Child Dedication

Child dedication is offered twice per year at the church we attend--once in the fall, and also on Mother's Day. This is not a baptism, but rather a time where we as parents commit to raising our children to know and love God. When Jillian and Adrienne are old enough to make the choice for themselves, they can choose to be baptized. We have discussed having the girls dedicated before, but were never able to commit due to Matt always being on call those weekends. This year he just so happened to NOT be on call, and we learned that we would have family in town, so we decided the time was right.

A slide show of children being dedicated was played in the lobby and sanctuary before and between services. I snapped a pic of each of the girls' slides--I chose to submit these particular pictures because I felt they really depicted their personalities.

After the worship portion of the service, the families descended upon the stage. Adrienne was so wiggly and a bit irritable, so I apparently felt the need to bounce her around the whole time. Jillian was also getting squirrely, and worked so hard to not start some sort of performance of her own (she was ecstatic when she learned we were going to be "on stage"), but I think they did great overall. They certainly were not the only kids who were working to hold it together.
Thanks to Debbie's willingness to man my camera, I have videos of this portion of the service. I was hoping to be able to post them here, but for some reason I am unable to upload them. I think it is because my camera takes HD videos. I will keep trying and see if I can reformat--for now, here are a couple of shots of us on the stage with the pastor and other families.

After the dedication, each child was presented with a gift bag containing a white rose and the following:

A book

Dedication certificate

An envelope containing a letter they are to open when they are old enough to make the decision to accept Jesus.

It was a special day for our family. I am thankful we had some family here to witness it, and I think it was especially meaningful for Helen to be present at the dedication of her only great grandchildren.

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary

I have always wanted a garden, and thanks to Matt and Bennie, I got one this weekend! Matt and his dad usually have some sort of project lined up when he visits, and I am so happy that the garden made the cut. After strategically marking off our plot (12'x12' to start this year), they went to Fleet Farm late Friday night and bought supplies for a fence. Since we live in "the country" now, we have to consider garden predators like rabbits and deer. Saturday morning they purchased the tiller, and we had our plot ready to plant in no time.

Matt, Grandma Helen, and I headed to the nursery during Adrienne's nap time while Debbie entertained Jillian. I forgot to take the stroller out of the back of the car before we left, so we had to get creative with placement of the tomato cages on the ride home. I was just glad we didn't have far to go!

Jillian was eager for the planting to begin, and couldn't wait to put the seeds and plants in the dirt. We have a bit to work on in terms of garden-walking etiquette, because I am pretty sure she inadvertently dug up or spread some seeds elsewhere as she stomped around the plot.

Jillian planted the first plant--her pumpkins!

Most of the plants and seeds..tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, herbs, green onions, squash, zucchini, peppers, cabbage, lettuce, pumpkins, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and eggplant. We also planted some rhubarb behind the house.

Grandma Helen took her turn supervising Matt's planting

Jillian's job: hand Daddy the plants

Ready to drop in some seeds

Fascinated by the tiny red cabbage seed. Oh, and proof that I was there helping...the shadow of my hat

Debbie and Adrienne approve of our efforts

The finished product: may it grow fast and prosper!

Minnesota graced us with the absolute perfect garden planting day, and it was a treat to share this experience with others. Everyone helped out in their own way to make this speed-garden possible. I can't wait to taste the fruits (er, vegetables) of our labor!

Mother's Day Weekend

We had a full weekend, and enjoyed every second of it! Great Grandma Helen, Grandpa, and Debbie came to visit, and we all had a great time. Daddy and Grandpa spent lots of time doing "man things" outside, and us girls made sure we kept everyone fed. Jillian especially loved helping Grandma Helen feed her dog and take her out for walks. Besides lots of visiting, highlights included making/planting a garden, having the girls dedicated at church, and Mother's Day itself. I'm going to blog about each of those things separately to keep myself more organized....so stay tuned!

Night Moves

I have always said that the only time Jillian is still is when she is sleeping. I no longer think that is true. She is always moving, often out of her bed. Our bedroom is just below hers, and we probably hear her fall out of her bed with a big "thud" about twice a week. She never wakes up in the process, and I often find her on the floor just sleeping away when I go up to feed Adrienne. I was up twice last night thanks to my manipulative little darling, so had more opportunity than usual to look in on Jillian. She was all over the place, testing out the floor on both sides of her bed.

Disclaimer: I cannot stand the color of the walls in her room. I did not choose it. It is on my list (in a position much higher than it is on Matt's list...we will see who prevails)

 

 

The Big Top

The Jaycees Circus came to Rochester over the weekend, so Matt decided to take Jillian on Sunday afternoon. I was more than happy to stay home with Adrienne...that noisy, germ-infested, smelly outing was best left to Daddy! We had some friends who also went, so Matt and Jillian enjoyed the circus with the Tauntons. I forgot to take a picture before they left, but my friend texted me this picture of Matt and Jillian at the circus as proof of their attendance. You can see that Jillian was super cooperative in regards to the photo op...not.

Afterwards, Adrienne and I met up with the gang at Valentino's and we had a yummy pizza dinner. The circus kids lasted about 30 minutes before they started behaving like circus animals in the restaurant, so we loaded them up, brought them home, and put them to bed. Jillian was out like a light in less than 5 minutes.

Derby Day

We attended our first ever Derby Day party last night, and we had a great time despite the poorly timed thunderstorm that kept us all inside. Matt bet $1 on Daddy Knows Best, but did not win. I didn't take any pictures at the party, and just snapped one of myself on our way out the door. I was the only one of us who wore a hat--Jillian refused, Adrienne would have nothing of the hat-like headband I repeatedly tried to put on her, and Matt informed me that men don't wear them. I used my sun hat and added a jeweled feather pin I found at Hobby Lobby--think it worked out just fine.

I figure it's a good idea to throw in a picture of myself on occasion--just to prove that I am present and participatory in things besides laundry, diapering, and meal preparation.

 The best news to report here is that the girls were absolutely fantastic at the party. There were a lot of people (most of whom we didn't know), and Jillian played so well with the other kids. No screaming, no sharing issues, no willful disobedience. Adrienne was happy to hang out in our arms or nearby on the floor exploring new toys. Kids are so full of surprises, and I love it when the surprises are pleasant ones!

May Day

I didn't grow up celebrating May Day, but I have noticed that many people in Minnesota do. Jillian got to experience the fun first hand tonight when we had a surprise visit from our beloved babysitter, Brooke, and her husband, Devin. I will start by saying that Brooke is a rare gem--a fantastic babysitter who truly shows love to my girls, enjoys being with them, and exudes a sense of calm that allows me to leave without a single worry. The big bummer here is that she is moving away next month, and starting her first job as a PT. We are excited for her and proud of her, but we will miss her terribly!
Jillian was over the moon when I hauled her out of the bathtub and down the stairs tonight because I told her she had a surprise at the door. She threw her robe on and squealed in anticipation, and nearly imploded with excitement when she saw a basket of goodies for her (and one for A) on our doorstep. Seconds later, Brooke and Devin revealed themselves (they were hiding behind the front pillar), and she was overjoyed. And so began a very fun visit that I am pretty sure left Brooke and Devin feeling rather pleased by the excitement they brought to our day. Jillian insisted they all chat in her room, play with the stuff in her basket, and watch her perform whatever trick she could think of to keep them from leaving. I managed to get one cute pic of the three of them together.

Thanks, Brooke and Devin, for loving on my girls tonight! Sometimes a small gesture of kindness makes a huge impact in making someone feel truly special. Jillian will be talking about this for days, and her basket is already loaded up in her backpack ready to be unveiled at her preschool sharing time tomorrow. Happy May Day!