park, Morgan suddenly asks, "Am I six?"

I reply, No, you're still five.

She sounds surprised and announces, "Oh, because I felt like I was six."

Day one done.