A PROMISE YOU DON'T TAKE BACK

When Lauren went into the hospital, I felt such relief that we had just had her dedicated in church a few weeks before. It was silly, because it wasn't like God wouldn't have abandoned her if we hadn't done that, but it gave me such comfort.

Before Elyse was born, I knew that we would be dedicating her quickly - not because I thought that anything would happen to her but because I knew that from the moment that she was just a hope in our hearts, that God would be in control of her life. It was such a special moment for me that I bought her dedication dress before she was even born (pretty much all of her other clothes are Lauren's hand-me-downs). 

Lauren was her two and a half year old self and decided to make the dedication a bit interesting with her constant energy and readiness to wiggle. It's a good thing that I'm trying to embrace reality, not perfection (hence the dishes all over the counter the other day when we had people over).

The dedication was a reminder of our lives not being our own. Every day that we have is a gift from God and I want to reflect that in the way that I mother my children. I want them to know God, but also to see his work in my life. Right now, being a stay at home mom for the year, that means that I want them to see him in my interactions with them. Elyse was dedicated to the Lord and I dedicate myself to mothering with patience, kindness, gentleness and love.