Our Weekend - The One with the Daddy Daughter Dance & First Reconciliation

And the Mother Son Date, and the cabinet painting, and a birthday party, etc.  Goodness gracious, what a busy weekend!  I am feeling pretty much like a chicken with my head cut off this morning because we have way too many things going on.  Our kitchen is mostly done (to the point where I was able to put everything back in the cabinets) but I can’t put stuff back on the countertops yet because they still have to come back today to do the polyurethane coat on the outside.  We were so busy this weekend that I didn’t have time to get everything back in the cabinets anyway, and I’m honestly feeling pretty scattered over here. 

In addition to finishing up the cabinets, they are also starting the entertainment center painting today, so our living room and front room are now all in shambles as well.  The woodwork guys are also coming today to make my bookshelves look like built-ins so my office will be in shambles as well.  Sheesh.  I’m super excited about all of the changes going on around here, but it has definitely made for a very chaotic week.  You never really know just how much you use your kitchen until you don’t have access to it.  We’ve eaten way more fast food and carryout this week than I care to admit. 

Anyhoo, Friday, the painters had to work well into the evening to finish up the cabinet painting, so I grabbed Maui to get her away from the paint fumes (they were horrid on Friday), and she and I went to pick the kids up from school on Friday together.  Since the fumes were just awful and I didn’t want the kids around it for longer than necessary, we stopped by DQ for mini Blizzards and then we stopped by the playground for a bit.

We finally made our way home around 4:30 and I let the kids watch TV upstairs to keep them out of the way since they were still painting.  Around 5:30 it was time to get Olivia ready for her very first dance… with her Daddy!  So sweet!  She got a new dress and new shoes for the occasion (that will likely double as her Easter attire) and Brian picked up a tiny corsage for her.  He ordered baby pink roses (since her favorite color is pink) with gold ribbon to match her dress.  Be still my heart, y’all.  <3  He got all dressed up in a suit and tie with a shirt to match, and they both looked as sweet as can be!  Just look at those precious pictures!

The theme for the dance was Under the Sea, so it was all about the mermaids!  The girls were each given a mermaid necklace and a flippy sequin slap bracelet, and the daddies were each given bottle openers that had “Mer-Dad” on them.  B said that Olivia was pretty shy at first (I know, shocking!) but she warmed up as the night went on.  And once her bestie, Becca, arrived, B said she left him high and dry.  Lol.  She even got to hang with some of the big kids from Jacob’s class who love her.  :o)

And now for some pictures from the professional photographer at the event.

While Brian and Olivia danced the night away, Jacob and I went on a little date ourselves.  I let Jacob pick the place for dinner and he wanted Chick-Fil-A, so we grabbed a sandwich and nuggets and were both delighted because we were able to sit at one of the high-top tables.  We usually avoid those when we’re with our clumsy gal because she falls off of everything.  Haha.

After dinner I asked Jacob if he wanted to go to Barnes and Noble since it was across the street and he was just as happy as could be with that decision.  So he and I spent the rest of the evening browsing all of the books and toys and were both as happy as clams.  We both love to read and we both loooove book stores, so it was a perfect evening for both of us!  He asked to buy a Lego set and I told him he could if he used his own money so he found one for $19.99.  It’s always a lot harder to spend money when it’s your own!  We got home a few minutes before B and Olivia, and then it was bedtime for the kids and TV time for B and me.

Saturday morning we were up and out the door earlier than usual because Jacob was receiving his First Reconciliation at church.  All of his friends/classmates were there, and it was so sweet to witness those sweet babies learning humility and repairing their relationships with God.  And if you’re not Catholic and you have no idea what I’m talking about, Reconciliation is one of the seven sacraments that we receive as Catholics, and it is, in a nutshell, confessing your sins and being forgiven for them through Jesus’s grace and mercy.  We Catholics receive our First Reconciliation in the second grade to further our relationships with God, and also to prepare ourselves to receive First Communion a few weeks later.  Second grade is a big year in the Catholic faith.  :o)

During the ceremony Olivia and one of her besties from school got together and went over to say hi to their teacher (whose daughter is also in Jacob’s class) who was sitting across from us.  Her teacher invited them to sit with her and Olivia was just as excited as she could be!  She kept looking our way and BEAMING with joy.  I just love how close our church and school family is… I am so grateful every day to be a part of it.  

The rest of the afternoon was spent getting stuff put back in our kitchen cabinets until it was time to go to 5:30 mass.  I polled all of you on Instagram Stories about using shelf paper (yay or nay) and the majority of you said you didn’t think it was necessary, and I agree.  Our painters said that the paint they use is the highest quality and that there was no need to use the shelf paper, but she did still highly recommend that we use it anyway just to protect the cabinets.  I’ve never once used it in my life, so I wasn’t really wanting to use it.  I ultimately decided that I’ll use it in the cabinet under the sink (since that’s where we keep the cleaners) as well as in the spice cabinet (in case the olive oil or cooking spray ever leaks) and in the liquor cabinet (in case of spills).  All of the other cabinets will be bare, so hopefully they will hold up!  Eek!  If you are super passionate either way about using or not using shelf paper I would love to hear your reasons why!  I want to protect the cabinets since we just spent so much to have them painted, but I just don’t love shelf paper…

Anyway, I was able to get a good bit back in the cabinets and then it was time to go to church.  My grandmother has been down with the flu and she’s been pretty bad off so my mom and her siblings have all been caring for her, and therefore, none of my extended family was at church because they were worried about spreading germs.  My brother and his fam (who have managed to avoid the germs so far like we have) met us for dinner at our usual Mexican place, and then it was Blizzards for our little family of four because our kids are creatures of habit and Brian can’t say no to a Blizzard either.  Hehe.  B, you know it’s true.

B and I spent the rest of the evening watching that new football league that just started… Atlanta had their first game, and Gary Danielson (college football announcer) was announcing so it sounded just like a college football Saturday evening.  So nice since we miss it so much when it’s not around!

Sunday morning was spent getting more stuff back in the cabinets and then we headed to Panera for a quick lunch before Jacob’s friend from school’s birthday party.  He and I headed straight to the movie theater after lunch and Jacob sat with all of his friends during the movie while I sat with my friends (the other kids’ parents) in the row behind them.  We saw Lego Movie 2 and it was cute… definitely had some hilarious parts that were geared towards adults. 

After the movie, the kids all went to a party room in the entertainment center side of the complex and they had pizza and cake.  About 25 of the kids in the second grade were there for the party so he had lots of fun seeing them and spending time with them (for the second time) that weekend.

The rest of the evening was spent catching up on housework, clearing off the entertainment center for painting, and trying to get caught up on “life” stuff.  I’m completely out of whack from the house being in disarray (because – painting) and also because we’ve been SO DANG BUSY.  My momma didn’t cook Sunday dinner because she and my dad have been so tied up from family happenings, and they also didn’t want to risk spreading the flu virus.  My poor grandmother hasn’t been doing well with it at all and we’re praying they can keep her well enough to avoid the hospital. 

On another note, my other grandmother’s (my Daddy’s mom) partner has been super sick.  I call him my grandmother’s partner because they never got married, but he might as well be my step-grandfather since he’s been around since I was 10.  He’s had several strokes and several falls here recently and this weekend he has appeared to have had another stroke.  Between my Nana (Daddy’s mom) being super sick these last couple of years, my Papa John (my step-grandfather) having all of his strokes/falls recently, and now my Mama Cass (Momma’s mom) having the flu, my poor parents have been running around like crazy for the last year running errands, taking them to doctor’s appointments, bringing them food, and taking care of them in other ways.  I wish everyone could be well so they could get a much-deserved break.  We’ve just had a lot of illness in our extended fam this last year, so if you could keep us in your thoughts and prayers we would be really grateful.  Thanks, y’all.

Don't forget to link up with Heather, Johannah, Tanya, and myself... just grab our new graphic for 2019 and link up below!

*Linking up with B Loved Boston for Weekending and HoHo Runs for Weekly Wrap.

Inlinkz Link Party