Two Weekends

At the beginning of this month there were two special weekends. At first glance they seem like they were quite different, almost opposite of one another.

One involved a band and lots of beer and a party and lots of people and fireworks.

The other involved Mass and sacraments and many fewer people and a nice quiet dinner.

On closer inspection, however, they were pretty similar in many ways too. They both involved a great deal of joy and celebration and family and friends.

The first of these was a big 4th of July weekend we had, hosting the band and having a party for them to play for some of our local friends. We made multiple beer runs, and there were lots of off-color jokes and loud music, and our friends brought awesome fireworks that we set off in our backyard.

Some of our friends even got up to sing, and there was a contest to see who could come closest to successfully singing “Love Hurts.”

I even sang “Little Willy” while nursing. Definitely a band first.

But beyond the party, there was lots of great family fun.

There was lots of cousin bonding time:

A team effort to make pizza on Sunday:

^ Instructions ^

^ Everyone helping ^

One of my favorite things about the weekend was that the kids organized and got to work on the band equipment still outside after the party and put on a kids’ band show.

They composed their own music, practiced, and played a show for the grown-ups after dinner. It was unexpected and hilarious and such a joy to observe.

It was a fantastic weekend of family and fun.

And the very next weekend was another big celebration for Baby Boy’s baptism.

A smaller group of family came into town for his special day, and it was so lovely and such a blessing to have them here.