"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it."
-Proverbs 22:6
On Sunday we dedicated to raise our children on the solid foundation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is by far my deepest prayer (even more so than any prayer regarding my children's physical well being) that they would one day come to know Christ as Savior, to be born again, and to choose to be baptized as a symbol of their new life in Him. We certainly have a long way to go in our own walk, but we hope to be an example to our children and to provide them with the foundation for coming to a place of acceptance in Christ.
Both kiddos did great during the dedication service. Normally, they are both in the nursery or in their class during church, so it was so funny to have them both there. They opened with "Jesus Loves Me," and it was simply precious to look over at Elizabeth and watch her sing right along. It was also sweet to see Liam so excited, jumping up and down and flirting with the people seated behind us! Several times the congregation was silent, except for Liam's "Dada-da's"
When it was time to come forward with the other families to make our "dedication" official, the kiddos both did great as well. I was a little worried that one of my children (I won't say which one) would throw a huge fit and make a huge scene in the middle of the service. But no, they did great. Liam sucked his thumb and looked around the whole time, and Elizabeth was pretty quiet, too. The only thing Elizabeth did when we were up on stage is she couldn't figure out where the sound was coming from (the pastor's microphone is set up to a speaker, which was above us, so it sounded like the voice was coming from up above) So she kept asking, "Is the voice from up there? Is the voice coming from up there?" In total, I believe there were five other families dedicating children. We are so blessed to have found a church with so many families with young children and so many wonderful children programs (Awana, Upward, Kids of the Kingdom, Royal Ambassadors, Girls in Action, VBS, Preschool Coop, etc.) and we can't wait until our night-time routines are a little more flexible so we can participate more!
Here we are before church in our Sunday best. Elizabeth's dress is a little big, but maybe that means it can double as an Easter dress. And I just loved Liam's shirt and tie and blazer!
I love this shot above! Sibling love! I am SO blessed that we have had absolutely ZERO jealousy issues or really any sort of behavior problems as far as sibling-rivalry goes. I'm sure it's coming. But for now, I'm SO happy that they just really love each other!
Seriously... how stinkin' cute is this boy?! My husband said he looked like a British rock star with the tie and blazer! Sorry about the hair... we tried wetting it and combing it down. It, however, has a mind of its own. If you are wondering about the spot on his cheek, it's eczema. We are in a constant battle of calming it down w/hydrocortisone cream, only for it to return the next day. I think there are some stronger meds out there, but since it doesn't seem to bother him a bit, we didn't figure we needed it yet.
OH, and here's my beautiful (ornery) princess. Elizabeth ADORED her dress and instantly started twirling all over the house pretending to be a ballerina! The first pic is just SO precious! As Nana pointed out, she looks like a little angel lost in prayer... then you see the second pic, with that devilish grin--lol!
We were SO happy to have the Tabet family come to church with us on Sunday and to celebrate afterward with lunch! Elie and his parents were the only people we knew when we first moved to North Carolina from California (Elie got his post-doc at Stanford in the same group as Vassil, and moved out here a year before us). They are seriously the nicest, sweetest, most positive people I have ever met in my entire life! We have spent several Thanksgivings at la Casa Tabet! Elie is definitely Vassil's best bud, and lots of people at work even think they are brothers! Elizabeth also LOVES "Uncle Elie!" So we were so surprised and happy to have them join us on Sunday! :)
Here is the Sermon from our Baby Dedication Sunday;
Psalm 127 ; I Samuel 3 ; Proverbs 13:24, 15:14 ; Dueteronomy 6:5-7 "Our Children are Our Heritage from the Lord"
