Extra Special Day for Me

Before you read the post, if you have a few spare minutes, read 1 Samuel 1 and 2:1-11. It really has taken on a deep meaning for me as a mother. In regards to Samuel's birth, his mother, Hannah, dedicated him to the Lord. What is so great about this story, is that Hannah was unable to have children. She prayed so deeply and sorrowfully to the Lord that He eventually granted her a child. I was touched and moved reading these passages now, as a mother. Chapter 1:26-28..."as surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here praying to the Lord. I prayed for this child and the Lord granted me what I asked of Him. So now I give him to the Lord. For His whole life he will be given over to the Lord." Simply stated: our children do not belong to us. They are the Lord's. I know that, but I want to live that. Everyday. I want to be reminded of the gifts they are. How badly I wanted them. How good God was to give them. And now I want Him to know that I know they are His. So, on Sunday, Mother's Day, I dedicated my baby girl to the Lord. It was such a sweet day.


*Now, that was the deep, spiritual side of me. Here is the shallow disclaimer of me: These pictures are so awful. I am so disappointed that these are the only pictures I have of the dedication! The lighting in our church is dark with bright spotlights and it shows awfully here. Also, maybe we should have ran a comb thru Mug's hair? Just an afterthought. Oh well. Here are a few to share.

Our whole family was there plus some. Not shown are the Polnicks and the Hillmans, of course! They ARE family to us and were so super sweet to come and spend this special time with us!

Mother's Day is a holiday to us. Every year I host and invite my family and Brent's over for a lunch or dinner. This year, REW and Kenley both got dedicated so there were a lot more people to invite! Kendra and I wanted to make it special for our mamas and for the girls so we pulled out all the stops! We busted out my pink china, I made name cards for place settings and Kendra did floral arrangements and I even decided to make little programs. We thought it would also be nice to have everyone bring pictures of their moms to put on display! We also set up a table for Kenley and Reese. We asked everyone beforehand to write them a letter that they could open when they became a Christian. We wanted them to have something encouraging to read from the people who loved them most. It was blazing hot outside and we were all sweaty, but we were happy!

Here are the darlings. Along with the disappointing dedication pics, was the fact that I was running around all day and did not get ONE single picture with my little Mug. Not that he would have complied, but seriously, this was it!

I managed to get one with little REW. Sweet thing. Can you believe her eyes? Are they for real?

The day ended around 6. Everyone packed up and went home. I had a moment to reflect. I loved getting to dedicate REW on this day. I watched my son walk around by himself most of the day make believing sorts of things. He was busy. He was so independent. He does not seem 2 to me most days. He walked up to my bed as I was barely waking and said, Happy Mother's Day, mama!". That was nice. He cuddled me in bed and watched Dora. Meanwhile, REW was still sleeping. Her gift to me was a whopping 11.5 hours of sleep the night before. Well done. I needed that. You guys made it an extra special day.

Dear Tristan and Reese,

The day you both were born were two of the best days of my life. I feel like you have made my life more meaningful. I know you will probably never remember anything about this day. You will not remember the cuddles we shared today. You won't remember who was here with you. You won't remember the hideous dress choice I made or that I did not focus any attention on your hair. That's why I wanted to write it down for you. I want to write it so one day you will know how I was feeling as your mom. Oh my sweeties, I am not perfect. I feel like most of the time I don't know what I am doing. I don't cook as many gourmet recipes as I want to. I don't get all the laundry done. I don't take you to all the right things. I let you watch more TV than I probably should. I get a little frustrated sometimes. So do you. But then, you come out of no where and hug me. Or giggle at my singing. Or ask to help me cook. Or spoon with your lovie. You twirl your hair to sleep. You rub your eyes so hard I think you will rub them right out of your head. Sometimes, I see you in your Pj's at night, you can hardly keep your eyes open...and my eyes fill with tears. Because the day is done. Another day is gone with you. I know you will wake up with a new ability. A new question. A new milestone. It goes that fast. Faster than I ever thought. Both of you are so special. Each in your own way. Tristan, you are my explorer, my seeker, my learner. Reese, you are my reflector, my peace maker, my little ray of sunshine. Today all I feel is blessed. I have so much love that I don't know what to do. I want to kiss your cheeks over and over and over again. I want to see you grow, but want you to stay the same. I hope you will always know this about me. That I love you so. I am so thankful and honored to be your mom. I thank God everyday that he allowed me such an honored position.

xoxo

mommy