Jack's First Communion

We are closer to normal here today....back in Oceanside.....hoping so much the fires end soon. 

Jack received his third sacrament on May 11, 2014. He's been studying for 2 years for this big day and we're very proud of him.

With Father Cavanaugh. We love him!

Party time.

It was a big, big day. Next up, Lainey starts year 2 of her own studies......Reconciliation and First Communion for her next year.

Cheers!

Time Out From Daily Life - We're in Orange County For Now

Hi, there!

I have so much to write about regarding the end of baseball, Jack's First Communion and more, but for now, we're out of San Diego County and in Orange County. Fires spread like crazy today, May 14th, and our neighborhood was quite scary. We were not officially evacuated, but we felt safer leaving.

So, we're in Anaheim for a few days, enjoying Blake's nice hotel and the pool and Disneyland until things calm down in Oceanside.

Here is what the news looked like today:

We could see the San Marcos fire from our backyard, even though it was 10 miles away. Flames were huge and that seems to be the most concerning in the immediate area.

From other directions, we could see three other fires. The air was thick and heavy and due to poor conditions and heat, schools were cancelled. 

We're staying in touch with neighbors and will return as needed, but will stay busy here for now.

Pray for San Diego County and the amazing firefighters who are protecting the life we love down there. 

Catch Up, Jack's Birthday, Easter and More Work

Jack's 8th birthday came and went. We're now feverishly planning Lainey's, which arrives in September. (She waits each year for Jack's to be over and for her to have 'the next birthday').

Back to Jack:

We celebrated with friends at Disneyland last Thursday.

The Creech family was in town from Baton Rouge and we were thrilled to have our kids finally meet. Katherine and I have been friends since LSU.

Her 3 matched up perfectly with ours. Everyone had a buddy.

Jack's party happened on Saturday. This was his first sleepover and it was a relative success with only one child heading home early. It was the first sleepover for many, so we knew there might be some escapees.

Jack's complex tastes prompted another nacho bar.

Everyone was asleep by midnight and up at 6am. Not bad!

The 3 Davidge boys attended, so I extended the invitation to leave Ainsley with us, too, since they were so close to a kid-free night. She, Lainey and I hung out while the stinky boys did whatever it is that boys do.

On his actual birthday, Jack opened gifts from family. Aunt Mary sent the cutest card with her gift. We love hamsters!

Infinity characters from Aunt Caroline, along with the cookie bouquet pictured below, too. Aunt Caroline makes great efforts for the kids at birthday time. Makes me so grateful to have her in our lives.

More cake! I am starting to make 2 each occasion now.

Prior to our big Easter celebration that accompanied my Confirmation, we colored eggs, as we have for 14 years.

I'll never tire of the smell of vinegar and little hands dying eggs.

As always, the bunny made himself a snack while working on Easter.

Look who is still hunting eggs!

I adore this picture:

So, my Confirmation commitment has ended and it just didn't seem right to live normally, so I accepted an additional position with Mod Camera Straps.

http://www.modstraps.com/

We are now in Target - and not just seasonally. In addition to writing for their website, I'm managing Instragram, Wanelo and Google Plus for the company.

Finally, the littles received their second round of school pics and I love them:

Cheers to busy days!