Sweet Dedication...

Our little family of three...

This is the gown that a special friend of my mom's made for me to wear for my dedication service. My sisters and I all wore it for our dedication services.

This is the dedication certificate....stating that we have "publicly dedicated themselves to God to spiritually train and educate their child."

I guess for some people a dedication ceremony wouldn't necesarily be extra special, but for us it is very important and monumental. We were blessed to have Jeremy's parents come over to share in the evening dedication service with us.

My parents wanted so badly to be able to be here but the service was re-scheduled at the last minute which made traveling plans difficult. We will all be together in a few weeks for Isabella's birthday party so we are planning on having a special little prayer time together over little Bella. =)

As I reflected on this dedication, I began to think back to when we first introduced Isabella to all of our family in the hospital room. I remember holding sweet Bella in my arms as she slept so peacefully. I was exhausted from laboring all night and overwhelmed with love for this precious little baby that brought me more joy than I could have ever imagined possible. As Jeremy and I introduced little Bella to her "Pappa", "Mimi", "Grandaddy", She-She", Aunt Linz, Uncle John, Aunt Brit, Uncle Jordo and Aunt Ellen.......I remember having such an overwhelming heart of gratitude for this miracle the Lord had blessed us with that morning. Our sweet family had joined us in faithfully praying for a healthy little baby and the Lord had blessed us with a beautiful new life that couldn't have been more perfect in every way. After shedding tears and everyone having their turn to hold baby Bella, we all circled up and had a prayer time together. I'm pretty sure there was not a dry eye in that room.......our hearts were all overflowing with thankfulness! I'll always remember that first time of prayer and dedication with my family. It was a time of thanking the Lord and praising Him for His faithfulness and goodness to us.

This past Sunday will always be remembered as a public commitment to faithfully do our best to raise Isabella in a Godly, nurturing home and to surround her with Godly men, women and children who will love her and point her to Jesus.

Here we are with our Pastor.

Jeremy and I take this commitment very seriously. God graciously gave us a precious little girl and we feel it is now our responsibility to love her with the love that only comes from God, to raise her in the truths that come from the innerant Word of God and to gently discipline her as she grows to become more like Jesus.

We know that is not in our own power but only in the strength of the Lord that we will be able to help mold her into the young lady God desires her to become.

In my prayer journal, I am already diligently praying for Isabella to have a sensitive heart to the Lord and that she will come to know Him at a young age.

They gave us this envelope for Isabella to open when she accepts Jesus as her personal Savior.

I pray that she will grow in understanding and wisdom of His Word. I pray that the Lord will bless her with Godly friends who will encourage her and inspire her to be more like Jesus.

Here is Isabella with one of her friends who also participated in the service.

I pray for her husband....wherever he is right now.....that He will also be learning the Godly truths of the Bible and that in the Lord's perfect timing they will unity their lives together.

So, to Jeremy and I this dedication service was not just a "dedication service to check off our list" but rather a public vow to our family and friends that we are committed to diligently and faithfully raising our little girl in the truths of the Lord.

We pray the Lord will continue to show us grace and mercy as we do our best to raise her as He gives us knowledge and wisdom in every way to be an example in every aspect of life to her that she may be able to pass down the truths of the Lord to her children one day.

We love you sweet baby girl and it is truly a privilege to be your parents!

Learning every day!

It seems like every day Bella is growing and learning so much! I thought I would post these 2 videos.....

She loves to give kisses now....open mouth kisses! =) She used to just give them to "mamma"....then to "dada"....but now she is willing to give everyone and everything a kiss.

We are only letting her kiss boys (anyone other than dada, pappa & grandaddy) on their hand.....=) Figured we better train her right from the beginning! Ha!

She also is starting to understand sign language. I introduced it a while back - but today was the first time she did it alone with out prompting! I asked her if she was "all done"......and she did the motion! Yay Bella! =)

Bella's Weekend With Her Daddy...

Just discovered that Jer documented their weekend together.......these videos are beyond precious to me! Notice the outfit that Jer picked out....."My Dad Rocks" w/big guitar on the front. It's a little boy outfit someone gave us a while back.......but I think the bow transformed it to a little girl outfit! =)

(You probably need to scroll to the bottom and stop the music so you can hear the full "documentary!") =)

All dressed and ready to go.....

Headed to the mall to get a Cinnabon....

Jeremy said that he looked over and this is what she was doing.........I think she missed me. =)

Playin' fun games with Daddy!

Relaxing by the Sea....

This past weekend all the staff wives headed over to Sandestin for a nice relaxing weekend together!

This was the first time Isabella and I have been apart for more than just a few hours! So, it was a big step for both of us! =) Jeremy was super dad and did an outanding job entertaining, feeding, rocking and taking such good care of little Bella! He texted me Friday night and said that he had dressed her up and taken her to the mall for a little date to get a Cinnabon. =) Of course he dressed her in her brown and white outfit that has a big guitar on the front and says, "My dad rocks!" It's a little boy outfit.......but he just put a big bow on her head and transformed it to a little girl outfit! She waved to everyone they passed in the mall....surprise....surprise! Little Bella refused to drink my milk out of her sippy cup......but daddy just gave her a little extra food and she was just fine!

My weekend with the ladies was fabulous. It was so refreshing to spend time with such special friends. We tend to get so busy supporting and encouraging our husbands in their specific ministry that we rarely cross paths with each other at church. So, it was such a nice time to visit with each other, encourage and pray for each other.

Girls day =)

Ever wonder what one year olds do for a girls play-day together? Well, let me just show you....

Isabella (11 mo.) had her friend Charleigh (18 mo.) over to play the other day and this is what they did.....

Mamma read them books and then they played with doll babies and stuffed animals.......

They enjoyed the beautiful day outside on a blanket and they loved playing with bubbles...... (except for Charleigh trying to walk back inside to find the "ca" (cat) and Bella trying to crawl to the mailbox! =)

Took a break from playing to take a morning nap.....

They gobbled down a yummy lunch together! It is the cutest thing to see little girls sharing their lunch with each other!

We are blessed to have sweet friends to play with!

11 months...

I can't even believe that 11 months has gone by since I first held baby Isabella in my arms! Time sure has flown by.......everyone seems to tell me to "cherish every moment cause you'll blink and she'll be all grown up." Well, they are right.......but every time I think about how fast she is growing I actually find myself thanking the Lord for the privilege to be able to stay home with her. What a blessing to be able to spend these precious years with her as she grows and develops. I thank the Lord that she is so healthy and strong and that she is growing into such a beautiful little girl inside and out. So, in one sense it is a little sad that my baby is growing into a toddler......but on the other hand I couldn't be more thankful for the joy that she brings and the opportunities I have each day to love her and parent her.

STATS:

Weight - 17lb. 5oz 8%

Height - 28 inches 40%

Head - 18 inches 80%

She is changing so much each day......it's hard to even be able to put into words all the ways she has changed even in just the past month! But, I will do my best!

She loves her "little bunny"...we don't quite have a name for the bunny yet - but she has started holding onto his little ears when she sleeps and carries him all around the house! She loves to feed herself! She's great with me feeding her a bowl of food (pretty much because she knows her tummy gets full faster) but she enjoys feeding herself all sorts of yummy things! She is always exploring! She loves to crawl around and check everything out in the house. If I turn my back and she's not there......I usually go check her bedroom to find her sitting in front of her bookshelf flipping through books. =) She is back to loving jogs in the stroller with me! She loves the warm, spring air and the wind hitting her face. Play dates and trips to the park are also a favorite! She loves going to church on Wednesday nights and hanging out with all the high school students. She never gets bored.......I mean how could you when fun high school girls pass you around...oooh and ahh over you and entertain you! When Jer leads worship/preaches, she does her best to crawl as fast as she can down the center aisle to get to him! Her wave now has motion....not just the straight up wave anymore. She now has four pearly whites....two on top and two on bottom! And let me just say that they are s-h-a-r-p!

Nursery on Sunday mornings continues to be a challenge for little Bella........she'd much rather not have to be apart from her mommy and daddy........but hopefully, it will get easier for her in the near future!

She pulls up on everything and walks along the furniture. She'll stand alone for just a second and then plops down to her bottom. We are practicing walking holding on to our fingers!

Here's her little schedule....

7 Wake/Nurse/Breakfast (fruits, cereal)

9 Story time/Sing/Nap

11 Playtime!

12 Lunch (yogurt based, fruit, veggies, cheese, turkey)

2 Nurse/Nap

4 Snack (fruit, cheerios, water etc.)

6 Dinner (veggies, grains, meat, fruit)

7 Bath

8 Nurse/Bed

**We are down to 3 nursings a day - but we will be going to 2 in the near future. She's doing great with the sippy cup!

Busy Bella...

She's always excited about what's around the corner these days! =) And she gets faster and faster every day!

A few of her favorite things in the house......

the springy things that the doors hit....do they have a name!??

the outlets...of course....

Jazzmyn's scratching post...

tiny cracks that she can squeeze her little petite body through =)...

her "friendly dinosaur" that sings to her as she pushes him around the house...

(I sure love that cute little wave......all day long she waves to her mamma!)

her car/piano that she walks with...

and best of all bubble baths! She loved the pretty princess crown that her daddy made for her with the bubbles!

She's also busy helping daddy preach to our high school students on Wednesday nights! He used her as an illustration when teaching about how in life a lot of times we take baby steps toward the greater purpose that God has for us. Bella showed everyone how she's learning to walk holding daddy's fingers.........

And we've been busy playing with friends at the park! It's been absolutely gorgeous weather down here...perfect for play dates outside!