Keri's Annual Mother's Day Luncheon and some Joyful Noise

My readers may recall that I shared last year about my sister Keri's tradition of hosting a brunch for the ladies of her family every Mother's Day weekend. This was her first year to host it as a married lady in her own home, and she opted to have it this Saturday and do an afternoon luncheon instead.

The number of ladies present certainly increased this year since Keri gained a new mother-in-law, sis-in-law, grandma-in-law, as well as the upcoming addition of Monee' to our family.

Keri puts a lot of time, effort, and love into making this a special time. She sends out personal invitations, even if we're just across town. And my little girls think it's so cool that they're included too. When we arrive, she always has a notecard addressed to each guest at their place setting with a touching personal note. Those always mean a lot to me, and again, my girls feel so big and special to be included. We always try to take the time for a few generational pictures at this event. I didn't seem to get quite as much of a variety of pictures this year, but I think the ones I have are pretty special.

Keri's menu: Linguine with Shrimp or Chicken; Breadsticks; Fresh Apples and Grapes with Marshmallow Creme Dip; Miniature Cheesecakes, original and orange w/chocolate (yum!); Black and White Cookies; homemade Madeleines; Lemonade or Iced Tea with strawberries. And she sent each guest home with an adorable little box of four cupcakes with homemade buttercream frosting. It was all delicious....
Beautiful job, Keri!

As for the Joyful Noise part, I thought I'd throw in a completely unrelated element for your viewing pleasure! Our children sang during church this morning, and Derek video'ed them during their practice before service. I thought it was actually better during the service, but this gives you an idea anyway! Enjoy! (I think Sophie's serious facial expression is hilarious, and she had that same look during church! She takes it very seriously! :) )

Warning: You should be prepared to adjust your volume DOWN...it's a little loud! Sorry...