Of Birthdays and Baptisms

The last two weeks have been filled with amazing, memory-making moments spent with some of the best-loved people in our lives.

It's all wonderful, but, I will confess, a little tiring! 

So, yesterday, after I got the kids off to school, Evie and I spent the day being slugs.  The only things I accomplished, other than surviving, were a walk and a shower.

But it is so sweet to rest when you've gotten tired out having as much fun as we've had!

Last Saturday, we had a birthday party for my mom's 70th birthday.  

She knew there was a party, but didn't know any details about it.  This drove her *crazy!*  

I'm still deciding whether or not to confess that my sister and I took an unholy delight in this.  Heehee!

We surprised her with a room full of her friends, an ice cream sundae bar, and a new computer.  

(Since she is retiring, she has to leave her college-owned desktop behind, so we fixed her up with a new Dell.  For one brief moment, she is the most technologically advanced member of our family!)

The kids and grandkids did a little walk through time which featured world events from every decade of her life (1944, 1954, 1964, etc.), including a reading from our Lord of the Rings (1954) fanatic, Maggie; a song from Camelot by Will; a song on the piano by Johanna; and "Stars" from Les Miserables by Sean; all accompanied by John.

Hardly as polished as one of Mom's Broadway Revue shows, but charming in its own way and offered with much love.

The next day, June 1, we celebrated the baptism of my new niece, Leyna.

This is the combined Copeland/Donaldson gang who gathered that day.

Leyna wore the dress Johanna and Evie wore for their baptisms.  Can we call it a family tradition yet?

John had the privilege of baptizing her.

Thank goodness, he got her name right!

Here's my beautiful sister with lovely Leyna. 

We had lunch in Sean and Katie's backyard and had a gorgeous day for being outside and enjoying good food and good fellowship.

So, this was our whirlwind weekend back in The Falls.  Tiring, but oh, so sweet.