A Baby Dedication Story

"For this child I prayed, and The Lord has given me my petition which I asked of Him. So I have also dedicated him to The Lord; as long as he lives he is dedicated to The Lord." And all of them worshiped The Lord there."
-1 Samuel 1:27-28 

Hannah's heart always astounded me because she really knew what it meant to wait for a child. She had seen her husband's other wife have many children while she remained barren. She cried out to The Lord for a son and He heard her cry and gave her a son. She dedicated him to The Lord in a way none of us could really fathom.

I remember when God comforted and assured me that another baby would come. (I even wrote a poem about it http://jnbwalker.blogspot.com/2012/01/poem-about-gift-of-life.html) This was after many tears and sorrowful moments that lingered after our miscarriage. I was already a mother of a beautiful, healthy child, but I related to Hannah in those moments of uncertainty. I realized just how much control I didn't have and never had. I realized how merciful and loving God truly is.

Seeing God's faithfulness while holding Brynlee in the hospital was incredible. I knew right away the joy she would bring to our lives and that we would dedicate her back to The Lord. For Joe and I, dedicating her means that we dedicate our lives to raising her to follow Jesus. It also means that we commit ourselves to being examples of God's grace and love.

So, today was the day we celebrated that with our church family and extended families. The pastor kept saying how cute Brynlee was and said to everyone, "Okay, everyone on the count of three, one, two three," and everyone said "awwwww!" He prayed over her and she cooed. It was a short but sweet moment I'll never forget!

Her and Brenna wore the same dress for their dedications! It was like holding Brenna all over again!

Our church gave us this beautiful frame! What a special surprise!

A Look at 2013

I really enjoy taking a look back at what my family experienced each year. I hope to do this with my kids as they get bigger. =] So for us Walkers, here's the highlights:

{Vacations}

• We all went to Hawaii for the first time for my brother's wedding

{Jobs}

• Joe changed companies this summer and now work for Rio Tinto doing maintenance 
• I subbed the first half of the year and then decided to take the next school year off to be home more with my girls

{Family Changes}

• We had a baby girl, Brynlee Joy Walker, born on May 13th, the day after Mother's Day!

{Big Purchases}

• I finally got an iPhone and LOVE it! (What took me so long??)
• I got the bedroom furniture set of my dreams along with a king-sized mattress
• We found the PEFECT big girl bedroom furniture for Brenna's room
• Joe got a new bow that he really is excited about

{Family Events}

• Brenna and I went to two months of "Story Time" together at the library
• I got kidney stones while pregnant (again) and had surgery, a stent for two weeks, and had kidney failure after it was removed. I haven't been to the hospital so much in my life!
• Joe turned 30! 
• Survived living another year with my parents! 
• Joe was with his dad when his dad shot a large elk
• Joe participated in all three days of "Total Archery Challenge" at The Bird
• Brynlee finally eats well, sleeps 10-12 hours at night, sits up, crawls, says "Mama", eats solids & puffs and can drink through a straw. That's a lot for a baby. :)

Compared to last year, it looks like almost nothing happened! I can't believe it! But because I was pregnant and the baby is still really little, we knew we would be home more and keep things simple. We also spent a lot of time with family this year and visited all sets of grandparents often. It was a special year because of Brynlee, but a harder year overall. I am definitely looking forward to a fresh start!

Welcomed November

For the first time in years, I was glad November was here. Brynlee has added some of this excitement to our family again!

Eek! I'm 29!

We started the month with birthdays! Mainly mine. Turning 29 was so much better than I anticipated! A few days before, I went to brunch with my mom, grandma and aunt to my favorite bakery- Gourmandise! I got my favorite dish:

The next night, we had a little family celebration with my side of the family. Brenna and Brynlee did help blow out my birthday candles of course! My mom made a delectable dinner, too! They were such good sports and played games. (My favorite thing to do!) Family Feud and Mexican Train.

The night before my birthday, we went to dinner with Joe's parents and my two brother-in-laws and celebrated their birthday's too- David, Matt & I have our birthdays within seven days of each other. It works out well! No kids either…

The day of my birthday, my dear friend Anna invited me and the girls over for lunch and a playdate! It was so nice getting mommy-time in and enjoying each other's little ones. When I got home I played with Brenna and relaxed. My mother-in-law offered to pick Brenna up to play with her cousin so Joe and I got to enjoy a nice, romantic dinner that he made while Brynlee slept!

We ended the night by going to Leatherby's for some sundaes!

Oh, and we discovered by the end of the night that Brynlee is learning how to sit up on her own! I was excited and sad at the same time!

{Shooting}
I haven't been shooting in so long. I forgot how. I also forgot how nervous I get to pull the trigger! But I ended up having a blast and shooting every gun there. I think it's important to know how to handle a gun safely and to be able to defend yourself if needed. It's also a hobby Joe and I can do together, which is what we've been looking for.  Hopefully we'll go a lot more often in the spring!

{So You Think You Can Dance Tour}
I got to cross another thing off my "30 Before 30" list! My sweet mother-in-law wanted to take ME to this tour for HER birthday! We went to dinner at the Cracker Barrel first and then watched the show together at the Maverick Center. The dancers were so entertaining! I had many favorites! I laughed when Rachelle told me her favorite dance was the hip-hop rap one. :) It was such a fun night! I was only disappointed that the lighting was so dark in there that her and I didn't get a picture together.

{Dance Class…. Again}
I told Brenna after she took dance classes for a month when she was two, that she would have to wait until she was three to do more. She is a frequent dancer, so it seemed like the perfect time. We bought her a leotard, tights and ballet shoes and I took her to Linda Fenton. A previous student of mine that I taught raved about their technique training. Brenna did very well. She had to go in the room without me while I sat and watched her on the screen. She was nervous. She lasted about 30 minutes of the 45. She did cry and asked for me, I showed her the screen, gave her hugs and off she went. But then she just sat on the bench and watched the other girls dance before asking to leave. So I decided we'd perhaps try again in the New Year! It was still fun seeing her try her best and experience it.

{Moving}
Mine and Brenna's best friend moved at the end of this month. Brooke and her daughter Morgan stayed at our house the week before they left. It was fun seeing them more and soaking up those last days together! Brooke and I stayed up late a few nights and talked endlessly like we did all growing up! I really didn't want her to leave, but she was going through a divorce and was starting fresh in San Diego. We threw her a going-away party and did as much as we could to prepare for her to go. I cried more days this month than I had in years. I miss her more than I can care to tell people. I can't wait to go visit her next year!

{Thanksgiving}
It was strange that Joe had to work the night shift so that wasn't fun! I decided to take the girls to my family's Thanksgiving dinner for a couple hours. I was so glad we got to see family that night and eat delicious food together! The highlight of the night was my girls… everyone loved seeing Brenna and Brynlee and all the cuteness they bring! Happy First Thanksgiving Brynlee! Next year you get to eat all the food you want! :)