Abundant Blessings

In July we welcomed our beautiful new baby Edith Clare into our family, and in August we enlisted the help of a pile of friends and family to welcome her into the church! Paul's family came from far and wide (South Dakota and Chicago, to be exact) to celebrate with us, and Edith's Godparents, along with their three children, traveled from the far reaches of North Dakota to stand with us at her baptism. What a blessing, what a joyful time!

My parents opened their home and pool during the visit, so we made good use of it. I can't think of a time when there have been more children piled in that pool! Max and Mara reconnected and became fast friends again, and they've now begun exchanging pictures and letters. Maybe a few too many hearts drawn on the pictures for my liking, but hey, at least they're separated by hundreds of miles!

We shared a baptism day with our dear friends John and Sara, who were baptizing their new twins! It was such a beautiful blessing to be able to share that moment with them. The baptismal font was surrounded by little kids elbowing and jostling to see the action; it was perfect.

Then the celebration continued at a nearby park for brats and hot dogs. The kids played on the playground and the grownups sat around chatting and enjoying the food. For a day that had over a 50% chance of rain, we were amazed that we only had to contend with a few drops right at the end of the day!

We made a point to gather the four CYC couples for a ten year reunion picture. The eight of us met their spouses in the summer of 2004, working as counselors at Catholic Youth Camp in McGregor, MN. We all got married in '06 or '07, and we have remained friends since then. Now, fourteen kids later, we are sharing wonderful- and busy- lives together. All of us ended up in the Twin Cities except for Ryan and Maggie, so when they made it to town we had to seize the opportunity. Pretty stellar work for a decade, if I may say so myself!

It's only been a few months, but I wish I could go back and live this weekend over again! Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate the most important moment in Edith's life so far. And thank you especially to Ryan and Maggie for agreeing to the important role of Godparents. She is blessed to have you.