first communion | tandem in love

we celebrated sweet bennett’s communion last week. it was a beautiful moment, welcoming jesus into his heart.

it was a busy week for us {i can’t imagine what my sister, kim, had going on for herself! she’s always sooooooo busy with the boys!}. i needed to shop for the girls and myself. we needed new, pretty dresses for this special occasion! i needed to do the regular, every day stuff like school, take care of things for girls, myself, and get the house in order. i needed to finalize the details of bennett’s cake and make his cake topper! could i have used the word needed anymore?! ha!

i usually like to do a trial and error when it comes to creating something new. i need to make sure i have the right supplies and that the topper turns out perfect, cute, and right for the occasion. but i didn’t. i ran out of time and before i knew it, it was the night before his communion and we were tied up with celebrating my dad’s birthday and i didn’t get a chance to make a prototype and buy any additional supplies that i might need!

after my dad’s dinner celebration, i rushed out to the store to pick up his cake and decorative supplies for that, then rushed home to start making his cake topper. i had an idea in mind but that was an utter failure. i was at a standstill. what was i going to do??! thank goodness my craft supplies are like a mini hobby lobby downstairs, in the basement. i rummaged through my stuff and came up with a topper. i felt like i could have done better but with the means i had at hand, the topper turned out cute and perfectly matched the theme of his cake. phew!!! i was a mess for a hot second, i was so worried i wouldn’t be able to produce a topper my sister had asked of me and for bennett!

the day was going to be absolutely beautiful! warm temps and a sunny day! we got ready and arrived at the church early! just what we wanted. we found our pew and waited. mass began and it was beautiful to watch. these little souls, so smart and cute…accepting the body of christ. what a moment. bennett was so darn cute in his suit and bow tie and did so well. what a proud moment!

after church, we headed on over to mon ami gabi for lunch. i needed to get there to place the flowers and decorate the cake! i get stressed about doing stuff when people are there, so it was important for me to hurry the eff up! ha!

when i walked in, dave was already there. no matter but i wanted everything in place before the other guests arrived and before kim got there! i almost made it. i was still decorating the cake when a whole crowd came in. after a few tiny decor add on’s, the cake was done! yay! now, where’s my drink?!!

we mingled, sipped, and snacked. it was a really great time. lots of good peeps all in one place, celebrating bennett’s special day!

[the church administrators were adamant about not taking pictures, so i didn’t get any good pics of bennett’s first communion!]

[olive was upset the sun was so bright]

[lynne, patrick, and barbara]

[cha quyen]

[kevin and family]

[kevin and lisa]

[agata and dan]

[dave and steve]

[mom, dad, and thuy]

[bennett’s first communion cake]

[my diy cake topper]

[dan and agata]

[flowers by kim]

[kim and kevin]

[lisa and thuy]

xoxo

so proud and excited for my little nephew to receive his first communion!

our plan was to get to the church early and we actually succeeded! i am amazed that we did! the parking lot was already packed but we found parking just fine. we headed inside and we immediately ran into terry. he directed us where to go and we found kim, reagan, and bennett sitting in a pew.

we waited around for everyone else to show and for the mass to begin. the ceremony was a lot quicker than i thought with sixty kids being welcomed! olive was being super cute in her daddy’s arms. she was being so sweet, so calm, and so good.

it was then time for reagan to receive his first communion. i was so excited and proud! i couldn’t wait! our entire pew walked up and i was definitely the crazy aunt with the camera, snapping pics non-stop! i did get a few good ones…although i should have played around with my setting because all the pics were sooooo red/orange in color – so annoying!

after church, we all hung out for a bit but i couldn’t hang for long…i was way too hungry and tired! i felt bad i didn’t stick around for more pics but when i don’t eat…i get exhausted and sick! so, we swung by starbucks to grab drinks and snacks before we hit the restaurant.

loved the place my sister and brother chose for the lunch. it’s a place called neat kitchen and it was super cute and they had super yummy eats! we had our own private room and it was great to let the kids run around and we just relaxed in a comfortable environment. we enjoyed tasty libations and mingled with all the other guests. olive was having a blast with her cousins and avery. when this babe feels comfortable, she is just a gem.

the food was finally served and it was soooo good! we had a great time trying all the dishes and all the flavors that was presented before us. olive ate like a champ! it goes to show how delicious it was when this babe eats and eats and eats! woo hoo!

it was time for dessert and the pretty cake was adorned with my handmade cake topper for reagan! i must admit, i loved how it turned out! i was at the craft store with miss olive, with no plans and little ideas in mind as i pursued the aisles of trinkets. i looked at different cake topper ideas on the internet and i just wasn’t sure what i wanted to do! plus, try having a toddler with ya when you are trying to figure it out! every two seconds, “what’s this? what’s this? what’s this?” hahaha! oh my! i finally grabbed the supplies i needed in hopes that this cake topper would miraculously look fabulous and that i had grabbed all the materials i would need! well, it turned out perfect for my perfect little nephew!

after cake was served, we hung out just for a bit more and then said our goodbyes. it was a really awesome morning and afternoon with friends and family. i enjoyed my time at church, at the restaurant, and most of all…celebrating my nephews journey to christ’s table. it was a great day indeed!