Baby Dedication

Yesterday at church we dedicated Gabriella.  Some of you reading may not be familiar with a baby dedication, but basically it is a way of publicly acknowledging our responsibility to raise Gabriella in a Christian home.  The major part of the dedication is the father's blessing for the child.  Michael wrote a lovely blessing for Gabriella, in case you're wondering, you can read it:

Dear Gabriella,

Your name means “devoted to God”, and you mother and I are here today to publicly devote you to Him, and to accept our responsibility to care for you and to teach you to walk in His ways. We smile when we think that although God knew you before He put the Earth in its place, you came as quite a surprise to us, following your sister so closely. Now that you are here, and we are starting to get to know you, your mother and I want you to understand that you are the most blessed and welcome surprise we could ever receive, and we cannot imagine life without you.

You were born to inherit a legacy of faith passed down from your grandfather, and it is our sincere prayer that you will carry that legacy long after we are gone. Your mother and I confess that Jesus Christ is the long-awaited Messiah, and He is your hope in this world, and your eternal future. We know that you will not pass through this life without being scorched by sin, but we pray that God’s hand will keep you from evil and this His light will always go just before you. We celebrate the miracle that you are, and we look forward with great expectation to being used by God to help write the beautiful story of His will for your life.

We love you daughter,

Mom and Dad

She and Jessica both came onstage with us and Michael read the blessing for the entire congregation to hear.  It was a lovely day & the girls looked especially cute (at least, I thought so).  Things mostly went great, although, Jessica did get a bit antsy while we were on stage---but I guess a 17 1/2 month old just can't stay still for very long.  Here are a few pics from yesterday, hope you enjoy!  Have a great Monday :)

I think she looks especially cute with the bonnet