Peter's Christening!

Preparation for Peter's baptism kind of consumed me for the week beforehand, and I have to say I really liked all of it. It reminds me of the planning for my wedding. You might as well enjoy the whole process, or else the day itself goes by so quickly that you won't appreciate all the little things. A lot of people told me "Oh, you totally won't remember any of the stuff from your wedding day. It's a blur." I can still tell you all the little details that mattered to me, from the sweet pea in my bouquet, to the song that played when Jason and I cut the cake, to the readings and the songs during the ceremony, to being carried over the threshold. I know it's the graces of the sacrament that make it so memorable, and I know that those graces carry me through many other times! So with that in mind...

The baptism itself was just beautiful. Fr. Sean involved all of the children and family members as he proclaimed the readings and we all participated in the rite. My brother John, Peter's godfather, lit the candle with great pride, and gave his little godson a kiss as he marked him with the sign of the cross. Our Aunt Mary Rose, the godmother, came to dress Peter (no easy feat for a slippery little satin suit with lots of buttons!) and also took our family picture. Or should I say several family pictures, one of which turned out nicely!

So how does one plan a family party for 17 adults and 13 children, 7 of whom are between the ages of 1 and 4? One need only ask oneself this question: WWND? What Would Nicholas Do? Then, plan around the anticipated behavior. This meant: no glass beer bottles or bottle caps. Answer: quarter keg. No trash cans or recycling bins within reach of children (Nicholas), no chafing dishes or open flame, no food or drink within reach of little hands. Are we having fun yet?! This gives a whole new meaning to Sandra Lee's word TABLESCAPE.

But even with all of these precautions in place, how can we keep kids from being kids? By mid afternoon, all of them were elbows deep into our water-filled party bucket. Jason decided to relocate the sodas and let the kids have at it. Except, every time they dumped the water out of it, he'd end up filling it up again with the hose, and, well, one thing led to another and the kids all got sprayed down. For our next summer party, I'll have to get a Slip 'N Slide!