SCR First Communion

Saturday, April 28 was the SCR First Communion mass and celebration. Even though we are not Catholic, I felt it was important for Riley to be there to support his class. After all, he learned all of the same information and went through much of the same preparation that his classmates did; he just couldn’t receive the actual sacrament. Plus, it was an excuse to dress him up in a seersucker suit.

I went to school early to take a group picture; the kids looked so great all dressed up! Then I met Kenny and the boys in the church. Ms. Paulin had told me that Riley was welcome to sit next to her during mass, and that’s what he did. Very sweet.

It was a very nice mass, and the kids all did wonderfully. We took some pictures in the church afterwards and then walked over to the gym for the reception. Riley had a great time running around with his friends.

Next we went over to Dana’s mom’s house, where their family reception was held. Nice of us to be included and we were happy to go for Claire. She was just excited about her cake and special cookies!

 

 

One week later, this past Sunday, the four of us drove across the lake so Riley could have his own first communion. The Methodist church only offers communion on the first Sunday of every month, and it was Kenny’s idea to go. We went to St. Timothy’s on the northshore, where Grandma and Grandpa attend church every Sunday.

We went to the children’s service first, where they began with communion. Riley was a little nervous, but I walked up with him and he did fine. Then we listened to a short sermon by the children’s choir director, watched a little bible story skit, and sang one song. After that, the rest of the kids went to their Sunday school classrooms, but Riley didn’t want to go. So we went over to the main sanctuary and slipped in the back for the rest of that service. That meant we actually got to take communion again! Riley was quite excited that he got his first communion and his second communion all in the same day.

  

  

I’m so glad we were as much a part of this day that we could be and that Riley ended up experiencing it as well. It was a special time in these kids’ lives; may God bless them always!

Tall Ships NOLA 2018

As part of New Orleans’ Tricentennial celebration (the 300th anniversary of the city), six tall ships traveled up the Mississippi River and arrived in the Big Easy on April 19. The last time ships like these were in port here was back in 2012.

We made a day out of it with Kenny’s family, having lunch at Crescent City Brewhouse first. While we were finishing up, we actually ran into a sailor who is stationed on the big navy ship that was in town; he works as a mechanical engineer on board. So cool!

 

After lunch we walked over to Woldenberg Park to check out all of the ships. The first one we boarded was the Oliver Hazard Perry, based in Rhode Island. Then we toured the USCG Cypress, a buoy tender. So neat.

 

 

A great day celebrating our great city!

Family Reunion and SCR Gala

The weekend before last was a busy one. We first went to Slidell for a family reunion for Kenny’s dad’s side. The gathering was held at a relative’s home on 112 acres of land near Bayou Bonfouca. It was so pretty out there!

That night Kenny and I attended the annual gala at the boys’ school. They didn’t hold one last year for various reasons, but this year it was back and better than ever. The theme was Old Hollywood, and there were lots of little touches sprinkled throughout the campus that night. Co-chairs Melanie and Caroline really outdid themselves!

Dana and Dave were there, as were many of the teachers. We had a great time eating, drinking, and dancing!

 

 

Our gala outing also required us to hire an actual babysitter for the first time; none of our family members were available. I got some recommendations from friends, and a Tulane grad student named Josie was able to stay with the boys. I was nervous leaving them with someone we had never met before, but those fears were unfounded. She was great. The boys loved her, and she said she really loved spending time with them.

Our weekend wasn’t quite done, though. We went downtown the next day to see the tall ships. So cool.