Let Us Rejoice and Be Glad…| Triplets’ First Holy Communion Day

The triplets’ First Holy Communion Day, was so special.
This day, that they have waited for for so long, finally arrived! I promise, this is the last of the First Holy Communion posts – along with the Simple Lunch Spread for a Celebration Gathering post up right now.  We’re hoping someone, somewhere, is still interested, while we indulge in posting about this happy occasion one more time.

Anyway, I wasn’t going to take photos of them actually receiving for the first time, because it just didn’t seem right.  But….the other parents were told it was alright, as long as the photos were taken from their seats. So, I decided to do so too, not wanting to regret passing up the opportunity!  Even though my angle was awful!   All of the other children receiving their Sacrament this day, sat at the end of a pew for their family, and simply stepped out of their pew to receive this first time. But ours stepped out of our pew, and across the whole aisle in a line up, across the back of the 2 lines of kids.  (Hope you followed that.)  Anyway…..the Mass was really nice, as always, and the kids did great!  They were so excited prior to…..then after, so happy and just….beaming. Trust me when I say, they fully understood/understand the significance of this event, and every Mass from here on out.

Some of our family and friends were there at the Mass with us.  Some traveled quite a ways, to celebrate this day with us,  and it meant a lot to all of us. {JM, O & S} brought up the gifts for the Mass, which was so sweet.  They were really happy to do it.

Do you all know Fr. Bob Reed, from CatholicTV? ( Do your kids watch WOW!?) Well, we do, and love him.   We were touched to learn that he had put in for presiding the Mass at which they would make this Holy Sacrament.  He has become a great friend of ours. Yes, he is giving them rabbit ears in the first photo, still being silly in the second, and finally we get a serious shot in the third! He even has a secret handshake with them.  He is, simply put, a really kind, funny, down-to-earth guy, and the work he does to evangelize our Catholic faith through by his vocation, through TV and otherwise,  is nothing short of amazing!
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Following Mass, our family and friends came to our home for a continued celebration.  Of course, we had decorated our little tree (a.k.a. a branch) for this special Sacrament occasion, and I loved what the kids did on our schooling chalkboard!  We served our guests a light lunch, which I shared in the Recipes section.

Before we ate though, we took some more quick photos with the people who love them, and came to be with them on this day:

Left: The 6 of us.  I love that this is small, and you cannot see how absolutely terrible & tired I looked! (Aren’t I clever?)   I had been going non-stop for days, to be ready for this day. Can’t imagine how I would have survived, if I didn’t ‘keep it simple’!  But I digress. {A} on the other hand, was an absolute doll! She had on the sweetest outfit, and beads!  / Right:  The trio with their Godparents, (one of my brothers and sister-in-law), the kids Uncle G and Auntie K.    As blessed as our kids are with the Godparents they have, we wanted badly to be able to give them each their own set of Godparents.   They are individual kids, not a unit, and deserve that like any other kids.  But you know how complicated these things can be, and we just couldn’t at that time, give them their own.  I feel compelled to say that, only because I do not want to give the impression that we see our triplets, as ONE, and not individual kids.  Most know that, but I feel better SAYING it.  (So thanks for letting me!)  Their Godparents love them very much though, and vice-versa.  They are also a wonderful aunt and uncle, and were gracious to accept all 3 as their Godchildren.

With  their ‘Papa’, who often comes for overnights to spend time with them.   And then with two uncles.  

“It’s all…..for you.” lol.

WITH FR. (Bob) REED

Fr. Bob showed up, so I took the fruit cup in his hand away, and I made him have another photo.  Even though, as he said, he didn’t have his priest attire on anymore. But he had PINK on!!  I think it’s great when guys wear pink. Don’t you?

We were so done with photos by this point.  And hungry.   So we all went and ate.  Well, I made sure everyone else ate, and tried to keep up with everything going on, and took bites in between!

Family and friends brought, and sent by mail, very thoughtful and unexpected gifts.  We wanted to spend as much time with the people who came to celebrate with us, so the kids opened most of them later that night by ourselves.  They received so many beautiful and special tokens of this day, that the kids truly already, treasure.  They have always had a special fondness for their own religious items-and now they have so much more.   The people in our lives are so kind and thoughtful.

The day just seemed to fly by, and I felt like I missed so much.  I despise that feeling.  I had planned this special day for the kids for so long, and I didn’t want to miss a moment.  But I just couldn’t take it all in at once.  We had several friends with us that day, that I wanted to get candid photos of, and never got to before they left:   A family who good friends of ours,  and some folks who have sat near us for so long and have become dear friends, who have watched the kids ‘sit like indians’ while we all went up to receive Communion, and have waited for this day too.  It’s really bothering me, still. It’s one of those things…I want to go back and have another chance!  I want the kids to have photos of everyone who was there with them that day.  Despite my planning, I didn’t get this part done. I wanted to take LOTS of candids all day.  But I was so busy with so many things, time got away, people eventually left, and then it was too late.

But to the kids….the day was truly perfect, and joyful.  And I too, do have sweet moments of this day, burned into my memory. (But, I don’t have proof of it all in photos, darn it! lol).  Sweet moments, like this one…..

….The boys, pushing their Aunt/Godmother on the swing.  She, of course, was really being dramatic and making the most of it for their entertainment, and they were just loving it!!  They were laughing so hard, and having so much fun.  And so was she!!  I truly just love the photo of her on the right.

THIS……Is Fr. Ken.  The pastor of our church.  You know, the one who’s AMAZING homilies I speak so much about?! We were so happy he came over to our house for awhile, too!!  He came a little later on, after many had left (even Fr. Bob).  But you know what…it was SO NICE.  Because we sat with him for a long time on the deck, and just talked.  (After he quizzed the kids on important questions.  Talk about being put on the spot!)  We talked about his homilies, and how he prepares for them. (I had to know the details!)  He also shared a whole lot…..about the new church we will be building quite soon.

Here is another photo, that represents more sweet memories of this day….

…..our kids, with some of their cousins.  Many could not be with us this day, but these 2 could!!  D & M (right behind {A} in the front) are great kids.  They all had SO much fun together, playing with Pixel, laughing and talking about random stuff, and playing basketball.  It was great to see them all having a great time together, and we’ll be doing it again soon!

It truly was a blessed and beautiful day, for sure.  The weather could not have been better, too.  Sunny and mid-70’s. Perfect.

O.K. now, aside from the day’s menu over in Vittles, that should wrap up our First Holy Communion posts!!  Thank you so much, for letting us share so much of this special occasion with you, and sharing in our joy!!   As much hype as we have built up to this day, the kids will tell you, the happiness and excitement only began with this day.  They will, and already are, re-living the joy over and over, as they receive Jesus at every Mass of their lives, from this day forward.

Let us continue to rejoice, and be glad.

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