Anna's Baby Dedication

On Sunday, July 10, we dedicated Anna to God during the morning worship service. This does not mean we're going to sacrifice her on an altar or anything, I promise. It only means that we've made a public vow to do our best to bring her up in a Christian home. We've made a point to do this with all of the kids. We don't do this to boast about our relationship with God or our parenting skills, because we are far (really, really far) from perfect. There are two big reasons why we dedicate our babies. First, it's a reminder about why we have our children to begin with. God gives them to us - they're a gift. We're recognizing that and giving Him the glory. Second, it's about accountability. Those days when it's so tempting to make the wrong choices, I have to recall that I made a promise in front of a large group of people to honor God in my parenting decisions. Does it always work? Nope. But it's always there, the elephant in the room.

Anyway, it was really nice, and Anna snoozed peacefully during the whole dedication, so we could actually hear what Dr. Edge was saying this time (ahem...ZOE!).

 The prayer.

(Zoe and Nicky were just checking to make sure everyone had their eyes closed respectfully.)

After the dedication, many of our church members came by to congratulate us and to meet Anna. It was so sweet, and we got lots of hugs and compliments on our family!

I'm glad so many of our family members were able to come for this special event!

Of course, no proper Alexander family function (or a Southern Baptist one, for that matter) is complete without FOOD. So, we all hauled back to our house after the service for some yummies and family time!

The kids' table.
Zoe, Ethan, Nicholas, and Micah.

Hannah and my nephew, Ian.

Ian giving Christopher a ride.

Zoe and Micah.

It was a good time, and I have to give a huge shout-out to my amazing husband for helping me get everything ready, and to my Dad for grilling some awesome burgers!

All of our dedications have been special times, but this one was particularly meaningful to me. Anna truly is a gift from God, a tiny miracle, and I am so grateful to have her. She has been such a blessing to us all, and I am looking forward to watching her grow into an amazing young woman.