A Crafty Christmas

When the little bookworm tires of reading, we have to keep busy or he finds mischief on his own like {HERE}

At our Santa Pancake Breakfast, we walked away with several crafts like this ornament...

And this one...

And of course some Reindeer Food for Christmas Eve.

But back at home, we've been busy with artwork too. Mason drew a lovely snowman and then we did a salt art treatment on top...

And we potted some parsley in our reindeer pot {what fun!}

And made a mile-long gingerbread man chain...

And his little tree had to have a tree-topper so we took a clean tin can, paint, felt, pompoms, and lots of cotton balls...

It looks like CHRISTMAS around here now!

Catching Up

Well we took a weeklong vacation, returning home refreshed, and it appears that my computer did the same. I'm now able to upload pictures on Blogger, so there are several updates for the Journal.

• Consoling a fussy baby HERE and HERE
• Our Church Dedication HERE
• And then our 4-Month update HERE
• Breaking out the new walker HERE
• Growing up HERE
• And most recently our trip to Gigi and Grand-Dadder's HERE, HERE, and HERE

Yikes, that's a whole lotta photos and video for catching up over the past 2.5 weeks!

I still have some new things to post from another camera, but that will have to wait because I'm working now!

Church Dedication

Mason's Church-wide Dedication was Sunday, June 7th.

Technology enabled us to broadcast a previously recorded blessing that my Dad prayed when the entire family was in town in March. Mason was presented with a baby blue New Testament with his name engraved. It was a sweet day and Mason and I were truly blessed.

Uncle Sean has the pictures on his camera from the actual Dedication, but here we are eating afterwards at Cheesecake Factory with Uncle Sean, Batman, Ben G. and Aunties Jamie Michele and Betty (who will be having Baby Madi's dedication before we know it!).

Mason and I with his Uncle Sean and Batman.

Yummy ice cream cake, which was a great treat for the hot afternoon. We enjoyed eating Mason's piece for him.

Baby Dedication

Our church has started to have Baby Dedication Sunday only twice a year due to the quantity of newborns popping out en masse...there are 11 due this year between January and June!

My large family is scattered across several states and because not everyone will be able to make it for the "official" dedication in June, we had a special after-church service Baby Dedication for Mason this past Sunday. This was particularly important as I wanted Dad to deliver the blessing.

Our Pastor Gary began with a charge to me- that I now have the responsibility to raise Mason as a godly woman and mother. He shared some very touching things regarding my decisions to do the right things and as a result the blessings and honor God has bestowed allowing me to be Mason's mommy.

Then our family and church friends responded with the commitment to support and uplift Mason as he is a child of God's and a part of the church.

I am very thankful Dad was able to be in town for Mason's blessing and was tearful as Dad prayed and pronounced an ancient Hebrew blessing over Mason. It was a phenomenal prayer; here are some excerpts from his blessing:

...May He give you wisdom, a reverential fear of God, and a heart of love...

...May He create in you the desire to know His Word, and a willing heart that will submit...

...May your eyes look straight ahead with purpose for the future...

...May your tongue be as a pen of a writer, writing mercy and kindness upon your heart...

...May you speak the truth in love...

...May your hands do the works of the Father...

...May your feet walk the paths that He has foreordained for you...

...May you always worship God in spirit and in truth.