Isabella Celine's Baptismal Weekend

Our newest Goddaughter, Isabella Celine, was baptized yesterday (Saturday, June 30th). It was a lovely occasion!  Since her parents, our dear friends Teddy & Amy, live about an hour away from the chapel, it made sense for them to spend the weekend here to minimize their driving time. We hosted a lovely reception at our home afterwards, which included many of Teddy & Amy's family members and friends. We couldn't have asked for better weather - it was supposed to be 90 degrees, but the temperature proved to be not only comfortable, but enjoyable when sitting in the shaded spot of our yard. The children spent all day playing in the fields behind our house, which enabled the grown ups to enjoy good food and good conversation. A fun time was had by all!  Congratulations Isabella Celine!

Note: To view the pictures in a larger format and in a "slideshow," click on one of the photos and scroll through them!

Amy getting Isabella dressed in her baptismal gown

Leo, Jules, & Joan watching Amy dress Isabella

Amy's beautiful mother holding Isabella before her baptism - everyone kept commenting on how beautiful Amy's mother is - she is really stunning, isn't she?

 Joni and Jules outside the chapel before the baptism

 Isabella Celine is baptized! (Note: Father C. joked that Isabella "scored a 99%" since she was a perfect angel, only crying when he put the blessed salt in her mouth and briefly when he poured the water over her head. He also made a comment about how it's a good thing we don't practice "full immersion baptism" and how the water, even though it was cold, was probably less cold than the water from the river Jordan!)

 The Proud Godparents

 Happy Family!

Another Happy Family!  :-)

Since Joni spent most of the day playing outside, she endured several different "costume changes" - this was a favorite of the guests - a Lilly Pulitzer shift dress with matching bloomers.

I shot this photo, and it's one of my favorites from the event

The children had a wonderful time playing in the yard, which allowed the adults to enjoy some much needed and much appreciated conversation!

Our back field, looking quite inviting on a nice summer day...

I ordered a homemade ice cream cake from our favorite local dairy for the event. It was a hit and was gone in less than 5 minutes!  Red Raspberry Rage & Coffee Oreo ice cream layered between cookie crumbles!

Teddy & Amy befriended another couple in their Bradley childbirth class who had a baby shortly before they did...here are Isabella and Damien relaxing in their car seats!

 The Grandparents Enjoying their First Grandchild!

Daddy enjoying his little girl :-)

Ben's Aunt, Sister Margaret Mary, stopped by for a bit...she is always a welcome guest in our house! The life of the party, really!

Adriana holding Isabella

Our good friends Pete and Chrissy from down the road came with their 4 children who helped to "wear our children out" - which is always most welcome and appreciated around here!

People stayed for a long time, which makes me confident they had a fun time!  Ben's brother Mike stayed late, helping to entertain the children while I cleaned up.

Isabella had some gas issues after the guests left, and I asked Amy if I could hold her and if I could try to "work my magic." Experienced mom that I am, can I brag by telling you I was able to get her down in TEN MINUTES by doing the "football hold squat" (for those curious, hold the baby like a football with her head tucked into the spot above your elbow...say "shh" continually, and squat up and down while patting the baby on her back). I'm glad it worked for THIS baby ;-)

 This is one of my favorite shots of Joni and her Daddy

 And in these two photos, Joni looks SO GROWN UP TO ME!  I can really see what she's going to look like as a little girl in these shots!

God Bless you Isabella Celine! May the Good Lord guide you and guard you all the days of your life! For those interested, Teddy scored a copy of a manual written in 1892 on Catholic Etiquette. It's really a gem, and has an entire chapter devoted to baptismal etiquette as well as how Catholic Ladies and Gentleman should behave during other events and in various other social situations and sacraments. I was actually able to find the entire book online, so if you're interested, click here!