Danny's First Communion

In the blink of an eye since May 2011, we had another First Communicant on our hands, and I would say he was equally as excited. While he was less than thrilled by the prospect of the required clothing, on the day of the main event he donned them proudly, and wore them so handsomely!

The First Communion itself was gorgeous, and we had the added special touch of Clare serving on the altar.

We are so blessed with our family, who made the effort to be here for Danny's special day. God really is SO good!

Ballerina Laura

Laura's ballet recital kicked off the big First Communion weekend on Thursday night, and she could not have been more excited! The past few weeks the ballerinas had been counting down, reporting "X many weeks until the recital!" I am happy to write that the big event seemed to fulfill all of her hopes, and of course it was darling (and hilarious) to watch. Bravo!

"Nine is Sublime"

So declared Danny to me this morning, as we wind down what appears to be a rousing success of a birthday celebration (to be completed tonight with dinner at his favorite restaurant, Fogo de Chao). It started with a sweet treat at school:

Holden and Danny

Then a relaxing evening at home, just the five of us, opening presents and eating alligator cake:

The next morning Danny had a soccer game (where he scored two goals to secure a tie for their team), and then we rounded up his three best buddies and headed to SkyZone. Dodge ball was the primary activity for these guys, though they did take a few turns flipping into the foam pit.

Holden, Edward, Danny & Cole

Clare, Isabella, Gabrielle and Laura were also along for the excursion. Laura surprised us by jumping quite a bit, despite having attended a birthday party in the morning and skipping her nap:

Eight- and nine-year-old boys are quite energetic, particularly when fueled with milkshakes, so I admit I enjoyed some wine at the end of the evening. But Danny was so enthusiastic and grateful about his day, which is all we could have hoped for. Every year with him truly is sublime!