Easter Morn - Dedicating Hadley

On Easter morning, I can remember waking up as a kid to find several items from the Easter Bunny arranged neatly on the couch or the fireplace. We'd usually have a few spring/summer outfits, a swimsuit, some toys, and of course several pieces of candy - my favorite being the Reese's peanut butter eggs. Now it's my turn to pretend to be the bunny and I'm loving it! I'm following my mom's tradition of putting in summer clothes and a swimsuit for each kid but also am starting one of my own putting in summer toys and books. Instead of candy for my little ones this year, I filled their baskets with sunglasses, silly string, foam bath soap, and other small fun items.

 

 

Dave's parents were visiting for a few days and, as a result of us all running on different schedules, we didn't get a chance to go in and check out the kids' Easter baskets as a family as early as I'd hoped. Caleb didn't wait for us though. He went in and explored both his new stuff and his sister's before his parents were ready.

 

Not only was it Easter Sunday, it was also a special day because it was the day we dedicated Baby Hadley back to God. It was her first Sunday at church since we were still in the hospital the week before; I thought it couldn't have been a better day to celebrate new life. My mom and I looked for months prior to the event to find a newborn Easter dress we liked but were unsuccessful. For this special occasion though, my mom offered to let us use a dress and slip she wore as a baby. The sentimentalist that I am, I loved the idea! Here is a picture of the slip, the detail at the bottom of the slip, the actual dress, and the dress with mom's bonnet:

 

 

We had lots of friends at church interested in seeing Hadley during the greeting time. Afterwards, it was time for the dedication ceremony. Since several people asked, I want to explain a little about what it means to dedicate a baby. To begin, I want to clarify a common misconception - it is not a baptismal service. Because only adults are baptized in the Bible, and only after they make a personal decision to follow Christ, we believe that baptism is something that each person should choose to do on their own as an outward demonstration of their commitment to serve the Lord. Since the Bible teaches that each person is responsible for making their own decision to follow Jesus or not and that our salvation is based on our faith alone not our parents' faith, we don't baptize our children but allow them to make that decision when they are old enough to understand its significance. A baby dedication is a chance for the parents to stand before the congregation of other believers and make a public commitment to raise their child according to the Scriptures, teaching them who God is, what He did for us, and how we should respond to His gift and live our lives as a result. It is also a time for us to recognize that our children are blessings that He's entrusted to us but ultimately they are His children and we offer them back to Him to lead and use for His service as He chooses.

 

On a less serious note, the dedication was followed by a fun filled activity our church holds every year on Easter - a peep eating contest. My cousin Lexi (far right) who was visiting for the dedication decided to try her peep eating skills. She quickly decided she wasn't a big fan of peeps.

There were a lot of people who came to see Hadley's dedication. Of course, Grandma and Grandpa McKinstry came since they were visiting. My parents and sister as well as my mom's parents came too. Also, my mom's sister (Aunt Susie) came with my Uncle Randy and their granddaughter Lexi. Dave and Caleb had to leave early so Caleb could nap but here are a few shots of those who could stay to take some pics afterward:

 The whole gang

 My mom proudly shows off Hadley in her dress

Close-up

Four generations