a special picnic

Over Memorial Day weekend we had a special picnic and Brett was the guest of honor. In our faith, we have baby dedication services. At a dedication, we publicly recognize that our child is a gift from God, and as his parents (and grandparents, aunties, uncles, cousins, friends...) commit to bringing him up in our faith, praying that as he grows, he will also choose to follow Jesus in his life.

Usually baby dedications are a part of a larger church service, but we chose to have a more informal, more personal service. We had a picnic in a park and invited friends and family. My brother, who is the pastor who also officiated our marriage, officiated the dedication. Since almost all our family lives out of town, it was also a fun excuse to get together and enjoy the weekend!

Pastor Dave shared how in the Old Testament, Hannah committed her son Samuel's life to God.

Grandparents gathered around to say a public prayer for Brett.

Lots of yummy food!

Every special occasion needs a cake! But Brett didn't get to eat any!

Brett's first push in a "real" swing!

Wedan Family Grows...Again

Life is full of surprises...

...our Little Surprise is due November 22nd!

not playing nice

I babysit a friend's baby a couple days a week. He is just a couple months younger than Brett. Today, he fell asleep in Brett's crib, and Brett was ready for his nap before he woke up. So, I decided to try putting them down together. Well, it wasn't 10 minutes after that I heard the little boy make a cry. I went up to check on them, and this is what I see:

Yes, that is Brett pulling the other boy's hair! Naughty!!

another mother

Today is the first Mother's Day I've celebrated as a mother. Brett got me a lovely hanging basket of orange flowers and a card.

But this past week I have been finding myself thinking a whole lot about another mother. Last Mother's Day, she was carrying my son in her womb. She was going into her second trimester. She chose to do something only about 3% of women who find themselves in a crisis pregnancy do - she chose to carry her child to term and give him a life she felt she was unable to provide. We don't know a lot about Ms. April, but we know she didn't have a lot of support during her pregnancy with Brett. What an amazingly strong women she must be!

I've been trying to think of a good way to honor Ms. April today, and every Mother's Day. We currently don't have any contact with her, so we can't send her a card or flowers. I thought about getting her a card each year - having Brett pick it out when he gets old enough - and keeping them in a shoebox. Someday if Brett has the opportunity to meet her, he could give the cards to her. But, then, I worry, what if Brett doesn't ever get that opportunity?

I finally came to the conclusion that the best way to honor Ms. April on Mother's Day is to honor her every day. To talk openly about her with Brett always with respect and appreciation. To remember her in our bedtime prayers. And to encourage Brett to honor her how he chooses as he grows.

But isn't that how we should honor all mothers? Every day?