Clare's First Communion and Fun While Mom Was Away...


At the end of April, I made a quick trip to Phoenix to see Clare Luken, my goddaughter, make her first communion. I had hoped that all of my family would be able to come with me, but in the end, it made sense for me to be the sole representative. Moira had a piano recital the same weekend, and it all worked out because the Luken kids were very busy with swimming!

The day I arrived we went to lunch and then headed to the pool in the afternoon, where I learned the ins and outs of being part of a swim team family. After a late dinner, I think I practically fell asleep in the car on the way home (due to a very early start and the time difference). 

The next morning, Clare was very excited to begin getting ready for her big day. She had a whole list of things to do, but one of the funniest was when we were drying our hair together. 



And then the time had come! We went with her Grandma Kathy and Aunt Lizzie to the church, and Clare was very social with all of her friends while waiting to proceed into the church. There were 90 kiddos going through their first communion, I think! The service was lovely, and before we knew it, we were taking photos afterwards in a nice back garden area. 






The rest of the day was a lot of fun as Marianne and Dave had a few friends over, and I loved watching all of the kids play together. I cannot believe how grown-up all of the Luken kids are getting--even Joe! Below is one final shot of Clare at her swim meet (she is very competitive...they all are!). 


Back at home, Alan and the girls were on their own over the weekend. I was out of town as were Grandpa (with me) and Grandma (in Israel). Alan and the girls were fortunate to have a visit from Aunt Kate and Uncle Scott, though, on Sunday. The weather was beautiful, so they all went on a bike ride, and once again, Uncle Scott captured it all beautifully!











As I understand it, after the bike ride, everyone came back inside to hear Moira do a rendition of her favorite songs from her piano recital. They also like to try to take photos with Uncle Scott's camera, which I think you see below. And it looks like everyone was having a great deal of fun. 







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