a big, loud day

this morning i thought we should have bought flowers. then i remembered we have a garden full of them, dur.

Today was James' confirmation at church.

It's that old Lutheran thing, middle school kids take classes after they're too old for Sunday School, and then right before high school they finish, and there's a special ceremony. Among other things, it indicates their status in the congregation as adults, and is a rite of passage.

So here we are, and today it's Jimmy's turn, in our old Garrison Keillor church. I'm so close to this that for a long time I didn't even get the jokes. What's funny about Jello salad? Or quiet people?

the whole group

The organ and the brass players were LOUD, however. Or maybe we're just not used to being that close to the front usually.

An older sister of a confirmation kid accompanied the choir on violin, and that was not loud, very, very lovely.

James with his godparents, John and Kirsten

Lydia Karina had her first Sunday as an acolyte and she did not trip over her robe or spill anything (like the offering plates or wine.) She didn't catch anything on fire. It was all a great success.

James with the pastors

It's all red because of Pentecost, which is about the Holy Spirit in this part of the Easter story, and when a Holy Spirit comes to traumatized, scared disciples trying to find their way, this is a good thing. Then it was, and it still is.

When I was James' age it was called the Holy Ghost, not the Holy Spirit. By any name, nothing has changed, although the Holy Ghost sounds a lot more challenging and mysterious.

Oh my gosh.

And then there was a feast and celebration at our house afterward. John's birthday was included, and our parents and brothers and sister came, and cousins and characters, and James' friend r.t. and it was a great loud party day.






our niece and Heidi and Joe's p.j.

b.g. tearing up paper with his teeth



It ended with basketball in the driveway, a sleepover, a grandbaby (b.g.) who would never get out of the airplane swing if he didn't have to, and four times the dishwasher ran tonight.

That's a good party, all those dishes. It's not even work really, cleaning up after an occasion this perfect.

Oh, and we got your raunchy kid jokes right here. Julia was informed that a swass means a person has a sweaty ass.

Isn't that sweet?

So she made up a knock-knock joke and ran upstairs to tell Little Jay.

(I didn't know about this until tonight. I'd have stopped the whole thing. Honest.)

"Jay! Knock-knock!"

"Who's there?"

"Swass!"

"Swass who?"

"I have a sweaty ass!"

Jay responded with a joke back, I'm told:

"Knock-knock."

"Who's there?!"

"Leave."

"Leave who?"

"No, just leave."

Oh, don't you love that? Such nice children.


Anyway, Sunday is over. The kids are asleep long before they usually even consider going to bed, and there's a cool June breeze at the window, and I haven't stopped smiling all day.

Congratulations Jimmy, and Happy Birthday again, John. We love you both, Mom and Dad