heathen no more!

Last weekend we had a christening for Stella Rose, and a party at our place afterward. It was so much fun, and we are extraordinarily lucky to be surrounded by such amazing friends and family.

We carried on an italian tradition of sausage making to mark special occasions. It was our first time leading such an endeavor. Luckily Joe and Rose were on hand to lend their grinder and advice. So Friday night a small group of us gathered to turn 35 pounds of pork shoulder into yummy italian sausage that we served at the party the next day. My dad also led a family tradition of marking special occasions with homemade ice cream - we had Stellaberry (aka strawberry) and cookies & cream. yum. I broke my no sugar rule and it was SO worth it.

I think about 60 people were there in all, and luckily our former jungle of a backyard is now a lovely courtyard perfectly suited for this kind of thing. Lucky for us the weather cooperated - it was beautiful blue skies and cool breezes.

My brother in law Chris came through with a cornhole set. Cornhole rules. Mostly because it sounds vaguely dirty, but is really a combination of horseshoes and bean bag toss. Only with corn. And holes. We played it in the front yard and converted many to the cornhole cause. Here's a few of our nephews and neice playing - one of the few times the kids actually got to play.



Here's a few shots of the patio:
Stephen's Uncle Billy adds his special magic to any photo he can.


Yes, the giant Buddha head in the courtyard did lead to a few questions... what can I say, we love the Buddha in our house.


A shot of the courtyard through the back french doors. Muchas gracias to Jenny who took it upon herself to dress up the fence with a coat of stain - she can come visit anytime! Also many thanks to my mom, who, let's just say, made this photo possible.

Here's a shot of the front yard. Stephen did a great job. His pointing finger is really tired! (kidding, hon...)

Stella's godparents are my brother Paul and his wife Amanda. We were so happy to have them in Texas for a visit. Stella learned a lot from her cousin (and our godchild) Kaia over the weekend. Does that make them godcousins? Godsisters?

Sunday morning we took Stella and Kaia to the Dallas Arboretum for a photo shoot with Lindsay Baronoskie. She did an amazing job. See more on our Flickr site.

I just wish we had taken pictures during the party and baptism. We forgot to bring the camera to the church, and afterward we got caught up talking to everyone. A few people got shots at the church - If you have some, please send them to me! Stella wore the sweetest family gown - hand made by her Nana using lace made by HER Nana back in Ireland. We were afraid to let her stay in it for the party, so my mom bought her the sweetest party dress: