Baptism

After 6+ years of discussions about which religion we would raise our children in, we decided to baptize Madeline in the Catholic Church. We've been attending Saint Raphael down the street for years, and although I'm not interested in converting, I would like for this to be our home church. I hope to find a community here.



Father Patrick met with us beforehand to go through the ceremony and answer all the questions we had. When he came over to her several times during the service, she just beamed! It was as if she was looking at God Himself. :)
We chose William and Laura to be her Godparents.

She handled the baptism well, and didn't scream at all!




Afterwards we celebrated with sandwiches, snacks, and cake back at our house.
It was a beautiful day, in so many ways!

Block Party

Last weekend we spent a wonderful evening outside with neighbors. I have such fond memories of block parties from when we lived on South Wright St. that I wanted to give the same memories to Madeline. Because Cardinal Lane feels like South Wright, I knew that many people would be interested. Along with a few others, I helped organize. It was such a success and we had such a great turnout that we hope it will become an annual event! Here Madeline is sitting with our next door neighbor, Liza, who is expecting in August.
This is right after the water balloon toss. For such an old neighborhood, there are oodles of kids!

Happy first Father's Day, Dad. I love you SOOOOO much!
Sharing sunscreen with a friend and enjoying the Riverwalk at a recent playgroup.

Nancy & Ethan's visit

Our good friends Nancy and Ethan stayed with us for a few days. One morning we spent some time at the DuPage Children's Museum.
Madeline loved playing with the toys in the "Young Explorers" areas.
Ethan "had a ball" too!
And good naps were taken afterwards!
We had a little get together so the rest of the girls could see Nancy & Ethan. Here's Madeline with JD.
Madeline with Tracy

Trip to Michigan

We took a day trip to Michigan to visit with some Hay/Leedy cousins. After spending time visiting, we got to tour their apple, plum, and peach orchards.
We also got to meet and pet the horses!

Such fun!

Uncle John and Cousin Graceann come for a visit.
Our good friend Kristi made this beautiful outfit!

Friends

We had dinner with our good friends Chuck and Suzy, and enjoyed a beautiful evening downtown Naperville. Madeline and Braden communicated very well with each other with yells and squeals.
We enjoyed some ice cream, took a walk on the Riverwalk, and played at a park. Good times!