It was such a beautiful day! Thank you for all the sweet prayers and kind comments!
I thought I had been able to fix my camera and I was so excited, but after just 3 pictures it stopped working again - boo! I did manage to capture this one just as we were entering our church...
Proud mama fighting back tears of joy!
My heart!
Our beautiful baby girl...you looked radiant! Most importantly, you have a beautiful heart!
{love our church's stained glass windows too!}
Attempt at a quick family pic...some of us were not that into it. he he he
Our pew marker...thank you Ava's grandma for adding our children's names to these! Such a sweet keepsake!
LOVED seeing our pews filled with so many loved ones! What a special gift to Grace!
{Mama Wanda, Haguit & Shabella - she was SO happy to see you, even if you had to leave before I could snap a pic! Love you all!}
Twin smirks from my boys!
Pictures are not really allowed during Mass and I understand why, but that is such a tough thing when it's a special milestone like First Communion! Our Assistant Director of Religious Education did take some of all the children and I can't wait to see them! Hopefully she has a good one of Grace receiving Communion for the very first time.
Grace, along with three other children, was selected to bring up the Communion gifts - such a special honor - I tried to take a very quick, unobtrusive snapshot, but she was on the other side so it was hard to see her.
Ditto for when they sang their Communion song after receiving Communion for the first time. They sounded like little angels!
Love this sweet moment I captured right after Mass!
Proud parents!
With one of her PSR teachers...thank you, Mrs. Connie! Teaching the 2nd Grade Communion Class is no small job - we are so thankful for sweet teachers!!
With Noonie and Papa J!
Mimi!
Aunt Marilyn!
Pop!
Aunt Segi & Uncle James!
Aunt Lexi!
Sweet girls! And check out Hudson...he was verrrry into the cookies and lemonade - ha!
Aubrey & Grace...such sweetness!
Sweet Grace - what a special day!
My grandma would have loved this one...
After Mass, we went to eat at a local Italian restaurant and we shared the party room with Nicholas' sweet family...Congrats, Nicholas!
"Best Day Ever"...indeed it was!
In keeping with my tradition of writing little love notes to Grace and Hudson on vintage cards, I ordered the tiny vintage Communion card on etsy. It was supposed to have been unused, but when it came in (all the way from France!) it had writing on the back...from 1950! What a fun thing to find! She loved it!
Grace loved passing out the petit fours - her special request! Some had tiny pink crosses and others had her monogram.
Such a special day for the little pumpkin - we are so proud of you, Grace!
And because I love all things Kentucky Derby...we couldn't let derby day go by without having a little fun!
Making their predictions...
And even though "Weeee" (Hudson's horse) nor "Spark" (Grace's horse) won, these little vintage cards were soooo fun and so addictive!
One of these days I'm going to make it to the actual Derby! *wink*
I better start with my disclosure up front. I've been so emotional thinking about Grace making her First Holy Communion...definitely feeling all the feelings! How is it possible that my baby girl is old enough to make such an important step in our Catholic faith??
And then my thoughts go to my beloved grandparents. Oh how I wish Tata & Abuelito could have been here to see Grace receive the body and blood of Christ! Grace carried Tata's rosary during pictures last weekend. I didn't tell her or give her the rosary until we got there and in retrospect, I probably should have. As soon as I handed it to her and asked her if she wanted to hold it for pictures, she nodded and I saw the tears forming in her eyes. Grace is a very sensitive soul and even though she only met Tata a couple of times, they shared a special connection.
My friend Angel made the most beautiful pillow for Grace and hand-embroidered "best day ever". Indeed, it is the best day ever! I'm keeping that sweet picture of the first time Tata met Grace when Grace was just 2 months old close by so I can feel like Tata is there with us. I don't have any of my Abuelito with Grace since he went to heaven before she was born.
Pure joy on this beautiful face! What a blessing she is to us. Thank you God for entrusting Grace to us. Please continue to guide us and walk along us as we raise her to live a life that brings glory to you!
I love this quiet moment I captured last Saturday during formal pictures. I wonder what she was thinking...
Sweet girls!
With her PSR (Sunday School) Class...
We paused to snap a pic right by the beautiful roses right in front of our church. My grandma LOVED roses. These always remind me of her...
{and just so I can fight back the tears...I *did* most certainly curl Grace's hair - see first pic - but humidity was like 100% last Saturday during these pics and by the time we got to church, the little pumpkin's hair was already straight! I like to think that God has a sense of humor, because along with all the serious, heart-felt prayers when I was pregnant with Grace, I did pray for her to have "easy to fix, straight hair" since I've battled mine long enough - hahahaha!}
I ended up making Grace's floral crown myself. It was my first time to do so and I think it turned out okay! She told me, "it's beautiful and I can't wait to wear it!", so I'm going to go with it! *wink*
Noonie gave Grace the sweetest little bracelet that she will be wearing this afternoon. I love that she had the jeweler add the tiny silver cross to it!
Frozen smile = Feeling a little nervous...
Sweetest hands holding her baby bible and baby rosary. And just like that, eight years have passed and she is ready for her First Communion!
My sweet, beautiful Grace,
I know you are nervous about today and "not messing up with all those eyes looking at me", but the only thing you need to think about is Jesus being present in your heart.
I've seen the way you love others and it reminds me of how God loves us. I've heard your prayers and it reminds me of what pure and complete trust sound like. You are more than ready to make this step. If you see me crying, just remember what I tell you all the time...they are tears of joy.
Daddy, Hudson and I love you so much. We are proud of who you are and so happy that you are in our family. Keep your eyes locked on the cross and everything else will always fall into place.
Love you more than words can say,
Mama
"I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty."
~John 6:35
I'll come back and update with more family pics after today. We are not really allowed to take pics during the actual Mass, so I tried to take lots during the rehearsal/formal picture day.
Now...to find that super duper hairspray... *wink*
